소외계층 초등학생 대상 영어 음운 인식 및 어휘 지도

English phonemic awareness and vocabulary instruction for underprivileged elementary school students.

This study aimed to examine the English learning characteristics of a group of underprivileged elementary school students and the effects of phonemic awareness and vocabulary instruction on their development in phonemic awareness, vocabulary, English proficiency, and attitudes toward learning English. It also investigated how the instruction for the students was implemented. Twenty-two sixth-grade underprivileged students across five different classes participated in twice-weekly English classes for 14 weeks. The data included pre- and post-tests of the students’ phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and English proficiency; pre- and post-surveys about the students’ attitudes toward learning English; the teacher’s journals; and interviews with the students. Most of the students were found to have limited English study time, methods, and resources, whereas differences in English learning opportunities and outcomes were found depending on their parents’ support. The findings indicated that the teaching of phonemic awareness and vocabulary to the students had a positive impact on their phonemic awareness and English proficiency, while the influence on their vocabulary varied depending on the conceptual and orthographical difficulty of the words taught. In addition, the students’ attitudes toward learning English did not change significantly. It was also found that some students lacked basic English vocabulary, confidence in their ability to learn English, vocabulary learning strategies, proper social skills, and adequate English studying hours. These barriers were able to be overcome by peer teaching and individual instruction, providing successful learning opportunities, strategy instruction, strategic seat assignments, raising learning motivation, and collaboration with other teachers. Important implications regarding teaching phonemic awareness and vocabulary to underprivileged students in EFL contexts are discussed.