Cultural and Situational Influences on Learner/Teacher Beliefs: Effects of Subtitles Using CSI: Miami

Pak. Hubert H. 영상영어교육학회 2015 영상영어교육 (STEM journal) Vol.16 No.4

As cognition and reasoning styles differ across cultures and learning habits, the efficacy of subtitled programs on foreign language learning strategies needs to be identified. It is essential to understand learner and teacher beliefs based on cultural and situational influences in order to implement appropriate language instruction. The purpose of this study is to empirically examine the efficacy of subtitled programs on listening and reading comprehension scores of intermediate foreign language students, and an attempt is made to explore how learners ’ foreign language learning strategies are influenced by the cultural and situational beliefs of learners and teachers. To examine the effects of subtitles and cultural and situational beliefs on listening and reading comprehension, two groups (45 Chinese and 45 Korean) of language learners participated in the study. Each group was divided into three sub-groups, and watched five episodes of CSI: Miami each with a different type of subtitling: a) interlingual, b) intralingual and c) non-verbatim subtitles. The results revealed that both the Korean and the Chinese students using verbatim subtitles had improved much less than the other groups, with the implication that cultural influences have a significantly bigger effect than situational influences on learner ’ s foreign language learning strategies.

Practical Speech Corrections Using Sound Visualization Technique: A Theoretical Perspective

( Pak Hubert H ),( Im Byung-bin ),( Min Su-jung ) 대한영어영문학회 2007 영어영문학연구 Vol.33 No.1

In teaching English as a second or foreign language (EFL/ESL), there is a widely debated subject; the usefulness of teaching pronunciation. Some researches have relentlessly suggested that teachers can make little or no difference at all in speech correction and improving their students’ pronunciation. In contrast, there are numerous other researches showing that the speech correction and pronunciation teaching can make a noticeable difference if certain criteria, such as the teaching of suprasegmentals and the linking of pronunciation with listening practice, are fulfilled, which in turn may have immense effect on communicative competence and proficiency. To illustrate the latter claim, this paper proposes that, with English assuming the position of the world’s major lingua franca, the efficiency of pronunciation (clear, articulate and accurate) is an essential sub-process of productive language skills, and is crucial in fluent speaking. First, key issues on foreign language pronunciation teaching and learning are analyzed in order to derive some general guidelines for effective training. Second, this study examines the feasibility of an experimental computerized training, to reach a certain degree of accuracy for fluent pronunciation. (Kongju National University)

Prosodic Descriptions in EFL Learning and Teaching: A Theoretical Perspective

Hubert H. Pak 현대영미어문학회 2007 현대영미어문학 Vol.25 No.4

This paper looks at a component of language that is involved in foreign language learning - pronunciation - and presents the main trends in these areas that have potential for language teaching. While the EFL acquisition of grammar has been widely studied, the prosodic descriptions have been covered much more patchily and are hardly referred to in most standard introductions to EFL pronunciation learning research. Despite the obvious relevance to EFL teaching, much has yet been done to apply them to actual pronunciation teaching. While there are indeed any number of recent researches on teaching vocabulary and discourse, these are usually based on language description and teaching methodology rather than on concepts from language acquisition. It is evident from the studies on intonational phonology, that an utterance is made up of prosodic words (as well as lexical words) that have a linguistic significance. In teaching the prosody of a language, it should be possible to apply the same paradigm as used in teaching grammatical structures. Thus, the aim of teaching prosody is not to explicitly teach a formalized phonology of prosody, but there is far more to components of language teaching than this. One of the implications of EFL acquisition research is that thinking about language learning and language teaching means thinking about what language is.

INTEGRATED INSTRUCTION: LITERACY EDUCATION FOR STUDENTS IN AGRICULTURAL SECTORS IN AUSTRALIA

Hubert H. Pak 한국교육행정학회 2011 한국교육행정학회 학술연구발표회논문집 Vol.2011 No.2

The Effect of Films with and without Subtitles on Vocabulary Acquisition Scores of Foreign Language Learners: Using a Korean Sit-com, Unhindered High-Kick

Hubert H Pak 영상영어교육학회 2012 영상영어교육 (STEM journal) Vol.13 No.3

Research has shown that cognition and reasoning styles differ across cultures, and the purpose of this study was to discover the differences in language learning style between two different cultures. Today, it is widely believed that a foreign language can be learnt through watching subtitled programs in and out of the class. The present study represents a preliminary effort to empirically examine the efficacy of subtitled program on vocabulary acquisition scores of intermediate "Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL)" students. To examine the effects of subtitles on vocabulary acquisition, two groups (21 Chinese and 21 American students) of language learners studying conversational Korean at the Institute of Korean Language and Culture Education at a university participated in the study. Each of the groups watched three episodes of a Korean sitcom each with a different type of subtitling: a) interlingual, b) intralingual and c) without any subtitles. After watching each episode, 25 short-answer open-ended vocabulary questions were given to both groups. The results revealed that Chinese students acquired less vocabulary when watched the episodes with subtitles whereas both interlingual and intralingual subtitles were more conductive to vocabulary acquisition for American students.

Phonological Awareness Integrated Instruction: The Effect of Analogies/Anagrams on Vocabulary Acquisition Scores

Pak, Hubert H. The English Teachers Association in Korea 2011 영어어문교육 Vol.17 No.3

Research studies have shown that phonological awareness focused analogies and anagrams can be used as an effective game-based teaching instruction. However, previous studies used analogies and anagrams as separate instructional tools, especially in EFL-related situations. There has been no vocabulary learning in analogies/anagrams instruction provided, nor has there been usage of an integrated workbook for 'vocabulary learning and analogies/anagrams'. This study examined the effect on learners' vocabulary acquisition scores when a truly phonological awareness integrated 'analogies/anagrams and vocabulary learning' workbook was used as an instructional practice workbook. The results show that the phonological awareness integrated instruction significantly increased learners' vocabulary acquisition scores among 40 college students with minimal or basic level of English proficiency.

Phonological Awareness Integrated Instruction

Hubert H. Pak 한국영어어문교육학회 2011 영어어문교육 Vol.17 No.3

Research studies have shown that phonological awareness focused analogies and anagrams can be used as an effective game-based teaching instruction. However, previous studies used analogies and anagrams as separate instructional tools, especially in EFL-related situations. There has been no vocabulary learning in analogies/anagrams instruction provided, nor has there been usage of an integrated workbook for ‘vocabulary learning and analogies/anagrams’. This study examined the effect on learners’ vocabulary acquisition scores when a truly phonological awareness integrated ‘analogies/anagrams and vocabulary learning’ workbook was used as an instructional practice workbook. The results show that the phonological awareness integrated instruction significantly increased learners’ vocabulary acquisition scores among 40 college students with minimal or basic level of English proficiency.

문화적/상황적 영향에 의한 학습자와 교사의 신념이 EFL학습전략에 미치는 효과

박휴버트(Pak, Hubert H) 한국영어어문교육학회 2015 영어어문교육 Vol.21 No.4

As learner beliefs derive from a variety of sources, including the learner’s cultural and situational influences, it is essential to understand learner strategies for implementing appropriate language instructions. The present study represents a preliminary effort to empirically examine the effects of learner and teacher beliefs on EFL learning strategies, and then an attempt is made to explore cultural and situational influences on learner and teacher beliefs. A total of 40 students studying intermediate English class at a university participated in this study, and both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate cultural and situational influences on learner and teacher beliefs, and all collected data were analyzed by NVivo version 10. Then, to examine the effects of learner and teacher beliefs, the participants were divided into two groups and taught with the instructions (designed for this research) on vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension and writing. The result revealed that both cultural and situational influences have an impact on choosing learning strategies, and when teacher beliefs are matched with that of learner beliefs, students showed a significant improvement on their foreign language learning.

소리 시각화 기술을 이용한 발음습득 지도 방안

박휴버트 ( Pak Hubert H ),민수정 ( Min Su-jung ) 대한영어영문학회 2008 영어영문학연구 Vol.34 No.2

This research looks into a component of language in foreign language learning and teaching - pronunciation instruction and acquisition - and presents that computer-based training using sound visualization technique can be effectively implemented to Korean EFL learners to produce and perceive English pitch and durational contrast for words in sentences as well as for words in isolation. Training using sound visualization technique can be effective in improving second language learners’ perceptions and productions of segmental and suprasegmental speech contrasts. This study assessed the efficacy of a pronunciation training that provided visual feedback for EFL learners acquiring pitch and durational contrasts to produce and perceive English phonemic distinctions. The subjects’ ability to produce and to perceive novel English words was tested in two contexts before and after training; words in isolation and words in sentences. The findings support the feasibility of learner-centered programs using sound visualization technique for English language pronunciation instruction. (Kongju University)

Teaching Pronunciation Using Sound Visualization Technology to EFL Learners

Sujung Min,Hubert H. Pak 한국영어어문교육학회 2007 영어어문교육 Vol.13 No.2

  When English language teachers are deciding on their priorities for teaching pronunciation, it is imperative to know what kind of differences and errors are most likely to interfere with communication, and what special problems particular firstlanguage speakers will have with English pronunciation. In other words, phoneme discrimination skill is an integral part of speech processing for the EFL learners’ learning to converse in English. Training using sound visualization technique can be effective in improving second language learners’ perceptions and productions of segmental and suprasegmental speech contrasts. This study assessed the efficacy of a pronunciation training that provided visual feedback for EFL learners acquiring pitch and durational contrasts to produce and perceive English phonemic distinctions. The subjects’ ability to produce and to perceive novel English words was tested in two contexts before and after training; words in isolation and words in sentences. In comparison with an untrained control group, trainees showed improved perceptual and productive performance, transferred their knowledge to new contexts, and maintained their improvement three months after training. These findings support the feasibility of learner-centered programs using sound visualization technique for English language pronunciation instruction.