Developing Web-Based Multimedia Tools to Evaluate Sociolinguistic Proficiency in Learners of Korean as a Second Language

This paper examines the first stage of development of Web-based tools to evaluate sociolinguistic proficiency in intermediate learners of Korean as a second language. Sociolinguistic proficiency in this paper is defined as the ability to use language appropriately to the social context. The tools were integrated in Moodle, a Web-based C MS(Course Management System). The tools consisted of four parts : 1) a pre-activity questionnaire on experience learning and using Korean from a sociolinguistic perspective; 2) a DCT activity consisting of five situations; 3) a writing activity consisting of two situations; and 4) a short post-activity questionnaire on the tools. For the DCT activity, were asked to write both parts of a two-or three-person dialogue and a photograph was given as visual stimulation. BBS comment boards in which participants to could post questions anonymously were included and responsed to Parts 2 and 3 allowed for feedback. These features that can be used for mentoring. The tools were tested in a small-scale pilot study and testing will continue on an ongoing basis before the materials will be used for sociolinguistic proficiency evaluation and research

Interleukin-22 Protects Intestinal Stem Cells from Immune-Mediated Tissue Damage and Regulates Sensitivity to Graft versus Host Disease

SummaryLittle is known about the maintenance of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and progenitors during immune-mediated tissue damage or about the susceptibility of transplant recipients to tissue damage mediated by the donor immune system during graft versus host disease (GVHD). We demonstrate here that deficiency of recipient-derived IL-22 increased acute GVHD tissue damage and mortality, that ISCs were eliminated during GVHD, and that ISCs as well as their downstream progenitors expressed the IL-22 receptor. Intestinal IL-22 was produced after bone marrow transplant by IL-23-responsive innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) from the transplant recipients, and intestinal IL-22 increased in response to pretransplant conditioning. However, ILC frequency and IL-22 amounts were decreased by GVHD. Recipient IL-22 deficiency led to increased crypt apoptosis, depletion of ISCs, and loss of epithelial integrity. Our findings reveal IL-22 as a critical regulator of tissue sensitivity to GVHD and a protective factor for ISCs during inflammatory intestinal damage

일본 초·중등학교 외국인 자녀를 위한 교육적 지원 현황 - 국어 교과의 例를 중심으로 한국과 비교

1990년부터 일본 초․중학교를 다니는 외국인 자녀의 증가에 따라 일본 교육계에 새로운 변화가 요구되었다. 기존의 교육과정은 단일 문화 및 단일 언어의 전제하에 설계되었기 때문에 교육계는 이러한 변화에 대응하는 데에 어려움이 있다. 일본어의 읽기, 쓰기 기능은 습득하기가 쉽지 않고 더군다나 외국인 자녀들은 가정에서 일본어를 사용하는 경우가 많지 않기 때문에 일본인 학생에 비해 습득 속도가 떨어지는 경우가 많다. 이러한 현상으로 교육 현장에 있는 교사, 특히 일본어(국어) 교사의 경우 학생들을 지도하는 데에 어려움이 많다. 이 논문에서는 일본 교육 정책 당국들이 취한 각종의 조치들을 검토하여 현재 연구가 활발하지 않은 한국에서의 외국인 자녀를 위한 한국어 교육 방안을 대조․비교 관점에서 마련하는 것이 목적이다. 특히 일본어(국어)를 포함한 각 중요한 교과목의 학습 능력을 갖추기 위해 필요한 일본어 능력을 향상하는 JSL(제2언어로서의 일본어)교육과정을 중심으로 검토하고자 한다. 결론적으로 말하자면 일본어 교육이 자국민 중심으로 이뤄지고 있기 때문에 외국인 자녀 관련 교육 정책은 외국인 학생들이 느끼는 소외감과 같은 사회적 문제에 대한 대처가 미흡하다. 한국의 다문화 가정과 성격이 다른 외국인 자녀의 경우에도 한국어 교육을 강화하는 것은 학습 능력을 계발하고 고취시키는 데에 도움이 된다. The increase in the number for foreigners in Japan during the 1990s and 2000s created new demands for education as the number of foreign children attending Japanese schools increased. The lack of Japanese language input at home thus makes it more difficult for foreign children to acquire literacy in Japanese at the same rate as Japanese children, which in turn creates new challenges for teachers, particularly teachers of Japanese language (kokugo). In this paper, I investigated various measures taken by teachers, schools, and educational authorities in Japan to meet the complex needs of foreign children in the schools system. The paper focused particularly on the development of the JSL curriculum to help foreign children develop language skills needed in important school subjects. I then discussed the relevancy of the situation in Japan for Korea where the issue of foreign children in Korean schools has been largely ignored as attention has been focused on "multicultural families" in which one parent is a native-born Korean

Learning Together: How Creative Understanding Can Help Overcome Negative Attitudes toward English in Korea

This paper discusses the development of negative attitudes toward English in the Korean sociocultural context over time. Positive motivation to learn English on the individual level compensates for some of the negative attitudes in the sociocultural context and results in high levels of proficiency for some learners. Most learners, however, fail to reach the desired level of proficiency because of negative attitudes toward English. Creative understanding as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin encourages the native-speaker teacher of English to engage him or herself with Korean culture which should reduce negative attitudes toward the teacher and English in the classroom. Recommendations on how to put creative understanding into practice and on how to function in a Korean educational institution are included at the end of the paper

Nationalism and Globalism in Transliteration Systems: Romanization Debates in Korea

The debate over romanization of Korean flared anew in 1997 as the National Academy for the Korean Language presented a proposal for a new romanization system to replace the current system, which closely resembles the 1939 McCune-Reischauer system. The debate between advocates of the new system and defenders of the current system came from differing views on the role of han'gul in the maintenance of Korean cultural nationalism. Supporters of the new system argued that the current system is flawed because it deviates greatly from han'gul orthography by representing allophonic changes with different Roman letters, which makes it difficult for Koreans to use the current system. They further argue that the current system offends Korean national pride because it distorts the "purity" and "scientific intent" of han'gul. Defenders of the current system, however, Nationalism and Globalism in Transliteration Systems: Homanization Debates in Korea J 77 argue that it helps non-native speakers come up with a reasonably accurate Korean pronunciation. They also stress the aesthetic appeal of the current system to non-Koreans over all other systems of romanization

Problems and Prospects in Third Language Acquisition Research

This paper is a review of important literature on third language acquisition. "Third language acquisition" in this paper is defined as the acquisition of a language beyond the second language or the first foreign language. First, several major problems in third language acquisition research are discussed: the lack of a clear definition of third language acquisition; problems in research methodology; and the lack of a strong theoretical base in much L3 acquisition research. Second, the accomplishments of third language acquisition research are reviewed from the perspective of how they contribute to developing a research agenda in third language acquisition research. The accomplishments include research on the facilitating role of perceived language distance and of previous language learning experience in learning a third language. Finally, this paper concludes with a proposed agenda for L3 acquisition research and with a brief discussion of how this research agenda may help answer questions about L3 acquisition in Korea

Hanok The Korean House

Informasi dalam buku ini memberikan wawasan baru tentang rumah bergaya tradisional Korea yang sedang mengalami kebangkitan popularitas di Seoul. Eksterior Hanok tradisional tetap dipertahankan seperti pembangunan beberapa dekade lalu, namun interiornya disesuaikan dengan perkembangan jaman. Buku ini menampilkan 12 hanok yang istimewa. Desain hanok tidak berubah, bahan buatan pengrajin tradisional dari batu, kayu dan tanah liat masih menjadi komponen yang digunakan di hanok tersebut. Mereka menggabungkan unsur-unsur alam seperti angin dan sinar matahari, baesanimsu (fengshui) agar posisi hanok terlihat selaras