This study examines how the Korean elementary EFL classrooms are shaped differently according to the teachers` gender by analyzing classroom discourse. Four male teachers and four female teachers were observed and audio-recorded three times each, and 24 classroom discourses were analyzed in total. Based upon Boulima`s (1999) Foreign Language Interaction Analysis System (FLIAS), negotiated interactions which are thought to be crucial for foreign language Learning were examined focusing on their discourse functions. The results showed that male and female teachers both used negotiated interactions about 30% of the whole classrooms discourse, but with different purposes. Male teachers practiced more "text-oriented" negotiated interactions, whereas female teachers spent more time easing the classroom atmosphere and maintaining a good relationship with their students. This study is expected to provide us with an opportunity to rethink about the debates regarding the phenomenon of "feminization" of boys and the gender-related issues of English teachers in more critical way.

The purpose of this study is to empirically examine English teachers` behaviors of adopting multimedia. Based on the well-known technology acceptance theory, Technology Acceptance Model(TAM), this study developed a model to investigate the relationship between theoretical constructs including Teachers` Self-Efficacy, Openness, Experience, Supports, and Expectation of Learning Performance, and their impact on perceived usefulness of multimedia. A total of 228 data from teachers at middle and high schools were used to analyze the proposed model using multiple regression. The results are twofold: first, results suggest that variables in the proposed model have a significant role in regards to the perceived usefulness of teachers` multimedia, accounted for 78.6% of the variance explained in perceived usefulness. Second, results support the significant effect among TAM variables, implying that TAM is applicable in explaining English teachers` intention to use multimedia. The findings suggested that the important determinants influencing multimedia adoption should be considered for educators using multimedia in ordre to revitalize multimedia for English education.

This study examines the relationships among the affective factors, learner experience variables, and speaking achievement. The research questions of this study were as follows: 1) What relationship is there between the Learners` affective factors and experience variables, 2) What relationship is there between the learners` affective factors and speaking achievement and 3) What relationship is there between experience variables and speaking achievement? The major findings of this study were as follows. First, between the affective factors and experience variables, all the factors except general anxiety were found to be related to self-evaluation of speaking competence. Second, among the affective factors, class interest was the only one that was positively correlated with all speaking achievement. Third, between the experience variables and speaking achievement, TOEIC scores and grades in the prerequisite course were positively correlated with speaking achievement. In conclusion, native English-speaking instructors should make classes as interesting as possible, using a variety of procedures, activities and methodologies.

With the popularity of the interactionist and socioconstructivist approaches, it is widely held that communicative interaction facilitates L2 acquisition. Social interaction has been propelled by the proliferation of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Particularly, the nature of synchronous CMC promotes meaning negotiation (Levy & Stockwell, 2006). The discourse of CMC, which is tantamount to conversing in slow motion (Beauvios, 1992), exhibits features of face-to-face communication. This similarity between FFC and CMC makes us ponder how Learners of English negotiate meaning in CMC. This study aims to examine if and to what extent EFL students negotiate meaning in the synchronous CMC environment while carrying out pre-writing tasks. The study analyzed the content of chat scripts students have produced in reaction to two topics: increasing the number of TEE classes at college settings and revealing gender information of unborn babies. The analysis followed Varonis and Gass` (1985) negotiation routine and Smith` (2003) subcategories of negotiation routine. The findings indicate that the students` meaning negotiation differed according to topic, and that they negotiated more about content than about Lexical items.

Drawing on notions of Learner identity, investment, and imagined communities (Norton, 1995, 2000) in the sociocultural approach to Learner motivation, the present study explores Korean secondary school students` identities and contextual factors involved in the Learning process. Interviews were conducted with twenty students regarding their relationships with English and their desire to use English. Three salient learner identities were observed: test takers, professional career persons, and global citizens. Findings show that the current identities of the Learners were Limited to test takers due to the contextual constraints placed on them by the college entrance examination. However, they extended their imagined communities to include career persons and global citizens recognizing English as an important tool for gaining access to their imagined communities. Findings indicate that Learner motivation is closely related to how the learners identify themselves in the second Language process, which is also highly affected by the sociocultural context in which Learners are situated. This paper highlights the importance of Learners` envisioning their desired communities as a means to sustain their investment and participation in the Learning process.

For several decades, L2 researchers have paid Little attention to gesture and nonverbal aspects because they have focused primarily on verbal aspects and linguistic competence. Recently, only a few scholars found that there is a close relationship between gestures and L2 proficiency, and hence. it is not clear yet how gestures reveal L2 speakers` mental processes in different proficiency levels. Therefore, in this study, we examined how gestures serve as a window on developmental stages of intermediate and advanced L2 speakers. Thirty-two native speakers of Korean studying in the United States participated in this study, constituting two separate groups: Intermediate speakers of English, who arrived here in their early 20s, and advanced speakers, who arrived as teenagers. The oral English proficiency of individuals was tested and the difference of mean test scores between the two groups was statistically significant. Participants watched the same cartoon movie and Later told the story in English to a Korean interlocutor. Participants were videotaped and gestures were coded. We found that intermediate speakers rely more on non-Linguistic channels (i.e., gestures) due to Lack of L2 Linguistic knowledge. Their higher rates of speech-gesture grammatical, temporal, and semantic asynchronicity are similar to early L1 developmental stages of children at which asynchronicity appears.

This study aims to investigate the college Learners` affective variables after participating in an English Study Abroad (ESA) program. Twenty six college students participated in the study and completed the surveys to measure their affective variables in L2 Learning. The questionnaire is comprised of four parts; Attitudes and Motivation Test Battery (AMTB), Willingness to Communicate (WTC), Self-Perceived Communication Competence (SPCC), and Communication Anxiety (CA). In the results, the intensity of effort to Learn English, the attitudes toward English community members and English course measured by AMTB and Learners` perceived competence by SPCC increased and CA was significantly Lowered, but no significant increase of WTC was reported. The study implies that the experience of ESA affects the development of college Learners` motivation and attitudes toward L2 Learning in a certain situation. Also, Learners` SPCC and CA, which are strong predictors of WTC and communicative competence in indirect path, are also facilitated by exposure to the target Language community through ESA.

This article reports on a study designed to explore the need for hyphenation in Romanized Korean given names in Light of governmental recommendations to the contrary. The study investigates the importance of Romanized Korean names to users and the effects on name use of omitting the hyphen in Romanized Korean given names. A questionnaire was used to collect the perceptions of 65 South Korean university students regarding their experiences with Romanized Korean names and their beliefs regarding given name hyphenation. To assess the usefulness of the hyphen, a survey of 36 names was constructed from a database of 995 Romanized Korean names. Responses from 79 English native speakers who were not familiar with Korean names or the Korean Language were analyzed for given name hyphen placement. The results of the study highlight the importance of effective name Romanization and the utility of the hyphen for the participants. In addition, the results reveal that without the use of a hyphen 30% of the Romanized Korean given names were incorrectly syllabified. Errors were found at syllable boundaries consisting of vowel-vowel, consonant-consonant, vowel-consonant and consonant-vowel Letter combinations. It is argued that these errors may be the result of the application of syllabification procedures appropriate to the participants` native Language, but which are prone to error when used on some Romanized Korean given names.

This study aims to evaluate a six-month domestic intensive English teacher training program (IETTP). It specifically examines what the participating teacher Learners expected from the program, how they perceived its effectiveness. It also investigates how they developed in terms of Linguistic and instructional skills through the program. Mixed methods were used to investigate 28 participants` Learning experiences in the program. The data include the program manuals, the participants` pre- and post-test results, their surveys on the program and the courses, instructors` feedback and evaluations on the teacher Learners` microteachings, and the interviews with the program and academic coordinators. The results of the participants` pre- and post-tests showed statistically significant improvement in their English skills except their speaking skills. In addition, the performance-based evaluation of their teaching demonstrations revealed their development in instructional skills. Overall, the teacher Learners perceived that their Language and teaching skills improved through the IETTP. However, some teacher learners suggested that more direct support should be made to improve the communication skills. This study provides important implications for teacher Learners, teacher educators, and policy makers. (177 words)

The present study investigates the relationship of Korean middle school students` Lexico-grammatical knowledge and background knowledge with their English Listening competence. It also examines if repeated Listening interacting with those two variables has effects on Listening comprehension. A total of 68 Korean middle school students participated in the study. The results of the study show that both Lexico-grammatical knowledge and background knowledge were highly correlated with Listening comprehension. It was also found that repeated Listening helped the participants improve Listening comprehension regardless of their proficiency Level. Further, the participants with more Lexico-grammatical knowledge benefited more from repeated Listening. The participants with Less Lexico-grammatical knowledge seemed to take advantage of additional information provided by repetition to increase their content knowledge. The results imply that repeated Listening would be effective for Listeners to use the top-down process so that they could compensate for their Lack of Linguistic knowledge.