Eun Sung Park | Sogang University (original) (raw)

Papers by Eun Sung Park

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Research in Classroom Learning, 2019

Purpose: Who is the most effective agent when giving indirect written corrective feedback (IWCF) ... more Purpose: Who is the most effective agent when giving indirect written corrective feedback (IWCF) to English as a foreign language (EFL)? The answer is ambiguous, and factors such as gender have been neglected. For these reasons, this study attempts to reveal the most effective agent when giving IWCF and seeks to highlight the impact of gender when receiving IWCF from different agents. Method: A quasi-experimental study was carried out in which the participants were three classes of EFL learners studying at a private university's preparatory school. One of the classes was named class A, which only recieved instructor IWCF, another class B, which only recieved peer IWCF, and the last class C, which only recieved collaborative IWCF for a five-week period.

영어학, Jun 1, 2011

This paper reports on a case study which investigated the effects of recasts on the development o... more This paper reports on a case study which investigated the effects of recasts on the development of morphosyntactic constructions in the oral performance and grammatical knowledge of a beginning ESL learner. The participant, an adult Korean speaker, received intensive recasts on his morphosyntactic errors during a one-on-one conversational interaction for 10 weeks. The interactions were transcribed and examined with regard to the type of morphosyntactic errors, the type of learner uptake, and the learner’s improvement on different types of morphosyntactic errors. The learner’s progress was assessed by means of reduced frequency of errors and improved scores on grammaticality judgment tasks. The results suggested that intensive recasts, provided within the context of conversational interaction, can contribute positively to a beginning learner’s second language (L2) development, especially when targeted at errors of perceptually salient structures. Results are discussed in terms of the efficacy of recasts on different kinds of morphosyntactic features.

Language Teaching Research, 2016

Language Learning, 2010

This study explored learners' self-generated noticing of L2 input. It is motivated by previous re... more This study explored learners' self-generated noticing of L2 input. It is motivated by previous research on input enhancement which suggested that learners are able to notice certain aspects of input on their own without any external means to direct their attention. Drawing on insights that learner-generated noticing is largely mediated by learnerinternal factors, this study specifically traced the effects of learners' first language (L1), and their current second language (L2) knowledge in generating noticing. Two L1 groups (Japanese and English) with no knowledge of the L2 (Korean) were exposed to written L2 input and probed for their noticing behavior under a "zero knowledge" condition, and a "some knowledge" condition (i.e., after they had been taught some L2 words). Results revealed that under the "zero knowledge" condition, both groups exhibited similar noticing patterns prompted by perceptual input properties. Under the "some knowledge" condition, however, the Japanese group seemed to have noticed more input items and processed them at a deeper level of understanding. Insights gleaned from the study are discussed with avenues for future research.

Applied Linguistics, 2008

The input enhancement hypothesis proposed by Sharwood Smith (1991, 1993) has stimulated considera... more The input enhancement hypothesis proposed by Sharwood Smith (1991, 1993) has stimulated considerable research over the last 15 years. This article reviews the research on textual enhancement of input (TE), an area where the majority of input enhancement studies have aggregated. Methodological idiosyncrasies are the norm of this body of research. Seven major issues appear to be limiting the generalizability of the findings and holding up further progress in the understanding of the efficacy of TE for learning: (1) noticing and/or acquisition; (2) TE and comprehension; (3) simultaneous or sequential processing; (4) TE and the nature of the enhanced form; (5) TE and prior knowledge; (6) TE and input flood; and (7) TE and overuse. The existing research has nonetheless offered some important insights that future research should seek to build on.

TESOL Quarterly, 2021

Over the past two decades, a growing number of school-aged North Koreans have migrated to South K... more Over the past two decades, a growing number of school-aged North Koreans have migrated to South Korea. Studies examining their adjustment to South Korean schools have shown that these students face numerous challenges, particularly due to their struggles with English. Such studies have mostly regarded North Korean students as an underprivileged group, often comparing their achievements to those of their South Korean counterparts. Only a few studies have documented individual learners’ narratives on their L2-learning trajectory, which can offer valuable insights into the transnational experiences that may have shaped their agency and identities across time and space. This paper presents one North Korean defector’s personal narratives about his English-learning experiences in three sociopolitical settings of North Korea, South Korea, and the United States, to examine the role that learner agency plays in shaping and reshaping identities, investments, and aspirations in L2-learning. Data were collected via three separate interviews over a period of three years. The findings illustrate how the participant was able to utilize his North Korean identity as cultural capital and highlight the importance of learner agency and imagined future self as significant tools for understanding the complexity, multiplicity, and fluidity in L2 learning.

TEFLIN Teacher Development Series published by TEFLIN Publication Division a Teacher Development ... more TEFLIN Teacher Development Series published by TEFLIN Publication Division a Teacher Development Series

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Research in Classroom Learning, 2019

Most studies on written corrective feedback have examined the efficacy of different kinds of feed... more Most studies on written corrective feedback have examined the efficacy of different kinds of feedback. This study focuses solely on one kind of feedback, indirect feedback, to examine whether learners of two proficiency levels show different self-correction patterns and explores learners’ attentional processes as they self-correct their errors. Twenty-four learners of L2-Korean were asked to think aloud while self-editing their errors that had been highlighted by means of underlining. The self-correction results revealed that learners, regardless of proficiency level, were able to accurately self-correct more than a third of their errors. The think aloud analysis indicated that when learners accurately verbalized the target error type in their protocol, they were also able to accurately self-correct 60% of their errors. The findings show that learners’ awareness of the target error type is essential for learners to accurately self-correct their errors. Findings are discussed with pedagogical implications.

Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2019

There has been an influx of school-aged North Korean refugees defecting to South Korea in recent ... more There has been an influx of school-aged North Korean refugees defecting to South Korea in recent years. Research examining their integration into South Korean schools has shown that these students consider English to be one of the biggest obstacles to their academic endeavors. However, not much attention has been paid to examining the difficulties that they face in English classes and how one might help them. The current study examines North Korean refugees’ experience with English at a private university in South Korea, focusing on their prior educational experiences and their struggle with mandatory English courses. It further reports on how the foundational English courses implemented for these students have fared to date. Data were collected via surveys and interviews with refugee-background students and their instructors. The results are discussed in light of the students’ pre-university experiences, with reference to Bourdieu’s theoretical framework of capital resources and habitus.

Language and Intercultural Communication, 2019

An increasing number of North Koreans have migrated to other countries in the past two decades, w... more An increasing number of North Koreans have migrated to other countries
in the past two decades, with South Korea receiving a significant number
of these escapees each year. Research examining young North Koreans’
adjustment to South Korean schools has reported that these students
struggle with mandatory English classes and the prevalent use of
English in the school system, often positioning themselves as peripheral
in their new contexts. Additionally, existing research on North Korean
students has mostly depicted this population as a group, often in
comparison to South Korean students, rather than treating them as
individual learners. The present study targeting four North Korean
defectors traces how the participants value and scale English language
practices across different spaces and how each individual navigates the
English language as an adaptation tool in their new space. The results
show that individual learners’ attitudes towards learning English are
markedly different, which are complicated by their perceptions of their
prior English learning experience in their home country and of the
instrumentality of English in neoliberal contexts.

Language attrition refers to a gradual reduction or loss of linguistic knowledge and skills in an... more Language attrition refers to a gradual reduction or loss of linguistic knowledge and skills in an individual. It is defined as "the non-pathological decrease in proficiency in a language that had previously been acquired by an individual" (Kopke & Schmid, 2004, p. 3). This definition accurately captures the meaning of the term as it is currently used in the field, and the use of the word "non-pathological" illustrates that the decline in proficiency is caused not by illness nor by deterioration of or damage to the brain, but rather by a change in one's contact with the language(s) in question. This definition also makes it clear that the attrition phenomenon takes place in an individual, rather than in groups or speech communities.

This paper describes a case study that examined learner response to unfocused written corrective ... more This paper describes a case study that examined learner response to unfocused written
corrective feedback and its effects on grammatical accuracy for high-beginner
learners of L2 English. The study was motivated by the ongoing debate (i.e. the
“Truscott debate”) over the effectiveness and potentially harmful effects of grammar
correction in L2 writing. Two participants wrote weekly journals over a 9-week
period and received direct corrective feedback on each journal entry; five
grammatical features were targeted for feedback without the knowledge of the
participants. The effect of the corrective feedback was measured by a number of
instruments aimed at gauging the participants’ explicit and implicit knowledge of the
target features. In addition, the journal entries were analyzed for potential secondary
effects of the feedback. The results showed small improvements for accuracy and
explicit/implicit knowledge, but a lack of consistency for individual features,
suggesting that the efficacy of feedback was minimal overall. Secondary effects were
found to be either marginal or attributable to factors other than corrective feedback.
The current results support Truscott’s position and suggest that incidental learning of
redundant grammatical features does not take place.

Should teachers spend hours correcting students’ errors, or should they simply underline the erro... more Should teachers spend hours correcting students’ errors, or should they simply underline the errors, leaving it up to the students to self-correct them? The current study examines the utility of indirect feedback on learners’ written output. Journal entries from students enrolled in intact second language (L2) Korean classes (n = 40) were collected and returned to the students with all of their errors underlined (indirect feedback). The students were then given class time to either identify the target of their errors, or to self-correct them. The results were compared
across two proficiency levels (beginning vs. intermediate) and across learners’ prior language exposure/learning experiences (heritage language vs. non-heritage language learners). The results
showed that the learners in general were able to self-correct more than a third of their errors, and that the non-heritage language learners were significantly better at perceiving their errors
on orthography and particles. It was also found that the higher proficiency and non-heritage language learners were better able to self-correct their errors on particles. The current findings
suggest that simply underlining the errors and asking students to self-correct them can be helpful, especially for certain ‘treatable’ errors, including those involving orthography and particles. The
findings also highlight the importance of considering individual learner factors, such as the nature and length of their prior L2-learning experience, when providing indirect written feedback.

Previous research on implicit focus on form (FonF) has shown that target forms are not always not... more Previous research on implicit focus on form (FonF) has shown that target forms are not always noticed by learners, suggesting that externally-created salience (by the teacher) does not necessarily guarantee learners’ internally-generated salience (Sharwood Smith, 1991, 1993). In an attempt to explore ways of promoting both types of salience, an input enhancement study was conducted in order to examine if, and how, externally-created
salience may ideally converge with learners’ internally-generated salience. The results revealed that increasing the perceptual salience of target form(s) does not automatically lead to learners’ noticing of the form(s). In addition, the findings suggest that noticing is largely dependent on internal, cognitive factors such as learner readiness (vis-à-vis the target form), knowledge of the first language, and L2 language-learning experience. Based on the results and insights gathered from online protocol data, a number of constraining factors that need to be considered a priori in achieving a successful focus on form are identified and discussed. In particular, the current study underscores the importance of respecting learner-internal factors, such as their developmental readiness and their internal agenda for learning.

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Research in Classroom Learning, 2019

영어학, Jun 1, 2011

Language Teaching Research, 2016

Language Learning, 2010

Applied Linguistics, 2008

TESOL Quarterly, 2021

The Routledge Handbook of Second Language Research in Classroom Learning, 2019

Journal of Language, Identity & Education, 2019

Language and Intercultural Communication, 2019

Instructed SLA: A practical guide for teachers, 2020