초등학생의 영어 어휘 습득 요인에 관한 연구

A study on variables affecting English vocabulary acquisition of Korean elementary school students

  Vocabulary acquisition is one of the most crucial elements in the early stages of English learners, especially for Korean elementary school students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors which affect vocabulary acquisition. The variables of gender, Korean vocabulary competence, English vocabulary exposure, parental attitude, students’ attitudes toward general English learning and English vocabulary learning, private tutoring and strategy use were measured through a questionnaire. The study surveyed 249 (128 males/121 females) 3rd to 6th graders from two different schools who also took a vocabulary test. The statistical analyses show that (1) students scored about 80% in the vocabulary test but the influence of early English education caused the individual difference of 3rd graders’ vocabulary competence being greater than that of other graders’; (2) vocabulary test scores, frequency of strategy use, and learning attitudes of female students are higher than those of male students; (3) all graders acquired nouns best, with adjectives next, and finding verbs the most difficult; (4) private tutoring affects the students’ vocabulary acquisition the most, followed by ‘discovery strategies’ use, general English learning attitude and English vocabulary learning attitude.