Semantic Structures of Epistemic Modals: Teachers’ Understanding and Teaching Experience1

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Youn-Kyoung Lee. 2021. Semantic Structures of Epistemic Modals: Teachers’ Understanding and Teaching Experience. Studies in Modern Grammar 109, 83-104. The study aimed at examining native English teachers’ and Korean EFL teachers’ understanding and teaching experience of epistemic modals. For the study, a total of 51 teachers participated in the online survey, and 11 of them had a follow-up interview. The results revealed that Korean teachers’ understanding was surprisingly low, indicating 10.94% of accuracy rate on average while native English teachers showed 94.74% of accuracy rate. The two groups’ mean score was statistically significant (p<.05). Concerning both groups of the teachers’experience of epistemic modals, while 78% of them had teaching experiences, both groups of the teachers merely focused on forms and meanings, not semantic system, which concerned a hierarchy for logical meanings. Finally, significance of understanding and using functions of epistemic modals was discussed.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• 1. Introduction 2. Review of Literature 3. Methodology 4. Results 5. Discussion and Conclusion