Choice Of Functional Practice Strategies By Korean University Students In The U.S.

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine what kinds of conscious efforts Korean university students in the U.S. make to maximize their opportunities to use English outside of the classroom. The main goals of this study are to explore: 1) what are the most frequently-used functional practice strategies and 2) what are the differences and the relationships between the use of the strategies and background variables. A questionnaire, the Functional Practice Techniques Inventory was administered to fifty one Korean university students in the U.S and statistical methods were used to analyze the data. The findings indicate that 1) metacognitive functional practice strategy is used the most frequently, whereas social functional strategy is used the least frequently; 2) attitudes and motivation are interrelated to the use of metacognitive and social strategies; and 3) the participating students are reluctant to practice English in natural settings due to their fear of making mistakes and losing face. This study suggests that Korean university students in the U.S. should take the advantage of ESL learning environment and be encouraged to promote more self-directed and socially oriented learning strategies to have more social interaction than they do now.