Younghwa Lee, Professor of English at Sun Moon University and current visiting scholar at the Center for Asian Studies, will present at our next Luncheon Series event, this Thursday, March 19.
In her research, which will be presented in this talk entitled, "Why Am I in the Writing Class? The Teachers' and Students' Messages about EFL Writing in Korea," Lee explored the motivations for teachers and students in South Korea to be engaged in the writing sections of English as Foreign Language classes. Until recently, there has been scarcely any research that investigates the purposes of Korean students on EFL writing courses at university.
In her research, Lee comprised a questionnaire for 43 writing teachers and interviews with 8 students. Teachers felt that teaching of writing in English was essential for students who would engage in jobs related in English and for those who wished to improve their general English proficiency, as well as offering an understanding of the linguistic and cultural differences between the Korean- and English-speaking worlds.
Students, on the other hand, felt that learning how to write in English more effectively and systematically was an integral part of learning a foreign language. The desire to get a job or get into university were also motivating factors. The conclusion indicates that there are some differences between the teachers' views and students' views on teaching and learning EFL writing.
Lee's talk will begin at 12:00 p.m. in the CAS Conference Room at 1424 Broadway on the CU-Boulder campus. Lunch will be provided.