Coaching for Korean University Students’ English Speaking and Self-Directed Language Learning: A Blended Learning Approach

This study reports on coaching for English speaking and self-directed language learning (SDLL) conducted in a blended learning environment. Twenty-eight Korean university students participated in a 13-week English coaching program. The learners completed an English speaking pre-test and a questionnaire on SDLL capacity. Then, they practiced English speaking independently using computer software and interacted with a coach as a group on a weekly basis. There were two groups. Group 1 received questions revolving around their personal lives in relation to the English stories they read online. In contrast, Group 2 learners were given questions to deepen their understanding of the stories. Both groups were told to keep a weekly planner and a journal to raise their SDLL awareness. Finally, the learners completed an English speaking post-test, the SDLL questionnaire, and two exit questionnaires. The results indicated that 60.71% of the learners improved their speaking ability, but only 39.29% improved their SDLL capacity. Group 2 improved speaking more than Group 1. The exit questionnaires revealed, however, that Group 1 felt more improvement in speaking than Group 2. Further analysis found that depending on question type, learner perceptions of their coaching experience differed.