Does the Same Learner Use the Same Vocabulary Learning Strategy?: Variability in Strategy Use

( Hyunjeong Nam ) 글로벌영어교육학회(구 호남영어교육학회) 2021 Studies in English education Vol.26 No.2

The variability in vocabulary language strategy (VLS) use in the same learner has been overlooked in previous research. The study explored the possibility that the same learner may draw on a different VLS according to his/her learning needs (test-preparation vs. communication) and further investigated the factors affecting the variability in strategy use. A total of 82 English majors at a university participated in the study and responded to the revised VLS (Schmitt, 1997). The results from a paired t-test confirmed the variability within the same learners, which suggests that the same learners used different VLS according to their learning needs. The study further showed that the learners’ use of VLS varied depending on such learner variables:ⅰ) TOEIC, ⅱ) learning orientation, ⅲ) communication outside the classroom in Korea, and ⅳ) residence in English-speaking countries. The results suggest that the learners with ⅰ) higher TOEIC scores, ⅱ) learning oriented at oral and productive language, and ⅲ) more communications with native English speakers in natural setting were more able to discern the VLS for communication from the VLS for test-preparation. Based on the findings, pedagogical implications are discussed.

Are Pre-service English Teachers’ Perceptions Reliable?: A Credibility Gap between the Objective and Subjective Sides of Perception

( Hyunjeong Nam ) 21세기영어영문학회 2019 영어영문학21 Vol.32 No.3

Previous research has enlightened pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of teaching and evaluation. This study raised the question of a possible credibility gap between the pre-service teachers’ subjective perceptions and their third-person objective judgements. To this end, thirty-six English majors in a university English Teaching Methodology course completed a two-page questionnaire with a section on feedback types and another on teaching evaluation criteria. The questionnaire was administered twice: first to determine teachers’ subjective perceptions, and later to measure their third-person objective judgements. The results suggest statistically significant gaps between the two different perspectives. The gaps were evident in ‘self-evaluation through video observation’ in the section on feedback types, and ‘teacher’s English skills’ and ‘teacher’s preparedness’ in the section on teaching evaluation criteria, all of which the pre-service teachers may consider demanding or challenging. The results reveal that their perception may have been expressed for convenience sake and thus were different from their judgements from a third-person perspective. Therefore, the study makes suggestions to educators in pre-service teacher training programs, both for their research and for adaptation to their education practice.

What Does ‘Knowing a Word’ Mean to Korean EFL Learners? : The Effect of Their Perception of ‘Knowing a Word’ on Vocabulary Knowledge

( Hyunjeong Nam ) 글로벌영어교육학회 2023 Studies in English education Vol.28 No.2

Beyond L2 learners’ vocabulary knowledge based on the dichotomous notions (e.g., size vs. depth and receptive vs. productive knowledge) in previous research, the study explored Korean EFL learners’ vocabulary knowledge in multilayered components of vocabulary knowledge (form, meaning, use, sentence-level production). In addition, the study investigated learners’ perception of what entails ‘knowing a word’ and relations between learners’ perception and their vocabulary knowledge. It also explored the gap between learners’ perceived and actual vocabulary knowledge. A total of 84 EFL learners at an intermediate level participated in the tests comprising 7 components of the vocabulary knowledge for 30 target words. Based on the results from ANOVA, Wilcoxon Signed-Ranks Test, and Pearson correlation coefficient, the study confirmed the gap between learners’ perceived and actual vocabulary knowledge and the relations between their perception of ‘knowing a word’ and vocabulary knowledge. Learners’ perception of ‘knowing a word’ that is limited to word ‘form’ and ‘meaning’ may lead to their vocabulary learning based on L1-L2 translation equivalents and consequently, it may render the vocabulary knowledge ineffective for its ‘use’ and ‘production’.

Konglish, Korean L2 Learners’ Unique Interlanguage

Hyunjeong Nam 한국응용언어학회 2010 응용 언어학 Vol.26 No.4

The term Konglish has been commonly used in Korea. The use of the term has been, however, limited to certain cases of false friends between Korean and English. The purpose of the present study is twofold. First, it provides a definition of the unique interlanguage of Korean learners of English, arising from their impoverished knowledge of English and influence from Korean so as to provide a wholistic concept of Konglish for future studies. In Part 1, Konglish phenomena are identified in their phonological, intercultural, conceptual, metaphorical, collocational, pragmatic, semantic, and grammatical aspects. Second, the present study provides empirical evidence for future studies deploying Konglish use in L2 production as a means of reflecting whether/how L1 knowledge is involved, in particular, as evidence of L1 activation. In order to provide the foundation for future studies, in Part 2, Korean beginners in English were recruited to perform picture-naming tasks. The results suggest that Konglish words are stored as L1 items in subjects’ L1 mental lexicon and accessed via the L1 entry in the production of English.

The Effect of Flipped Learning Using Multimedia on Learners’ Academic Achievement, Intercultural Competence, and Autonomy

( Hyunjeong Nam ) 한국멀티미디어언어교육학회 2019 멀티미디어 언어교육 Vol.22 No.3

Despite the advantages of flipped learning, there are concerns regarding its feasibility in actual classrooms. To address these concerns with the intention of keeping a practical approach to making flipped learning feasible through easing the burden on teachers and students in mind, the study aims to investigate the beneficial effects of flipped learning on three aspects: learners’ academic achievement, intercultural competence, and autonomy. Fifty-eight English major students at an intermediate level who were taking a class ‘Multimedia English Education’ at a university participated in flipped learning in the study. Based on data obtained from two sets of paper-pencil type of questionnaire for intercultural competence and learner autonomy and two academic tests (mid-term and final exam), comparisons between pre- and post-flipped learning were made. The results suggest a positive influence of flipped learning on the development of intercultural competence and learner autonomy. However, the effect of flipped learning on academic achievement did not reach statistical significance. Based on the findings, the study also provides pedagogical suggestions for a successful implementation of flipped learning in English classes.

What Makes Learning Idioms Challenging for Korean L2 Learners? Idiom Types, Factors, and Pedagogical Implications

( Nam Hyunjeong ) 한국현대언어학회 2018 언어연구 Vol.33 No.4

This study identified the most challenging types of idioms for Korean L2 learners in their self-study and investigated the linguistic and psychological factors affecting learning the idioms. The findings from 84 college students’ idiom production using a t-test suggests that decomposable idioms with L1 equivalents were the most difficult to learn. In idiom production, which is different from idiom comprehension since the overall meaning of the idiom has already been provided for learning, the learners did not need to decompose the idiom for comprehension. In the absence of instruction promoting semantic analysis of idioms, Korean L2 learners used rote-memorization skills for learning, and in the absence of L1-promoting instruction the L1’s effect was not evident. Different findings from previous research suggest that different test methods and learners’ orientation of learning may yield different test results. In addition, findings from Pearson correlation suggest a negative relationship with the length of idioms and positive relations with learners’ preference. As a result, not only linguistic properties of idioms but also the learners’ psychological variables may affect their idiom learning. (Dong-A University)

The Effect of Customized L1 Translation on L2 Production: Cognitive Paths of L2 Processing in Bilingual Mental Lexicon

( Hyunjeong Nam ) 글로벌영어교육학회 2022 Studies in English education Vol.27 No.1

Considering that L1 translation in L2 lexical encoding is commonplace in vocabulary learning in Korea, the study sought the type of L1 translation that can efficiently promote the target L2 processing. For this, 77 English majors at a university participated in two vocabulary learning conditions using ‘L1α’ (dictionary L1) and ‘L1β’ (individual learner’s own L1 reflecting his/her own speech style in actual communication) and were tested in a vocabulary production test reflecting L2 communication. Using a paired-samples t-test in a within-subjects design, the effects of the two L1 translation types were compared in the immediate and delayed posttests. The results suggested that the advantage of ‘L1β’ over ‘L1 α’ in L2 production was evident both for single-word and multi-word lexical items. The effect of ‘L1β’ was also confirmed in long-term memory. In the frame of computational models of lexical processing, the study suggested that the cognitive path ‘Concept-L1β-L2’ is more efficient than ‘Concept-L1β-L1α-L2’. Consequently, in the learning process, encoding new L2 lexical items through ‘L1 β’ rather than ‘L1α’ may be more effective to retrieve the target L2 in production. Pedagogical suggestions are discussed based on this model.

Bilingual Memory

Hyunjeong Nam 한국중원언어학회 2018 언어학연구 Vol.0 No.46

The study aims to investigate Korean L2 learners’ bilingual memory in order to trace L1 mediation in L2 veridical and false memory. Sixty six university students participated in the free recall and recognition tests which adopted and revised the DRM (Deese-Roediger-McDermott) paradigm. The findings from independent t-tests and Pearson correlation coefficient suggest first, their bilingual memory is shaped by concept mediation with the imbalance between L1 and L2 according to their L2 proficiency. The veridical memory of the English words whose translation equivalents are synonymous in L1 was more detected than that of synonymous L2 words. Second, English words whose L1 translation equivalents collocate in L1 were falsely recalled. Third, the L1 mediation decreased as their L2 proficiency increased. Since the highly proficient L2 learners have a more developed and resourceful L2 network, false memory arising from L2 collocational knowledge also emerged. Accordingly, the high L2 proficiency contributed to narrowing the gap between the memory benefited from L1 and L2 lexicon. The study further suggests the importance of L2-promoting instruction within the Revised Hierarchical Model.

Does Learners’ Knowledge of Second Language Acquisition Matter?: Factors Affecting Learners’ Learning Beliefs

Hyunjeong Nam 언어과학회 2021 언어과학연구 Vol.- No.96

Beyond the scope that has been limited to the identification of learners’ beliefs in different majors or English proficiency groups in previous research, this study aimed to investigate correlations among the following learner variables: 1) learners’ knowledge of language acquisition, 2) English proficiency, 3) learners’ experience of English communication both inside and outside the classroom contexts in Korea and both the quality and quantity of communication in English-speaking countries. The study further investigated possible change of learners’ beliefs and the underlying reasons. One hundred and eleven college students participated in the study using a revised BALLI. From the factor analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient, the results suggest positive correlations with ‘Learners’ motivation and expectations’ and negative correlations with ‘The nature of language and learning strategies’ in all learner variables. The study also yielded evidence supporting the change of learners’ beliefs. The causes of change were personal experience, teaching methods, and social needs.

Korean L2 Learners’ Vocabulary Gap between Receptive and Productive Knowledge and the Factors Affecting the Gap

Nam, Hyunjeong 신영어영문학회 2017 신영어영문학 Vol.67 No.-

The study aims to explore Korean L2 learners’ gap between receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge and the factors affecting it. Taking an individual word-based approach, this research initially screened the participants out so that only the learners who perceived to ‘know’ all the target words were tested. A total of 90 out of 101 university students were tested with 96 questions (adopted from Nation 2001 and created based on Nation 2012). The results of an independent t-test suggest the imbalance of their vocabulary knowledge with smaller productive than receptive knowledge. The results of comparison between the words with production-based learning treatment and the ones without confirm the effectiveness of the production-based learning in order to narrow the receptive-productive gap. The results of Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient suggest that the learners with more experience in L2 production had narrower gap between receptive and productive knowledge.