2020, Vol.21, No.2

Modern English Education 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.55

pISSN : 1598-0782 / eISSN : 2586-6141
https://journal.kci.go.kr/meeso

The present study investigates the impact of mobile interactions with AI on writing performance, on students’ attitudes toward English learning, and on their perspectives when using AI chatbot applications. Seventy-three university students participated in the study during the semester. They were assigned to two different groups: an i-to-face group and an AI text-chatting group. They were given two writing tasks which involved describing a picture and giving opinions drawn from the TOEIC Writing Tests in the pre- and post-stages. In addition, they were asked to respond to pre- and post-surveys to explore their changes in attitudes toward English learning. The AI text-chatting group was given open-ended questions on their experiences. The quantitative data and qualitative responses were analyzed. The findings are as follows. First, both groups showed significant improvement in the two writing tasks. However, the participants in the AI text-chatting group improved significantly better than those in the face-to-face group. Second, regarding the changes in learners’ attitudes toward English learning, both groups’ anxiety levels declined over time. Various comments on interacting with AI were mentioned. Based on the findings, suggestions and limitations for future studies are provided.

Extensive reading (ER) is widely agreed to improve L2 learners’ vocabulary and writing, but the precise effects that ER has on particular characteristics of L2 vocabulary used in L2 writing remain unclear. To address this issue, university level Korean EFL learners in an L2 essay writing class engaged in extensive reading over a semester and wrote argumentative essays about a topic of their choosing. These essays were analyzed for two key indicators of lexical complexity (i.e., lexical density and number of different words) using a computerized text analysis tool. Analysis results generally affirmed previous studies’ conclusions that ER has a positive influence on L2 writing adding that the more words learners read, the greater variety of words they used in their essays. Likewise, in accord with other research showing gains in English word recognition and recall, learners’ perceptions about the difficulty of their ER materials had an effect on the lexical density of their written essays thus providing additional evidence that ER impacts L2 vocabulary use in essay writing. Somewhat unexpectedly, learners’ perceived enjoyment had no effect on either lexical complexity variable which indicates that, contrary to some claims, selecting reading material based on its entertainment value may not actually lead to vocabulary development in L2 writing.

This study investigates pre-service English teachers’ changes in academic achievement and perceptions depending on different admission types: rolling, comprehensive, and regular. Thirty-two freshmen in the English education department of a university participated in this study, and their GPA and TOEIC scores for two semesters were compared. Their perceptions of overall school life were explored through a survey questionnaire. The data were analyzed by paired t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, and two-way mixed ANOVAs. Although students in the three groups showed statistically significant differences only in their GPA in the second semester, those admitted via regular and comprehensive admissions, respectively, showed much improvement throughout the school year. However, the GPA of those admitted via regular admissions declined in the second semester. When considering students’ perceptions, admission type was found to be an important factor which affected perception changes, particularly in terms of satisfaction with major, acade mic affairs, and motivation for the teaching profession. For those with rolling admissions, having close relationships with peers and faculty was a crucial factor which made them study harder and adjust to school life better. Yet, those with comprehensive admissions had concerns about their academic ability and lacked confidence. Meanwhile, those with regular admissions seemed to have less interest in the English subject and/or teaching because their choice of a major was made by their parents. Providing support to determine their career aptitude seemed to be imperative. Detailed discussions of what efforts should be made by a department to help students with different admission types and select competent students are included.