2020, Vol.21, No.4

Modern English Education 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.55

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

Past studies have examined the problems that learners have with English definite, indefinite, and zero articles, particularly for learners whose L1 lacks an article system, such as Korean. Many of the empirical and theoretical studies of article acquisition have examined particular error types and types of nouns that are more problematic. In doing so, they have typically focused on more concrete nouns to the exclusion of abstract nouns. Abstract nouns tend to be used without articles, i.e., as bare nouns, a fact that learners may be aware of. However, such nouns can sometimes be used with articles for a more specific nuance. This study examines the difficulties that abstract nouns might pose for learners, as standard article rules may be unhelpful, especially for less familiar nouns. For this study, a linguistic survey with more abstract nouns was administered. The results showed that they had difficulties with more abstract noun patterns (as measured by semantic indices), and their difficulties were also affected by lexical frequency and complex noun phrases. Article patterns for more abstract nouns can be difficult to learn and teach, as their nuances can vary according to context. Some suggestions are sketched out for teaching such noun patterns.

Previous meta-analyses provided inclusive results related to the effectiveness of explicit instruction (EI) and implicit instruction (II). However, the preceding meta-analyses did not afford a robust comparison of two types of instruction, as the data were not drawn from the same population. This meta-analysis study, therefore, aims to provide reliable comparative effectiveness on EI and II in Korean English classrooms. The study also aims to investigate moderating effects (outcome domains, modes, types, educational contexts, L2 proficiency, and duration of instruction) on comparative effectiveness of EI and II. 143 samples from 40 primary studies were coded into the CMA software to calculate eff ect sizes by computing Hedges’ g. This meta-analysis revealed a positive overall comparative effect of EI over II; EI is more effective than II in Korean English classrooms. Among six moderating variables only one variable showed a significant moderating effect on the comparative effectiveness of EL and II; EI is more effective for developing cognitive abilities and grammar and vocabulary knowledge than II. Findings and pedagogical and research implications are discussed.

This study investigated the effect of genre-oriented translation-based instruction on EFL writing. Many Korean university students are interested in learning English, enhanced by translating drama, cartoons, and children’s storybooks. However, when they engage in these activities, they feel difficulty even if the texts seem simple. This is because the translation process requires not just language competence but also different textual, rhetorical, and social aspects involved in particular genres. In this study, a genre-oriented translation-based writing workshop held for 23 university students is analyzed. A combination of research methods including a pre-test, a workshop, a posttest, survey, and interviews was utilized. This paper discusses first, how genre-oriented noticing helps to raise learners’ awareness of discourse conventions; second, how a translation-based workshop affects the use of learners’ lexico-grammatical patterns, rhetorical patterns, and formality patterns in writing; and third, how an analysis of qualitative data showed there are two categories of genre knowledge that the participants can perceive as easy or difficult. Further implications for the use of text genre knowledge are also discussed.