The Effects of an English Lecture for a Korean Business Student:

Purpose - This study investigated the effects of lectures in the English medium (EML) on understanding and learning outcomes. Sixty percent of EML lectures in Korea also use Korean for further support. Thus, this situation needs to clearly distinguish the specific impacts of the EML classes on learning outcomes. Here, we use the same English materials, including PowerPoint slides and video content, given in the Korean and English lectures. The difference between the lectures becomes only whether the lecture is delivered in Korean or English. Thus, we can clearly identify whether the language difference makes any difference in learning outcomes. Research design, data, and methodology – Our sample consisted of 91 students taking an international business course the spring of 2015. All course materials, including textbooks, PowerPoint slides, exams, video, and support content, were presented in English. Survey data and exam results were used. Students filled out their student identification number and name, so we could match the surveys against the exam results. Results – First, results show that whether the lecture was delivered in English or Korean was an important factor when students chose the class. Second, English proficiency related to international business and general English levels were higher in the English class than in the Korean class. However, the understanding of key concepts and reading abilities of international business newspapers were the same for students in both classes. Third, teaching materials and lectures were the most important material for the understanding of key concepts in the business major. Fourth, the exam results showed no difference in performance of the students in the English versus the Korean class. This shows that EML classes were not necessarily detrimental to the understanding of major concepts of the lecture. Thus, it is important that researchers carefully design empirical settings to study the effectiveness o