The purpose of this study was to critically examine the absolute grading system applied to the English section of South Korea's College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), in a departure from a relative grading system, for the first time in 2017. English language instructors as well as English education researchers have somewhat differing…

This study utilized Automated Speech Recognition technology to determine the potential utility and acceptance of such technology in the English as a Foreign Language classroom. Learners were made aware of the Automatic Speech Recognition potential of their mobile devices and provided with some direction in, and incentive for, its use. Participants…

This paper explores the L2 motivation of 11 students about to start studying English as junior college English majors. The participants took part in a ten-day L2 motivational program designed to help them with L2 skills and life on campus. To understand how they participated in the program, data gathered from online learning logs were coded using…

This study examined teachers' claims of entitlement in collaborative teaching sequences where the non-leading teacher enters into the domain of another teacher's ongoing instructional business. The data involves video recordings of second-grade elementary Korean and American teachers co-teaching math and science lessons. The analysis reveals that…

The issue of classroom management in the English as a foreign language (EFL) setting has not been addressed adequately despite teachers' views of it as constituting one of their prioritized tasks. Among the aspects of classroom management, in particular, classroom discipline seems to warrant research focus because it contributes to "smooth…

This article introduces the structure and content of an online learning platform called "SMART Teacher Lab" (STL, henceforth) implemented at the authors' university since 2014. "STL" is an online platform specifically built for the professional development of pre- and in-service English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers,…

This study examines the impact of group composition (one-on-one vs. multiple-to-multiple) and task design (student-selected vs. teacher-assigned) on undergraduate foreign language learners' interactions in a mobile-based intercultural exchange. The participants, 27 Korean students learning English as a foreign language and 27 American students…

This study attempts to identify the specific professional needs of pre-service English immersion teachers in Korea in order to establish key components of English immersion teacher preparation programs. As an alternative approach of English language education, immersion instruction has been employed by a number of private and public schools in…

The current study aims to explore the influence of resilience on (de)motivation and second language proficiency among elementary school students in South Korea. A total of 367 sixth-grade students completed questionnaires at three elementary schools. The data were analyzed with factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM). The results…

This article reviews recent studies on English language teaching (ELT) in South Korea, where a great deal of research has been produced in recent years in local journals. In this article we review 95 studies from a pool of some 1,200 published between 2009 and 2014 on English language teaching and learning, focusing on research within the public…

The purpose of this article is to set out the design principles and architecture of a second language (L2) learning voice chatbot. Building on L2 acquisition theories and chatbot research, in this article, we report on a South Korean government-funded longitudinal project in which we designed and developed a chatbot called "Ellie".…

In the English "tough" construction (TC), knowledge of "tough" movement is necessary for target performance (the object-interpretation only; e.g. "John is easy to see" e). The acquisition of the English TC raises a learnability problem for first-language (L1) Korean learners of English as a second language (L2): (1)…

This study investigated the effect of Chatbot-Assisted Dynamic Assessment (CA-DA) on vocabulary learning and provided insights into learner abilities drawn from its implementation. Through the use of mediating chatbots, this study implemented DA to multiple learners simultaneously and provided each learner with human-like interaction. The chatbots…

Giving instructions for a classroom activity can be a tricky business in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom, especially when the students' proficiency level is low and the instruction is composed of multiple steps. Teachers may depend on linguistic resources only so far as students can understand the words and grammar used, which…

Unexpected conflicts, or eruptions, in class during discussions of controversial issues are not uncommon in the field of English language teaching (ELT). This can be especially true for critical English language teachers who hope to address social justice issues in their classrooms. Existing literature of these events often mentions emotional…