Elementary students' perceptions about the effects of a summer English camp

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of elementary students about the effects of a summer English camp. The participants in this study comprise students who attended an English camp in a university setting during the summer of 2008. The 177 students live in urban neighborhoods in Busan. The participants in this study indicated that the camp was helpful in its primary objective of developing communicative competence. Moreover, the participants experienced personal development and growth. A beneficial aspect of the language camp is that it complements in a limited but distinctly different way the formalized school experience by affording teachers and students the opportunity to focus almost exclusively on interactive use of English. The data analysis suggests that the positive effects on language proficiency and motivation may spring from a synergistic interaction of three elements: (a) the camp context; (b) the interactive nature of the teaching and learning activities; and (c) the opportunity to use spoken English for authentic purposes. Recommendations for further study are included.