The Applicability of Principles for Instructed Second Language Learning: A South Korean Perspective
The Applicability of Principles for Instructed Second Language Learning: A South Korean Perspective
Keywords: Ellis, principles for effective instructed second language learning, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), English as a Foreign Language (EFL), curriculum innovation
Jocelyn Howard and Susan Millar
University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Bio Data
Jocelyn Howard is a senior lecturer in the School of MÄori, Social and Cultural Studies in Education at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. Her research interests include EFL and ESL teacher education, EFL and ESL curriculum innovation, the use of multi-media in language education, and ethnic diversity in the education sector.
Susan Millar is an English language teacher at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. She has taught English since 1985 in Japan and New Zealand, and has also worked as a teacher trainer on professional development programs for teachers from EFL countries. Her research interests are L2 teacher education and managing innovation in educational contexts.
Communicative language teaching (CLT) approaches in second language (L2) education have been central to recent curricula innovations in a number of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts, including South Korea. Research indicates that teachers can face challenges in implementing these initiatives and feel frustrated by constraints perceived to be outside their locus of control. A variety of alternative approaches which take into account specific contexts are therefore proposed in the literature. General principles and frameworks for guiding L2 acquisition have also been considered in terms of their applicability in a variety of language learning and teaching settings. This study examines South Korean teachers perceptions of the applicability to their contexts of the general principles for effective instructed second language learning proposed by Ellis (2005). The findings indicate that contextual constraints would impede the application of some of the principles, but that an awareness of them may give EFL teachers a sense of agency, despite wider socio-cultural constraints. The authors suggest that an understanding of research-informed principles, such as those proposed by Ellis, will assist teachers to engage in self-reflection and praxis, and provide common points of reference for language teachers and researchers in the international community.
Category: Main Editions, Volume 11 Issue 4
