초등 방과후 영어 수업이 학습자의 성취도와 정의적 영역에 미치는 효과

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of an elementary after-school English program in terms of the affective and cognitive perspectives of students in low graders at an elementary school in Busan. The researcher taught English to the participants who were in the program over the span of eight weeks. The research method employed was to examine any change in the participants' cognitive perspectives, and accordingly, she conducted an achievement test in the areas of listening, reading and writing for sixty students of First to Third Grades. To investigate possible changes in their affective perspectives, the researcher administered the questionnaire survey in the areas of learning ability, interest, confidence, motivation and their four basic language skills. In addition, to measure the improvements in their achievements, the researcher divided the participants into two groups of high performers and low performers, based on their degree of improvement, and reviewed the comparative analysis on the affective variables. Based on the above analyses, the following findings were drawn: First, fifty-seven out of sixty students showed improvements on their achievement tests. This improvement is statistically significant, and supports the positive effect of the elementary after-school English program. Second, the correlation of the affective perspectives and improvement was found to be statistically insignificant, which seems to suggest that the high-performing group and low-performing group have a similar degree in their affective perspectives. Third, the results seem to show that each part of the affective perspectives is high regardless of their improvement in their achievement test. That is, both high and low-performing groups showed a keen interest in studying English, confidence in themselves, and an understanding of the need for studying English further. One pertinent point the researcher wishes to make in examining their motivation for studying English is that the majority of the high-performing group has a clear inner motivation instead of external motivation, since the students who were reportedly to have a clear purpose or motivation showed a higher improvement on the achievement test. Thus, the elementary after-school English program discussed in this study seems to serve as an effective learning ground that reduces private education expenses and results in positive effects on the achievements of these children. It might be premature to consider the effects of this program based on this short-term study. Some follow-up studies which should examine this kind of after-school English programs in elementary schools across Korea over a longer period of time are needed to replicate the effects of elementary after-school English program on the affective and cognitive aspects of learning English.