The emphasis in English composition courses at Korean universities has traditionally been on the correct use of grammar with virtually no regard to other higher-level concerns such as organization, development of ideas, and writing for a specific audience. As a result, students are often not well prepared for the kinds of writing tasks they encounter in the real world. It is believed that use of a different teaching approach, usually referred to as "the process approach," can help student writers to develop these types of higher-lever skills. This belief should be tested in the Korean university setting.
        The process approach is perhaps the most common approach used for teaching composition to native English-speaking students and is becoming more popular in other settings as well. A great deal of research and publication has been devoted to the study of its effectiveness, but very little research has been done involving students learning English as a foreign language in Korea.
        This study will investigate the appropriateness of using the process approach in English writing courses for Korean university students. Data will be collected using questionnaires, analysis of both anonymous and graded writing by students, interviews with students, and other qualitative research techniques and analyzed to (1) establish students' prior experience in writing classes taught by both native-English speaking and Korean teachers, (2) find out students' expectations for the present course(s) at the beginning of the semester, and (3) gain some insight into students' attitudes toward the approach used in the course(s) throughout the semester.
        This study will add to our knowledge of how to teach English composition more effectively to Korean-speaking university students. By measuring and analyzing students' initial expectations for writing classes, attitudes toward the new approach, and effectiveness of the techniques, recommendations can be made concerning how to increase the effectiveness of composition instruction at the university level in Korea.
 

Publications and presentations related to this research topic:

• The power of multiple drafts in writing classes. The English Connection, 3(4), 1, 6. July 1999.

• WWW Resources for Teaching Writing & Using the Process Approach in ESL/EFL Classes [Web page]. Online since July 1999.

• Using process writing effectively in Korean university EFL classes. Paper presented at the 12th World Congress of Applied Linguistics at Waseda University, Tokyo. August 1-6, 1999.

• Using process writing effectively in Korean university EFL classes. Proceedings of the 12th World Congress of Applied Linguistics. Tokyo: Waseda University. 1999.

• Increasing the effectiveness of composition instruction in Korean university English classes. English Language Education, 21, 205-214. 2000.

• Improving English composition instruction at Korean universities. Paper presented at the 109th meeting of the Association of English Language Education in Korea at Daejin University, Pocheon. November 11, 2000.