Korean Graduate Students' Experiences in Doing Discussions in English-Medium Seminars: It is Not All About English

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to illuminate Korean graduate

students' experiences in a discussion-based English-medium graduate

seminar by looking at their experiences over a semester. In particular,

this study focused on identifying and analyzing the factors that affect

their participation by using qualitative methods. Interviews with eight

Korean students in two graduate seminars from different departments

at a university in Seoul were analyzed by using the constant

comparative method. The findings show that while the students' initial

worries revolved around their use of English in the classroom, their

actual performances were not absolutely determined by their proficiency

of English. What students realized from their experiences was that they

have not developed the appropriate discussion skills to participate in an

academic discussion. Furthermore, their reticence was caused by lack

of content knowledge which is the result of not fully comprehending

the required reading. The results of this study imply that when

analyzing the effectiveness of English-medium lectures/seminars, we

should not consider language as the only factor that affects students'

performances. This study also suggests exploring other factors that

cause difficulties for students to participate in the academic discussions

in English-medium seminars in order to find the proper solutions for

their reticence.