Implementation-Oriented Classroom English Development: Cognitive-Code Approach for EFL Classroom Authenticity

Abstract

The implementation of classroom English and its development are necessarily related to a cognitive process. Even though many teachers and researchers have tried to develop classroom English to maximize authenticity, the significance of considering the cognitive process of L2 learners’ language acquisition by using classroom English as INPUT of language code has been often disregarded. In essence, issues occurring in implementation of classroom English can be conceptualized as a cognitive optimization of the learning process. This research adopts Cognitive-Code Approach (CCA) for optimal implementation of classroom English by analyzing the relationship between presentations of language code and its use in three stages: the cognitive stage, the associative stage, and the autonomous stage by Ellis (1990). This study investigates the effects of classroom English in three stages of the cognitive learning process. A total of 74 Korean 1st-year highschool students participated in this study. The result shows that students formed different responses towards classroom English between G1 and G2, which explained they naturally acquired some of the grammar and vocabulary. The major advantages were in speaking practice, free speaking in groups, and thinking in English; whereas the disadvantages were the accuracy of their speaking, passive behaviors, and distractions caused by grammatical errors. The conclusions may serve as positive suggestions for teachers who intend to use classroom English in their classroom. Ultimately, we hope that teachers can acknowledge CCA when using classroom English, and that this will stimulate more awareness of learning process.