Using Global Literature for Korean EFL Learners
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Developing General Literacy Ability and Intercultural Sensitivity through English Literacy Instruction: Using Global Literature for Korean EFL Learners By Copyright 2012 Jiyoung Bae B.A. Busan National University of Education, South Korea, 2005 M.A. University of Mississippi, U.S.A., 2007 M.Ed. Busan National University of Education, South Korea, 2009 Submitted to the graduate degree program in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Committee: ________________________________ Chairperson: Dr. Paul. Markham ________________________________ Dr. Joan Sereno ________________________________ Dr. Matthew Reynolds ________________________________ Dr. Karen Jorgensen ________________________________ Dr. Manuela Gonzalez-Bueno Date Defended: January 24, 2012 The Dissertation Committee for Jiyoung Bae certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Developing General Literacy Ability and Intercultural Sensitivity through English Literacy Instruction: Using Global Literature for Korean EFL Learners ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Paul Markham Date approved: Jan. 25. 2012 ABSTRACT This study explored L2 literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity of Korean late elementary to early middle school students learning English as a foreign language. This study investigated the latent variable structure of L2 literacy abilities, including fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing abilities, and intercultural sensitivity which involves interaction engagement, respect for cultural differences, interaction confidence, interaction enjoyment, and interaction attentiveness. It also examined the effects of reading global literature in literature-based instruction on overall L2 literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity development. The present study employed two different types of research design: a non- experimental, correlational design and a quasi-experimental research design. One hundred twenty-two 5th and 6th grade elementary students and one hundred forty 7th and 8th graders in middle school in Korea participated in this study. Among the 262 participants, 131 students from each grade were assigned to the treatment groups, and remaining 131 participants were in the control groups. The treatment group received 39 sessions of reading global literature in thirteen weeks; the control group did not receive any treatment in this study. Before and after the experiment period, all participants took pretests and posttests using the same instruments. Measurement instruments of this study consisted of two main parts: general literacy tests and the intercultural sensitivity scale. Instruments for this study measured text-level literacy development processes: fluency, vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing. In addition, intercultural sensitivity was measured using with a 5-point Likert scale. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated one measurement model of L2 general literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity; these two latent factors are correlated with each other. In addition, four indicators of literacy ability (fluency, vocabulary, reading iii comprehension, and writing) were strong predictors of L2 learners’ literacy achievement. Likewise, four indicators (interaction engagement, respect for cultural differences, interaction confidence, and interaction attentiveness) were highly correlated to intercultural sensitivity, but interaction enjoyment was not correlated to intercultural sensitivity. Therefore, interaction enjoyment was removed from the measurement model of literacy and intercultural sensitivity. This final model was used to analyze the post-test data across different groups, grade levels, and genders in order to find the effects of reading global literature. The latent mean analysis with the measurement model between literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity across control and treatment groups shows positive effects of reading global literature on L2 learners’ development of literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity. The study results provided support for reading global literature as an effective and powerful instructional method to improve L2 learners’ literacy ability and intercultural sensitivity. The students in the treatment group were more interculturally sensitive and outperformed the control group in L2 literacy achievement. In particular, there were some differences regarding intercultural sensitivity achievement for different grade levels, but there were no statistical differences between boys and girls in either their literacy ability or intercultural sensitivity development. The findings of this study have educational implications for teaching L2 with global literature to enhance L2 learners’ intercultural sensitivity and literacy ability in their L2 learning. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would love to express my gratitude to many people who contributed to the completion of this dissertation. Thank you so much for your participating in my doctoral journey and providing me with your great advice and thoughtful support. First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Paul Markham. To him, I sincerely appreciate his guidance in the field of Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and his tireless support throughout my whole doctoral program. In particular, he has always encouraged me and helped me to resolve any academic difficulties that I happened to encounter during my whole Ph. D study at the University of Kansas. With his support, I was able to find my research interests and carry on. I deeply appreciate his generosity in sharing his thoughtful insights and knowledge. I have been very fortunate to have studied with him over the past three years, as one of his doctoral students. I also would like to thank the advisor from my minor field in linguistics, Dr. Joan Sereno, who inspired my interest in the study of linguistics in the field of Second Language Acquisition. I want to thank her for sharing her time to thoroughly review the related literature in my dissertation and providing me with constructive suggestions. Sincere appreciation goes to Dr. Matt Reynolds, who offered suggestions for the improvement of the data and results analysis. His thoughtful guidance has given me a strong foundation on this statistical journey, and his careful suggestions for data analysis have kept me going forward in order to complete my study. My sincere appreciation also goes to Dr. Karen Jorgensen, who gave me her insights into the values of L2 literacy instruction and encouraged me to study young L2 learners as v my special research area. I would like to thank her for her insightful suggestions that my teaching experiences can be realized through my research. Also, I am deeply grateful to Dr. Manuela Gonzalez-Bueno who accepted my request and joined my dissertation committee. I sincerely appreciate her for her careful reading of my dissertation and for her warm support. Lastly, I also want to thank Dr. Lizette Peter who helped me to gain a better understanding of the concepts related to intercultural competence and gave me a clearer picture of intercultural sensitivity for my research. This dissertation would not have been possible without help from two middle school teachers, Seung-yeon Kang and So-young Noh, who participated in this research and taught literature-based instruction by reading global literature to their students for one semester. I want to thank them for their willingness to help even though they were both busy with their teaching during the semester. I also would like to express my greatest gratitude to the students who participated in this study and my fellow teachers, Jeong-eun Kwak and Yeon-ju Jeon, who willingly offered helping hands throughout the entire dissertation process. Most of all, I would like to thank Hyojeong Seo, who has been my wonderful roommate and my academic partner during my entire doctoral study. Moreover, her thoughtful support and sharp insights about statistical knowledge always encouraged me to accomplish my academic goals. I also want to express my appreciation to Ed Fox, who has been not only one of my best classmates, but also my precious co-researcher in he L2 literacy field. He always helped to guide and edit my writing and tried to understand my thoughts sincerely. Hyojeong and Ed’s support and warmhearted encouragement allowed me to complete my journey to my doctoral dissertation at the University of Kansas. I will always wish them luck and never forget their love. A special thanks also goes out to all my friends who cheered me on throughout the vi dissertation process, especially Mi-sun, Yun-jin, Yun-mi, Su-jin, Bong-lim, Jin-ju, and Hyang-lan, and my Lawrence Family, including Myung-joo, Jae-duk, Ji-aee, Min-gang, Seung-hun, and Eun-ji. I also sincerely appreciate my mentor, Boon-sun Baek, who has given me precious advice and served as a guide for my life. I want to thank Dr. Yong-hyo Park, who gave me important advice and precious guidance of the dissertation process. Moreover, I would like to thank Dr. Shin and Dr. Woo who encouraged me to study in the U.S. and helped me to set the goal of obtaining a doctoral degree. Finally, above all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my parents. I was sure that I could finish this degree because of my parents’ encouragement to study in the U.S., their love