• Asia Pacific Journal of Corpus Research
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.23-36
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• 2024

This research centers on the Taiwan Eye-Movement Corpus of Spanish (TECS), a specially created corpus comprising eye-tracking data from Chinese-speaking learners of Spanish as a third language in Taiwan. Its primary purpose is to explore the broad utility of TECS in understanding language learning processes, particularly the initial stages of language learning. Constructing this corpus involves gathering data on eye-tracking, reading comprehension, and language proficiency to develop a machine-learning model that predicts learner behaviors, and subsequently undergoes a predictability test for validation. The focus is on examining attention in input processing and their relationship to language learning outcomes. The TECS eye-tracking data consists of indicators derived from eye movement recordings while reading Spanish sentences with temporal references. These indicators are obtained from eye movement experiments focusing on tense verbal inflections and temporal adverbs. Chinese expresses tense using aspect markers, lexical references, and contextual cues, differing significantly from inflectional languages like Spanish. Chinese-speaking learners of Spanish face particular challenges in learning verbal morphology and tenses. The data from eye movement experiments were structured into feature vectors, with learner behaviors serving as class labels. After categorizing the collected data, we used two types of machine learning methods for classification and regression: Random Forests and the k-nearest neighbors algorithm (KNN). By leveraging these algorithms, we predicted learner behaviors and conducted performance evaluations to enhance our understanding of the nexus between learner behaviors and language learning process. Future research may further enrich TECS by gathering data from subsequent eye-movement experiments, specifically targeting various Spanish tenses and temporal lexical references during text reading. These endeavors promise to broaden and refine the corpus, advancing our understanding of language processing.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.29
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• pp.479-501
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• 2012

In this paper, I analyzed the russian cultural content of the russian textbook according to curriculum changes. The aim of this study is to analyze the content of the russian textbooks on russian culture. Our education of russian language begins in high school as a second language. And russian education in high school entirely depend on the textbook. In these circumstances, Russian textbooks play a very important role in the Russian language learning. For a practical and efficient language learning, acquisition of cultural knowledge is very important. Because cultural content can be learning motivational factors. But the contents of a textbook is not satisfactory enough to teach russian culture. More efficient textbook must be developed to advance student's linguistic ability.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.59-70
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• 2024

We introduce a high-performance named entity recognition (NER) model for written and spoken language. To overcome challenges related to labeled data scarcity and domain shifts, we use transfer learning to leverage our previously developed KorBERT as the base model. We also adopt a meta-pseudo-label method using a teacher/student framework with labeled and unlabeled data. Our model presents two modifications. First, the student model is updated with an average loss from both human- and pseudo-labeled data. Second, the influence of noisy pseudo-labeled data is mitigated by considering feedback scores and updating the teacher model only when below a threshold (0.0005). We achieve the target NER performance in the spoken language domain and improve that in the written language domain by proposing a straightforward rollback method that reverts to the best model based on scarce human-labeled data. Further improvement is achieved by adjusting the label vector weights in the named entity dictionary.

• Iberoamérica
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.135-178
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• 2021

A teacher's talk does not make a simple delivery of information. It reflects the role of the teacher, since the language used by a teacher intervenes in a crucial way in the complex mechanisms that underlie teaching and learning of foreign languages. In this sense, the ways in which teachers give feedback have an impact on the process, not only of learning, but also of teaching. The important role of emotional factors in learning has resonated strongly in the intuition of many second and foreign language teachers. As a result, over the past three decades, research on foreign language acquisition has confirmed the hypothesis that language learning is enhanced by rapport between teacher and student. This study analyses the positive feedback given by native Spanish teachers in the context of university classes in Korea. The positive words from a language teacher are related to forming emotional factors such as motivation, attitude, interest, self-confidence, self-esteem, anxiety, and empathy, which directly influence in the acquisition of Spanish. 35 hours of oral practical classes taught by three native teachers of Colombian, Spanish and Mexican nationality were examined. According to the result, almost all the correct answers from students were corresponded with some type of positive feedback. The most frequent strategies are making a compliment, an approval, a repetition, and laughter or non-verbal cues. It is interesting to observe that teachers don't use only a single strategy to provide positive feedback, but instead combine multiple ways to enrich the positiveness of the feedback.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.17-36
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which CALL apply to enhance the motivational aspects of second language learning. Theories relevant to social, cognitive, and affective foundations of motivation are first reviewed to demonstrate the important role of motivational influences in improving learners' affect and achievements. Then, implications arising from such theories in strengthening the motivational aspects of CALL are explicated in the second part. With the spread of computer technology in language classrooms, the innovative role of CALL in the development and maintenance of intrinsic motivation can be illustrated. Specifically, CALL may provide cognitively supportive instruction geared towards improving students' performance. Also, it has been reported from the affective perspective that CALL can captivate learners' attention, promote their feelings and expectations of success, improve perceptions of control, and increase positive attributions to effort and ability. Finally, from a social learning perspective, CALL may enhance learners' self-efficacy and foster their achievement and positive affect through social interactions, proximal goal-setting, and attributional feedback. In the framework of CALL, students seem to be benefited by the immediacy and authenticity of contact with target languages and cultures made at their choices and decisions.

• KIPS Transactions on Software and Data Engineering
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• v.11 no.8
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• pp.325-330
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• 2022

This paper conducts the collection and experiment of datasets for deep learning research on sign language such as sign language recognition, sign language translation, and sign language segmentation for Korean sign language. There exist difficulties for deep learning research of sign language. First, it is difficult to recognize sign languages since they contain multiple modalities including hand movements, hand directions, and facial expressions. Second, it is the absence of training data to conduct deep learning research. Currently, KETI dataset is the only known dataset for Korean sign language for deep learning. Sign language datasets for deep learning research are classified into two categories: Isolated sign language and Continuous sign language. Although several foreign sign language datasets have been collected over time. they are also insufficient for deep learning research of sign language. Therefore, we attempted to collect a large-scale Korean sign language dataset and evaluate it using a baseline model named TSPNet which has the performance of SOTA in the field of sign language translation. The collected dataset consists of a total of 11,402 image and text. Our experimental result with the baseline model using the dataset shows BLEU-4 score 3.63, which would be used as a basic performance of a baseline model for Korean sign language dataset. We hope that our experience of collecting Korean sign language dataset helps facilitate further research directions on Korean sign language.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.19
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• pp.313-338
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• 2010

Attitudes toward target language culture and motivation have been known as important factors in second or foreign language learning. In this study, cadets' attitudes toward the target language community and culture were investigated to find out any relationships with English achievement. Integrative or instrumental motivation in foreign military context was investigated to determine which motivation was more positively related to English proficiency. Cadets' responses were shown highly positive and internally consistent in most cases. Military cadets' attitudes toward American culture were statistically significant and could predict their English achievement. Even though integrative motivation was statistically significant, correlation with English achievement was low. However, instrumental motivation was not significant. This result implies that attitudes toward culture is an important factor in foreign language learning and integrative-instrumental motivation dichotomy might not be enough to explain specific context like cadets' English learning situation at Korea Army Academy at Youngcheon.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.411-426
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• 2003

I report on the case of a polyglot ‘savant’ (C), who is mildly autistic, severely apraxic, and of limited intellectual ability; yet who can read, write, speak and understand about twenty languages. I outline his abilities, both verbal and non-verbal, noting the asymmetry between his linguistic ability and his general intellectual inability and, within the former, between his unlimited morphological and lexical prowess as opposed to his limited syntax. I then spell out the implications of these findings for modularity. C's unique profile suggested a further project in which we taught him British Sign Language. I report on this work, paying particular attention to the learning and use of classifiers, and discuss its relevance to the issue of modality: whether the human language faculty is preferentially tied to the oral domain, or is ‘modality-neutral’ as between the spoken and the visual modes.

• International Journal of Computer Science & Network Security
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.143-149
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• 2024

The role of social networking mobile applications such as WhatsApp in enhancing second language vocabulary learning among English language learners continues to be a subject of interest for many scholars. The current study aimed at examining medical English vocabulary learning among undergraduate students using WhatsApp compared to learning vocabulary via the Blackboard platform during the Covid-19 pandemic. To this end, 108 medical students (51 males, 57 females) enrolled in a first semester English for a specific English course participated in the study. A quasi-experimental design was adopted for two groups. Fifty-three students participated in the WhatsApp group and 55 students formed the Blackboard group. A pretest-posttest design was employed to collect data. Results of t-test scores did not show a significant difference between the WhatsApp and Blackboard groups on a vocabulary test. Results of a survey that measured students' opinion of the use of WhatsApp as a platform for learning new vocabulary showed positive perceptions since participants thought that WhatsApp enhanced their learning experience.

• Journal of Korean language education
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.73-100
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to investigate learner-learner dialogue during speaking tasks. In the Korean language classroom, conversation between learners is an important activity as speaking practice. However, learner dialogue is also a tool to enable learners to collaboratively conduct various cognitive activities in the classroom. In previous research, it was unfolded that through learner-learner dialogue, learners can solve second-language related problems and set a goal to carry out tasks. Therefore, this study analyzed learner-learner dialogue to investigate what kinds of cognitive activities are activated during the role-play task. As a result, the learners collaboratively generated and monitored language and content for role play. Also, in order to accomplish tasks more successfully, learners shared the same understanding about the goal of the task, and tried to manage the task procedure. Through learner-learner dialogue, learners can participate in cognitive activities such as content, language construction, and task management voluntarily without the help from teachers. This means that learner-learner dialogue can be an activity to support language learning tasks. Also, it can make learners actively involved in learning and by sharing resources with each other. It is also important that learners can experience language use that participates in real-world communication activities, such as learning in the classroom and collaborating with peer learners. This study is an exploratory study for a basic understanding of learner's conversation as a cognitive activity, and the scope of the study is limited to clarifying contents of learner-learner dialogue as a cognitive activity in speaking tasks. Based on the findings of this study, future research should be conducted on the function of learner-learner dialogue as a cognitive activity in Korean language learning and its role in the classroom of Korean language education.