Teaching Approaches and Student Involvement in Learning to Write

This study examined the relationship between teaching approaches and the learning involvement of students from Korea in US college level classes by examining what these students did to complete writing assignments required for classes and what approaches professors adopted to assist students with English writing. It also examined how and why their involvement changed from active to less involvement to withdrawal or passive involvement to active involvement. In other words, this study examined how much professors’ teaching approaches influenced students’ attitudes towards English writing. Korean students who grew up in a culture where the whole society regards teachers highly expected more from their professors and were more dependent on professors. It appears that study participants’ English language proficiency also played a role in their dependency on their professors. There was a gap between these students’ expectations for professors and some of their professors’ teaching approaches. Also, there was some professors’ bias perceived by study participants, whether intentional or not, against non-native English speaking students and minority students, which disappointed and frustrated study participants and influenced these students’ degrees of involvement in learning.