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What Happens When We Get Rid of Levels? Instructors' Perceptions of Mixed-Ability EFL Courses

수준별 학습을 없앤다면? 다수준 영어 수업에 대한 교수자의 인식

  • Chung, Sun Joo (Department of English Language and Literature, Gachon University)
  • 정선주 (가천대학교 영미어문학과)
  • Received : 2022.02.10
  • Accepted : 2022.03.20
  • Published : 2022.03.28

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate how general education EFL instructors who teach in a higher education institution in Korea perceive mixed-ability classes and the teaching strategies that they utilized to teach learners who have varying English proficiency levels and may have different instructional needs. Twenty instructors at a higher education institution in Korea who teach general education EFL courses participated in a questionnaire and three of the twenty instructors participated in follow-up interviews. The findings from the questionnaire and interviews showed that instructors' experiences teaching mixed-ability classes were positive. They offered clear guidelines for participation to help motivate learners and found that higher level students helped lower level students through group work. The instructors also felt that ESP could be a possibility in mixed-ability classes to meet the learners educational needs.

본 연구는 한국 대학에서 외국어로서의 영어교육 환경에서 다수준 수업을 진행하는 강사들의 다수준 수업에 대한 인식과 각기 다른 영어 능력과 교육적 요구가 있는 학생들을 가르칠 때 강사들이 활용한 교수전략에 대해서 알아보고자 한다. 이를 위해 한국의 한 대학에서 교양영어수업을 담당하는 스무 명의 교수자가 설문지에 참여하였고, 그 중 세 명은 후속 면담에 참여하였다. 설문지와 후속 면담의 결과에 따르면 교수자들이 인식한 다수준 수업의 경험은 긍정적이었다. 교수자들은 학생들을 동기부여하기 위해서 수업 참여에 대한 명확한 지침을 제시하였고, 그룹 활동을 통해 높은 수준의 학생들이 낮은 수준의 학생들을 도울 수 있다는 점을 알게 되었다. 또한 학생들의 다수준 수업에서 학생들의 교육적 요구를 만족시키기 위해서 특수목적영어교육이 필요할 것 같다고 하였다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by the Gachon University research fund of 2020(GCU-202003510001).

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