An Analysis of Students' Korean Language Use in a Korean-English Two-Way Immersion Classroom

The potential for successful language development outcomes in Two-Way Immersion (TWI) programs has sparked great interest among educators, researchers, and policy makers. However, to date most empirical research in TWI settings has focused on Spanish-English programs; research on the development and use of partner languages other than Spanish is scarce. This study examines how students use Korean in a 50/50 Korean-English TWI classroom. First, it investigates whether a difference in the quantity of the students' language use between Korean and English exists. Second, if there is a difference, it further investigates the conditions under which the students use the Korean language in the classroom. The study conceptually draws from the input-interaction-output model in second language acquisition research and the notions of space and scale to better understand how language use opportunities are shaped by the conditions of the classroom-level spaces in which interactions take place.;The data of this study were collected through video and audio recording of classroom interactions (approximately 20 hours); interviews with teachers, parents, and students (39 interviews); and field notes during observations (12 field notes). The amounts of students' Korean and English language use were analyzed quantitatively focusing on the analytic unit of "content words," and the classroom spaces in which the students used Korean were examined quantitatively and qualitatively using the analytic unit of "language use episodes.".;The findings revealed an imbalance in the students' language use between the two languages. The students preferred to use English even during Korean instructional time. Also, the use of Korean depended on a variety of different conditions in classroom spaces. First, the gap between the teachers' and the students' understanding of the classroom language policy created different expectations of what is acceptable language use in the classroom. Second, the students were sensitive to their perceptions of their interlocutors' language proficiency level, which determined their language choice. Third, language proficiency-based grouping strategies were found to provide Korean-dominant students with opportunities to use and practice Korean, but to deprive English-dominant students of opportunities to use Korean. Fourth, repetitive teaching and learning practices---literacy activities involving peer interactions in centers and oral practices involving interactions with teachers in whole-class lessons---influenced the students' language use by forming a habit of using the Korean language with particular interlocutors, activities, and group organizations. Fifth, language functions seemed to influence English-dominant students' language use in that Korean use was restricted to academic and quasi-academic functions and English was used for all purposes, including non-academic functions.;Based on the findings, it is hoped that this study will contribute to identifying ways of promoting TWI students' use of non-English partner languages and to the prosperity of TWI programs and bilingual education in our global world.