English for Academic Purposes through Health Topics

Abstract

English language education has become one of the most prevalent concerns for Korean students. Investing high costs in private language institutions may provide the desired results for Korean language learners to be highly proficient in receptive skills such as reading and listening. Students, however, often lack practice in productive skills to practice speaking and writing which often leads to failure in achieving the highest results in communicative skills (Choi, 2008). The lack of development in using various teaching methods may have caused the decrease in productive skills. Students often have difficulty in discussions and everyday social activities with native speakers due to the washback effects of proficiency language tests (Gilmore, 2011; June, 2001, pp. 5-6). Today, Korean high school students are mainly concerned with receptive skills in hopes to achieve a high score on the college entrance exams, and as a result, students often resort to language institutions during college or adulthood to enhance their speaking ability.