대학수학능력시험 영어 영역 난이도 관련 연구의 체계적 문헌 분석: 1993년부터 2022년까지 국내 학술지를 중심으로

강영애(Youngae Kang),김건아(Geon Ah Kim),정제영(Jae Young Chung) 학습자중심교과교육학회 2024 학습자중심교과교육연구 Vol.24 No.16

목적 본 연구는 대학수학능력시험(이하 ‘수능’)의 난이도에 관련된 체계적 문헌 분석을 실시하여 국내 연구 동향을 살피고, 수능 난이도에 영향을 준 정책과 그 효과를 탐색하는 데 목적이 있다. 방법 이를 위하여 수능 시험이 도입된 1993년부터 2022년까지 국내 학술지에 게재된 수능 난이도 관련 국내 연구논문을 대상으로 체계적 문헌 분석을 실시하였다. PRISMA 가이드라인을 토대로 전반적인 수능 난이도 연구물 56편을 선정하여 1차 분석을 실시하였다. 이 가운데 영어 영역 난이도 연구 논문 24편을 선별하여 2차 분석을 실시하였다. 결과 수능 난이도 관련 연구는 다양한 과목에서 이루어졌으나 그 중 영어 과목의 난이도 관련 연구가 24편(42.8%)으로 가장 많았고 수능 영어 영역 난이도 연구에서 두드러진 특징은 수능 정책과 난이도의 연관성을 살핀 연구들이 다수 발견되었다는 점이다. 결론 첫째, 2014년 이후 급격히 증가한 영어 영역 수능 난이도 연구는 독해 지문의 언어적 특성을 중심으로 이루어졌다. 둘째, 수능 영어 영역 난이도에 영향을 준 정책은 EBS 연계 정책이다. 셋째, 수능 영어 절대 평가로 인한 문항 난이도는 큰 변화가 없었다. Objectives This study aims to conduct a systematic literature analysis on the difficulty level of the College Scholastic Ability Test (hereinafter referred to as the ‘CSAT’) to examine domestic research trends, and to explore policies that have influenced the difficulty level of the CSAT and their effects. Methods To achieve this, a systematic literature analysis was conducted on domestic research papers related to the difficulty level of the CSAT published in domestic academic journals from the year of its introduction in 1993 to 2022. Based on the PRISMA guidelines, 56 overall SAT difficulty studies were selected and the first analysis was conducted. Among them, 24 papers on difficulty in the English domain were selected and the second analysis was conducted. Results Studies related to the difficulty level of the CSAT have been conducted across various subjects including Korean, English, mathematics, second foreign language, social studies, history, science, agriculture, and others. Among these, research on the difficulty level of the English subject comprised the largest portion with 24 articles (42.8%). A prominent characteristic of studies on the difficulty level of the CSAT English section is the prevalence of research exploring the correlation between CSAT policies and difficulty level. Conclusions First, the significant increase in studies on the difficulty level of the CSAT English section since 2014 has primarily focused on the linguistic characteristics of reading passages. Second, the policy that influenced the difficulty level of the CSAT English section is the policy associated with EBS (Educational Broadcasting System). Third, there was no significant change in the difficulty level of test items due to the CSAT English section being graded on an absolute scale.

교과서 시의 난이도에 관한 연구

김현수 한국국어교육학회 2009 새국어교육 Vol.0 No.83

A study on difficulty level in school education is to provide students with educational contents appropriate to them and enhance the students' learning. Difficulty level is a word referring to the level of ease and difficulty, and it becomes an important criteria for selection of works. This paper, targeting the students from first year students of middle school to second year students of high school, reviewed the works they had difficulty understanding among the poems that they learned in Korean language or literature textbooks, and analyzed the factors of difficulty. The factors that determine the level of difficulty are conflicts and ellipsis of meaning, frequency of strange vocabulary, concreteness of poetic situation including indirect methods of expression and so on. The authors classified the level of poetry into A, B, C and D focusing on these factors. This paper has a side to it that is leaning toward the aspect of work, not properly diagnosing students' literary abilities or interests. In this respect, the study lacks the precision or objectivity to a certain extent, but the paper is significant in that the authors tried judging the rank of poetry, attaching importance to the difficulty level that the learners actually feel. 학교 교육에서의 난이도의 고찰은 학생들에게 적합한 교육내용을 제공하여 학습의 효과를 높이는 데에 목적이 있다. 난이도는 쉽고 어려움의 정도를 나타내는 말로, 교과서 시의 난이도는 작품 선별의 중요한 기준이 된다. 이 글은 중학교 1학년부터 고등학교 2학년까지의 학생을 대상으로 이들이 국어 혹은 문학 교과서에서 배운 시 중 어려워하는 작품을 살펴보고, 이를 중심으로 난이도의 요인을 분석하였다. 시의 난이도를 결정짓는 요인에는, 돌려 말하는 간접적 표현 방식을 비롯해 의미의 상충과 생략, 낯선 어휘의 빈도, 시적 상황의 구체성 여부 등이 있다. 필자는 이들 요인들을 중심으로 시의 수준을 A, B, C, D 등의 네 수준으로 구분하였다. 본고는 학습자의 문학 능력이나 흥미를 제대로 진단하지 않은 채 작품의 측면에 치우친 면이 있다. 이런 점에서 연구의 정밀성이나 객관성은 다소 떨어지지만, 이 글은 학습자가 실제로 느끼는 난이도를 중시하여 시의 위계를 가늠해 보았다는 점에서 의의가 있다.

경로 탐색 알고리즘을 이용한 게임 레벨 난이도 평가

전영재(Chun, Youngjae),오경수(Oh, Kyoungsu) 한국게임학회 2015 한국게임학회 논문지 Vol.15 No.4

게임의 난이도는 게임의 재미와 깊은 연관이 있다. 하지만 게임 레벨의 난이도를 적절하게 결정하는 것은 쉽지 않다. 대부분의 경우 사람의 실제 게임 플레이를 통한 테스트가 요구한다. 또한 정량적인 평가도 어렵다. 따라서 게임 레벨 난이도의 정량적 평가를 자동으로 수행하는 것은 게임 개발에 많은 도움이 될 것이다. 이 논문에서는 경로 탐색 알고리즘을 사용하여 게임 레벨의 길 찾기 난이도를 평가하였다. 길을 찾는 것은 많은 게임들의 기본 속성으로 게임 레벨의 전반적인 난이도를 대표한다. 그리고 우리는 게임 레벨의 탐색 가능 영역이 동적으로 확장되고 다시금 탐색이 요구되는 경우 이전 경로 탐색 결과를 재사용하여 난이도 평가 알고리즘의 성능을 최적화하였다. The difficulty of the game is closely related to the fun of the game. However, it is not easy to determine the appropriate level of difficulty of the game. In most cases, human playtesting is required. But even so, it is still hard to quantitatively evaluate difficulty of the game. Thus, if we perform quantitative evaluation of the difficulty automatically it will be very helpful in game developments. In this paper, we use a path finding algorithm to evaluate difficulty of exploration in a game level. Exploration is a basic attribute in common video games and it represents the overall difficulty of the game level. We also optimize the proposed evaluation algorithm by using previous exploration histories when available area in an game level is dynamically expanded and the new search is required.

초등학교 읽기 교과서의 텍스트 난이도 위계화 탐색

정종성 한국학습장애학회 2013 학습장애연구 Vol.10 No.1

This study was focused on examining the hierarchy of readability levels of text selection in elementary reading textbooks and the similarity of readability levels of narrative and expository texts at the same grade level. In narrative and expository text selections, the number of paragraphs, sentences, words, and syllables was measured. the mean number of sentences per paragraph, that of words per sentence, that of syllables per sentence and that of syllables per word were calculated through the number of paragraphs, sentences, words, and syllables. Additionally, all the readability indexes were compared across grade levels and text genres. In narrative and expository texts, the number of sentences, words, and syllables increases by grade, and the differences in the three indices across grade levels were least between first and second grade, between third and fourth grade, and between fifth and sixth grade. The mean number of words per sentence in narrative texts is 6.2, 5.8, 7.0, 7.7, 7.6, and 8.1 each at grades 1-6, but that in expository texts is 7.4, 8.1, 9.3, 10.8, 12.5, and 12.8 respectively across the six grades. The difference in the mean number of words and syllables per sentence across grade levels is likely to increase with grade. The readability indices also increase with grade, but the difference in those indices between narrative and expository texts also grow greater. 본 연구의 목적은 초등학교 읽기 교과서에 수록된 이야기와 설명문에서 텍스트 난이도의 학년별 위계성과 동일 학년 내에서 두 장르의 텍스트 난이도 유사성을 탐색하는 것이다. 이야기와 설명문을 대상으로 텍스트 난이도 평가 지표인 문단 수, 문장 수, 어절 수, 글자 수를 측정하였고 이들 네 지표를 바탕으로 문단 내 문장 수, 문장 내 어절 수, 문장 내 글자 수, 어절 내 글자 수의 학년별 평균을 산출한 후 학년별, 장르별로 비교하였다. 이야기 텍스트와 설명문 텍스트의 문장 수, 어절 수, 글자 수는 학년이 높아짐에 따라 대체로 증가하는 경향을 보였는데, 특히 1․2학년, 3․4학년, 5․6학년 간 이들 지표들에서의 유사성이 높았다. 1-6학년에 걸쳐 문장 내 어절 수는 이야기 텍스트에서 6.2, 5.8, 7.0, 7.7, 7.6, 8.1, 설명문 텍스트에서 7.4, 8.1, 9.3, 10.8, 12.5, 12.8로 이야기 텍스트에서 학년 간 변화가 적은데 비해 설명문 텍스트에서는 한 학년에 한 어절씩 증가하였다. 두 장르 간 문장 내 어절 수 차이를 통하여 이야기와 설명문의 텍스트 난이도가 학년 내에서 동일하게 유지되지 않은 것을 알 수 있다.

Toward Understanding Student Difficulty in Upper-Level Mechanics Problem-Solving Processes

변태진,하상우,이경호 서울대학교 교육종합연구원 2010 The SNU Journal of Education Research Vol.19 No.-

Over the past decade, many students have been losing their interest in physics. One of the essential reasons why students look away from physics is the fact that they face difficulty in solving physics problems. Since mechanics is a fundamental subject in physics, many researchers have studied how students learn mechanics and solve problems related to mechanics. However, there is little research focusing on the students' specific difficulties in the process of problem solving. This study investigated students’ specific difficulties (with the degree of difficulties) and the core sources of these difficulties. 24 university students who majored in physics education participated in this study. We have developed a framework, the House Model (HM), for helping and analyzing students' problem solving. We found that students felt greater difficulty in planning and executing steps than in visualizing, knowing and finding steps. As the problems grew in difficulty, this pattern became more distinct. We found the sources of the students’ difficulties and tried to suggest method of helping the students who experience difficulties in problem solving.

The Effect of Factors such as Changes in the Degree of Difficulty of Concepts Presented in the Chemistry I Textbook, Changes in Class Types, etc. on Academic Achievement by Level

구민주,신동선,박종근 국제문화기술진흥원 2023 International Journal of Advanced Culture Technolo Vol.11 No.2

We analyzed and compared factors such as changes in the degree of difficulty of concepts presented in Chemistry I textbook, changes in class types (non-face-to-face, face-to-face), etc. on academic achievement by level (upper, middle, and lower). Students from A high school in Gyeongsangnam-do were selected for the subjects of the study. As a result of analyzing the change in the degree of difficulty of concepts, the total score of chemistry I combined by non-face-to-face and face-to-face classes during the second semester was lower than that of the first semester. As a result of analyzing the impact of factors such as changes in conceptual difficulty, changes in class types, etc. on academic achievement by level, students' grades at the ‘lower level’ by non-face-to-face classes were lower than those by face-to-face classes. In particular, at the lower level of the second semester, there was a large difference in grades between non-face-to-face and face-to-face classes. In the results of these studies, it was found that instructors' active feedback is important to identify difficulties in understanding learning contents for students with low levels of academic achievement and improve them at the same time.

Investigating the Level-appropriateness of Listening Tasks in Middle-School English Activity Books

전은영,전병만 한국영어교육학회 2012 ENGLISH TEACHING(영어교육) Vol.67 No.4

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level-appropriateness of listening tasks in middle-school English activity books, which have been used in Korean secondary schools since 2009 in order to facilitate level-differentiated learning. Five different kinds of middle-school English activity books from grade 1 to grade 3 (i.e., 15 in total)were randomly chosen for analysis. It was found that the listening task difficulty of activity books as a whole became greater as the proficiency level went up, which implied listening tasks were well sequenced regarding the proficiency level. Some activity books, however, showed a problem with sequencing listening tasks in terms of difficulty because the task difficulty in the higher grade was lower than that in the lower grade. In terms of listening task difficulty, in addition, activity books were not homogeneous even in the same level. Implications of the findings for the level–appropriateness of listening tasks and further research into listening task difficulty are discussed.

터키인 학습자를 위한 의미범주에 따른 한국어 감정표현 어휘 난이도 위계화

Essiz Dursun 이화어문학회 2019 이화어문논집 Vol.48 No.-

This study aims to determine the hierarchy of difficulty level of Korean emotion words in relation to its meaning for Turkish learners. The first step in this study was to select the right words for Turkish learners of Korean. Word selection methods were introduced, and an appropriate method was chosen for the study. After selecting the method, 59 Korean emotion words were chosen and compared with Turkish emotion words which can be minimal equivalents of the Korean emotion words. During the process of comparison, 40 to 50 sentences were used for each Korean emotion word. As a result of the comparison, Korean emotion words were classified into the three dimensions of Lado’s theory of difficulty levels: ‘correspondence’, ‘differentiation’, and ‘new category’; with each category referring to a level of difficulty. There were 37 words in ‘correspondence’ which are level one words that are easy to acquire, 13 words in ‘differentiation’ which are level two words and therefore more difficult to acquire than the words in level one, and 9 words in ‘new category’ which are level three words and considered the most difficult in this classification. In these three dimensions, emotion words equivalent for Korean emotion words were introduced by describing the similarities and differences between the two languages. Finally, some extra tasks were suggested for future studies. 본 연구는 터키인 한국어 학습자를 위하여 한국어 감정표현 어휘를 두 언어 간 의미관계에 의하여 난이도를 위계화하는 데 목적을 두고 있다. 이를 위하여 선행 연구에서 제시된 감정표현 어휘 목록을 통해 한국어교육에서 사용이 유용한 감정표현 어휘 58개를 선정하였다. 어휘 선정과정이 끝난 후 이들 어휘가 감정의 의미만으로 등장하는 맥락 40~50개를 선별하여 터키어에서 해당되는 단어와 의미를 대조분석하였다. 이어서 분석 결과를 바탕으로 각 한국어 감정표현 어휘에 해당하는 터키어 감정표현 어휘의 의미가 어느 정도 일치하는지 분석한 후 라도(Lado)의 어려움의 단계 중 적합한 단계로 분류하였다. 서로 의미가 비슷하고, 의미를 전달하는 데 문제를 발생시키지 않는 한국어 감정표현 어휘를 ‘대응 범주’에, 터키어에서 단어 하나로 표현이 가능한 반면 한국어에서 여러 단어로 표현이 가능한 어휘를 ‘차별화 범주’에, 터키어에서 대응이 없거나 의미전달이 맥락상 임의적으로 이루어지는 어휘들을 ‘새로운 범주’에 포함하였다. 따라서 ‘대응 범주’는 난이도가 낮고, ‘차별화 범주’는 난이도가 중간이며. ‘새로운 범주’는 난이도가 높은 어휘들로 결정하였다. 결론에서 본 연구의 후속 연구로서의 과제 두 가지를 소개하였다.

A study on balance assessment according to the levels of difficulty in postural control

Kang, Dong-Won,Seo, Jeong-Woo,Kim, Dae-Hyeok,Yang, Seung-Tae,Choi, Jin-Seung,Tack, Gye-Rae The Society of Physical Therapy Science 2016 JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL THERAPY SCIENCE Vol.28 No.6

<P>[Purpose] This study aimed to determine appropriate measures for assessing balance ability according to difficulty level during standing tasks. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects were 56 old (>65 years) and 30 young (20–30 years) adults. By using the Berg balance scale, the subjects were divided into three groups: 29 healthy older (Berg score≥52), 27 impaired older (Berg score≥40), and 30 healthy young (Berg score≥55). One inertial measurement unit sensor was attached at the waist, and the subjects performed standing tasks (1 min/task) with six difficulty levels: eyes open and eyes closed on firm ground, one foam, and two foams. Thirty-nine (24 time-domain, 15 frequency-domain) measures were calculated by using acceleration data. The slope of each derived measure was calculated through the least-squares method. [Results] Five (95% ellipse sway area, root mean squares [anterior-posterior and resultant directions], and mean distance [anterior-posterior and resultant directions] in time domain) of the 39 measures showed significant differences among the groups under specific standing conditions. The slopes of derived measures showed significant differences among the groups and significant correlations with the Berg scores. [Conclusion] The slope according to the difficulty level can be used to assess and discriminate standing balance ability.</P>

영상 품질 기반의 지문 데이터베이스의 난이도 정량화

류지은(Jieun Ryu),장지현(Jihyeon Jang),김학일(Hakil Kim) 한국정보보호학회 2008 정보보호학회논문지 Vol.18 No.5

본 연구의 목적은 지문인식 평가용 데이터베이스의 난이도(Level of Difficulty)를 지문영상 품질 평가를 통하여 정량화 하는 것이다. 본 논문에서는 지문 데이터베이스의 난이도 정량화 방법으로 품질 분포도 분석 방법과 품질 차이 분석 방법을 제안한다. 품질 분포도 분석 방법은 지문 영상의 품질 등급별 빈도수를 기반으로 데이터베이스 전체의 난이도를 표현한 방법이고, 품질 차이 분석 방법은 데이터베이스를 구성하는 동일 지문의 영상들 간의 각 품질 차이별 빈도수를 동시발생 매트릭스(Co-occurrence Matrices)를 이용하여 난이도로 나타낸 방법이다. 두 방법론에 의한 실험 결과 지문영상 품질 기반의 데이터베이스의 난이도는 인식 성능과 상관관계를 가지며, 품질 분포도 기반의 난이도보다 품질 차이 기반의 난이도가 더 높은 상관관계를 보임을 확인할 수 있었다. 특히 MPQ(Matching Pairwise Qualities) 동시발생 매트릭스의 OQ(Opposite Qualities) Block 기반의 난이도 정량화 방법이 인식 성능과 가장 높은 상관관계를 나타내는 것을 알 수 있었다. 본 연구를 통해 지문영상 품질 기반의 지문 데이터베이스의 난이도를 정량화할 수 있었고, 난이도와 인식성능이 높은 상관관계를 가짐을 알 수 있다. The purpose of this paper is to measure the level of difficulty of fingerprint database based on sample quality. This paper proposes distribution of a sample quality analyzer and a difference of sample quality analyzer to measure the level of difficulty. Experimental results demonstrate that there are stronger correlation between matching performance and level of difficulty based on difference of sample quality than other measure. Especially, level of difficulty based on OQ Block of MPQ co-occurrence matrix shows highest correlation with matching performance, and moreover it can predict the matching performance of unknown databases.