소집단 구성 방법이 초등 영어 능력 및 정의적 영역에 미치는 효과

Effects of pairing children according to English proficiency, gender and intimacy on English productive skills and affective factors

This study is to examine the effects of pairing children for activities according to their English proficiency, gender, and intimacy on the improvement of English speaking and writing abilities and on affective factors such as interest, satisfaction, adventure, and participation in English learning. The study was carried out in three cycles, each cycle being conducted for four weeks with 20 students (18 students in the third cycle) in the 5th grade and 28 students (22 students in the third cycle) in the 6th grade. Data were collected through speaking and writing tests and questionnaires after each cycle, surveys after the experiment, and teacher observation throughout the experiment. The results of this study were as follows. First, pairing children differently for activities according to their English proficiency level had no significant influence on the improvement of their speaking and writing skills. Second, taking gender and intimacy of the subjects into careful consideration when pairing them for activities could be beneficial in increasing their productive skills, enhancing their satisfaction, and helping them participate actively in learning English. Third, the subjects exhibited different preferences in their partners according to their English proficiency level and year. Pedagogical suggestions were made based on the results of this study.