English language teaching research in South Korea: A review of recent studies (2009–2014) (original) (raw)
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English Language Teaching in South Korea: A Route to Success?
Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2015
This paper is an attempt to investigate the status of English language teaching (ELT) in South Korea. To do so the historical background of ELT, and the reform movement, as a measure taken by the government to boost language education in this country, have been discussed. The outcome of this measure and the philosophical underpinning of education in this country along with different issues related to language teaching, such as: learning strategies, beliefs, language ideology, and the use of technology-assisted language teaching programs have been elaborated. Attempts have been made to demystify the ELT problems in this country with the aim of alleviating the shortcomings and improving the strengths of such an educational system. Putting different pieces of the ELT puzzle in South Korea together, some of the stunting factors were recognized to be: the ideological basis of the reform movement, lack of utilizing critical pedagogy, and insufficient attempts aimed at teaching language learning strategies and technology-assisted language learning normalization. Though this paper has focused on the status of ELT in Korea, many of the raised suggestions can be utilized in other countries, in particular Asian countries with Confucian background.
International Journal of Educational Technology and Learning
As the use of English in the academic world increases around the world, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) continues to grow. The increase in demand for EAP courses and teachers often finds English teachers having to prepare students to study in fields that they themselves might not be familiar with or teach a style of course they might not have done before. In addition to these obstacles, there are many institutional barriers that prevent teachers from teaching EAP properly. This paper examines these problems in the South Korean university context. Currently many Native English Speaking (NES) English teachers are transitioning from teaching Commutative Language Teaching (CLT) classes to teaching EAP courses and are experiencing many problems and barriers as they transition and teach EAP. 10 NES university teachers were interviewed in order to gather qualitative data about their experiences in teaching EAP courses in an attempt to better understand the current situation in many Korean universities. The data gathered revealed many similar problems and led to ideas for possible improvement on many levels.
The importance of English language learning and teaching in South Korea
2013
This research investigates the impact of rote learning, national examinations and types of motivation to learn English language on the way English language is taught and learnt in Korea. The research is framed around two questions, using qualitative data in a discursive manner (Holstein & Gubrium, 2005). Qualitative and interpretive methods were applied in this research. The research examined the various influential actors involved with English language learning and teaching in Korea such as the methods of learning and teaching English language in Korea, and policy makers’ impact on the way English language is being taught and learnt in Korea. Professional diary entries written by the researcher during a one year English language teaching experience in Korea provided the core data for this research. Searching for support in the literature for the diary entries lead to three themes: the method of rote learning, the significance of exams, and the types of motivation to learn the Engli...
2015
English is considered the most important language after Korean in South Korea; thus, it is a compulsory subject in schools. English lessons begin in year three of the primary school and continue until the end of schooling, including at the university level. This was not always the case, as English was not considered to be significant until the Korean government needed people who could speak it in order to communicate with the US military during the Korean War. After a period where English was backgrounded by more pressing issues, it re-emerged as necessary to promote globalisation which was seen as a challenge for the Korean people. More recently, additional pressure to improve Korean students’ English language competence has come from an increasing economic dependence on international trade. The Department of Education has responded differently to these three main points of pressure to improve English language competency. Initially, they adopted a grammar-translation method to resp...
The Linguistic Association of Korea Journal, 2018
This study contributes towards understanding the classroom practices of Korean public school English teachers by introducing and applying an observation protocol which analyzes how teachers’ pedagogic activities relate to curricular recommendations for English education such as having student-centered, meaning-focused, and communicative English classes. The study included three classes each from two experienced and two novice primary school English teachers. The analysis showed that the experienced teachers’ classes were much more communicative and student-centered than the novice teachers’ classes were (e.g., 40% to 64% of class time spent on communicative activities versus 8% to 25% for the novice teachers), but that both novice and experienced teachers focused mostly on language forms rather than meaning in their lessons, and that none of the teachers used any task-based activities. The study concludes with implications and recommendations for future research based on these results.
Unresolved issues and new challenges in teaching English to young learners: the case of South Korea
Current Issues in Language Planning, 2013
The introduction of languages, especially English, into the primary curriculum around the world has been one of the major language-in-education policy developments in recent years. In countries where English has been compulsory for a number of years, the question arises as to what extent the numerous and welldocumented challenges faced by the initial implementation of early language learning policies have been overcome and whether new challenges have arisen as policies have become consolidated. This article therefore focuses on South Korea, where English has been compulsory in primary school since 1997. The issues raised by the introduction of English into the primary curriculum are reviewed and the current situation in South Korea is investigated. The results of a mixed methods study using survey data from 125 Korean primary school teachers, together with data from a small-scale case study of one teacher are presented. The study shows that, while some of the initial problems caused by the introduction of early language learning appear to have been addressed, other challenges persist. Moreover, the data reveal the emergence of a number of new challenges faced by primary school teachers of English as they seek to implement government policy.
This theoretical essay has been written to critically explore the manner in which English is used as a globalizing medium in South Korea’s education sector. Attention is afforded to the (a) adoption of English as a medium instruction at the tertiary level, (b) practice of hiring native English speakers from non-education related degree fields to perform as teachers, and (c) use of English as a curricular device at the primary level to reinforce Korea’s cultural heritage. The knowledge generated from this report may be used to extend critical discourse concerning the rise of English in East Asia, call attention to recruitment practices that further the deprofessionalization of the second language teaching field, and challenge the inward emphasis placed on learning Korean cultural traditions in the English language classroom.
Native Speaking English Teachers as Perceived by South Korean Elementary and Middle School Students
2013
English language acquisition has become increasingly important to South Koreans as they strive to compete in the globalized economy. As the demand for English education has increased, the Korean government has responded by, among other initiatives, creating the English Program in Korea (EPIK). This program brings native English speakers from Anglophone countries to South Korea, as assistant English teachers. This paper reports the findings of a survey given to over 1,000 Korean elementary and middle school children. The students were asked several questions on a Likert scale to gauge their opinions on a variety of aspects of their EPIK teachers. Broadly speaking, the respondents indicated high levels of satisfaction with their teachers across all questions.
Learning English as a Second Language in South Korea
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