Elementary School Students' Learning with NESTs in an English Camp: What Have We Learned?

초록

The purposes of this study were to investigate what types of instructional activities native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) delivered in an English camp and how these activities influenced the students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Forty-eight elementary school students, third to sixth grade, from low income families were the participants, attending an English winter camp in one of the universities in Busan. Three native English speaking teachers are also participants in this study. The data were collected by several methods: class observations of three classes conducted by four different researchers; field notes; collections of students’ written output and learning materials; recorded video clips of classes; a focus group interview with the four researchers; and informal interviews, and email exchanges with the teachers. Content analysis was used to identify possible themes across the three classes, and the data were constantly compared. As a result, a number of major themes became evident: 1) vocabulary instruction and implications; and 2) teaching strategies and their impacts on learning. In other words, vocabulary instruction was undertaken for intensifying word understanding and application; for intensifying word memorization; and also for intensifying word recognition. This study also concluded that students’ opportunities for linguistic and communicational skills development depended on teachers’ decision-making on their own instruction. Educational implications were discussed as well.

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