The effects of online text reading lessons on Korean EFL learners’ contextual knowledge development

The effects of online text reading lessons on Korean EFL learners’ contextual knowledge development

This study focuses on the relation between content difference and contextual knowledge acquisition that could help Korean EFL students conceive word meaning and use in L2 culture-embedded everyday reading materials. To investigate whether an online-based text has more positive effects on Korean students’ lexical development depending on L2 contextual knowledge than a paper-based text, the study participants (n=61) were divided into two groups and instructed to reading each different type of reading text: paper-based text group (PG) and online-based text group (OG). After a 15-week reading class, two groups’ students showed slightly different lexical and contextual knowledge development. Compared to PG, students at OG seemed to increase their lexical and contextual knowledge through reading online-based texts that were covered with a variety of L2 context-related contents. Because the online-based texts contained and showed real US culture-embedded words that may have different meanings depending on L2 contexts shared by native speakers within specific communities, Korean EFL students have increased lexical and contextual knowldge in interpreting them in EFL reading classes. With the results of this study, it is recommended that reading online-based texts could help Korean EFL students gain lexical and contextual knowledge in English learning.