Korean L2 Learners’ Perception and Attributions to the Selection of Communication Strategies

Reaching beyond the long-discussed attribution of communication strategy use in relation to limited target language competence, the current study was begun in the hope that identification of a more complete set of the factors affecting undesirable selection of CS may lead to pedagogical suggestions for classroom culture that better promotes effective CS use for Korean L2 learners. Four major attributions to the selection of CS, observed in Stimulated Recall after interviews, are the affective factor, socio-cultural factor, Korean L2 learner’s learning history in the classroom, and their experiences of communications with native speakers of English outside the classroom. The study suggests that English classes promote first, the meaning negotiation through interactions in English using paraphrasing rather than L1 insertion; second, L2 learners’ active engagement favoring achievement strategies such as asking for repetition or clarification over reduction strategies such as message abandonment or feigning understanding; third, an anxiety-free environment where learners can initiate the conversation, ask questions, and deliver the intended meaning without fear of being incorrect.