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The purpose of the study is to report and share a reflection on using the ETS Criterion online writing evaluation system in a university setting and evaluate if this system can be a suitable teaching/learning tool for English language learners (ELLs) in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context to facilitate their writing ability. Participants were given a writing prompt to write about in class and entered their writing into the Criterion system to receive feedback. Both quantitative and interpretive analyses were conducted for 129 student writing samples and Trait Feedback Analysis reports. The study revealed that the sentence-level feedback appears to be in urgent need for EFL writers, but Criterion did not provide this kind of feedback. Errors in such aspects as basic sentence structures, subject-verb relationship, awkward meaning construction, and formulaic expressions could not be treated by Criterion at all. In addition, the comparison of teacher feedback and Criterion feedback were discussed in details. This study alerts users to contemplate before use what the purpose of using Criterion is, whether for diagnosis of writing proficiency or as a teaching/learning tool for developing students' writing ability. Plus, educators should be aware of on which language aspects and features EFL writers necessitate feedback to facilitate their writing development, different from first language (L1) writers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers a descriptive account of how English learners co-construct language learning experiences in small group interactions. Specifically, it investigates Language Related Episodes (LREs) in small group discussion activities among Korean EFL learners. The study draws on the theoretical premises of sociocultural approach to small group interactions and emphasizes the collaborative work by the learners in interactions to construct second language knowledge. The analysis of the interaction focused on identifying and exploring the interactional patterns of Language-Related Episode (LRE) embedded in on-going interactions among the learners. The results of data analysis revealed that the collaborative work displayed in the LREs could function as a learning tool available for the learners to use the newly acquired second language knowledge appropriately in meaningful ways. Findings of the study indicated some positive evidence of learning instances where the learners were able to independently use the language items learned from the previous held LREs later in their interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by Conversation Analysis (CA), this paper examines the use of the token yeah observed in adult ESL learners' discourse by analyzing video-recorded small group interaction data collected from an English as a Second Language (ESL) class. The analysis results are discussed in two parts. The first part addresses how yeah is used to close down a turn constructional unit (TCU) before a possible completion in a way that surrenders, withdraws an action invoked, or adumbrates a stance displayed. It is speculated that this recurrent turn constructional pattern lies in learners' lack of ability to retrieve a word(s) or overuse of certain lexical items. The second part discusses how yeah is used to mark the completion of a possibly complete turn, and frequently that of an extended turn, in the absence of a substantial uptake from a recipient Based on this observation, I explore the possibility that ESL learners draw on interactional resources that are available to them, which may deviate from native speakers' choice of resources in a comparable situation. Overall, this research shows that yeah is utilized as a strategic resource for dealing with various interactional exigencies, which often arise from learners' linguistic difficulties. This line of research provides pedagogical implications for teaching English for interactional skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study of a diagnostic test administered at a local university in Korea aims to see if it functions well to measure students' productive English skills and to provide practical information to use the test as a valid instrument for placing students into leveled English classes. With these aims, this study analyzed the internal structure of the test and the optimal number of groups clustered by the test scores. Further, the relationship between the speaking and writing performance of Korean college students was investigated. The examinees of the diagnostic test of writing and speaking skills were 3,542 incoming college freshmen. An analysis of the test results showed that the current test was structured with two distinct constructs: writing and speaking skills. Further, two~step cluster analysis revealed that the students were classified into four groups on the basis of their speaking and writing performances. The entire group of students showed a moderate correlation between speaking and writing performance, though the four subgroups from the cluster analysis showed very weak to insignificant correlations. These low correlations were also observed in the four groups divided according to students' speaking or writing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify factors that demotivate Korean junior high school students in learning English. It also examined a possible link between demotivating factors and English proficiency. A self-report 31-item questionnaire was completed by 220 students. The study identified five factors in students' demotivation: Difficulty of learning English Teachers' competence and teaching styles, Characteristics of English classes, Reduced motivation and interest, and Inadequate learning environment. While Difficulty of learning English was found to be the most demotivating factor, Teachers' competence and leaching styles and Inadequate learning environment were not the strong attributions of demotivation. Unlike Domyei's (2001) original definition of demotivation, the factor-solution of the present study suggests a complex nature of demotivation, indicating that internal causes cannot be ignored as demotivating factors, instead, both internal and external forces contributed to student demotivation. The study also found that students showed somewhat different perceptions of what demotivated them based on their English proficiency. The lower proficient students attributed their demotivation to Difficulty of learning English and Reduced motivation and interest, while the higher proficient students tended to attribute their demotivation to Characteristics of English classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research investigated the effects of direct and indirect feedback options on accuracy improvement of selected target structures (simple past and present perfect tenses) with learners from two levels of L2 proficiency. It focused on two questions: (1) whether written corrective feedback helps enhance accuracy in writing and (2) whether there is any difference in the effectiveness of certain type of corrective feedback in relation to the learner's level of L2 proficiency. In order to answer the questions, the scores of pre- and post-writing tests were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA. For the purpose of examining relative effects of the treatment, one-way ANOVAs with post-hoc tests were conducted. The results indicated that direct correction with meta-linguistic explanation was more effective for the beginner-level students and that ceded feedback was more beneficial to the intermediate-level students. The findings suggest that the effect of the same feedback option may turn out differently in relation to the level of L2 proficiency. Learners with a low level of proficiency may benefit more from direct, explicit type of feedback, and learners with a higher level may engage more in indirect, implicit feedback options, thus promoting more noticing and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study attempted to explore the feasibility of Content-Based Instruction (CBI) courses, within the framework of the Prism model, for graduate-level English as a foreign language (EFL) learners whose L2 proficiency was not yet advanced, but needed a rigorous linguistic experience which should be different from that offered by traditional general English programs. The research findings based on data-analyses of two questionnaires, 11 comprehension quizzes, and interviews showed that, even with less than advanced level of L2 proficiency, the adult learners got to learn that they can acquire grade-level appropriate academic knowledge and skills as well as make themselves more comfortable in using the L2. The findings revealed what factors affected the level of comprehension, altitude toward L1 and L2 use, and effective tasks in a CBI course. In particular, the study supported the proposal made by the Prism model indicating that the grade-level appropriate academic tasks are contributing to improving L2 using abilities, thus suggested that adult learners' academic needs and cognitive maturity can be an impetus to encourage them to lift up their L2 skills, which implied the viability of a strong form of CBI for EFL adult learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role played by strongly held beliefs in the L2 listening comprehension of persuasive texts. Also of interest was the impact of such texts on attitude change toward the topic. Participants were 137 college students in Korea. Students were assigned either to a high or a tow L2 proficiency level group on the basis of TOEFL listening scores. Beliefs about capital punishment were measured using an attitude scale. Participants were randomly assigned to listen twice to a spoken persuasive text presenting arguments either for or against capital punishment, after which they responded to a 10-item objective test and to an attitude scale. Results indicated that prior beliefs had no significant effect on how well L2 listeners could comprehend persuasive texts and that attitude change was not influenced in the direction expected. Thus, currently popular models of beliefs-as-knowledge and of the L2 comprehension process may need revisiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]