English Language Education Policy In South Korea.docx (original) (raw)

Revisiting the Storied Landscape of Language Policy Impact Over Time: A Case of Successful Educational Reform

Curriculum Inquiry, 2005

The many failures of large-scale top-down educational reforms are well documented in the reform literature. These failures are most evident when they are reviewed from the advantageous perspective of hindsight. What are less well documented are the extraordinarily interesting, centrally driven educational changes that have had important and lasting impacts over time, not only because they are rare, but also because they have often occurred outside the mainstream (North American) focus of the reform literature. This article provides a retrospective review of one such educational reform as unique as the tropical island country in which it occurred. Revisiting this storied landscape provides insight into the process and potential of a systemwide educational reform.

Change of policy on English and its implications on institutions of higher learning

Am. J. Soc. Mgmt. Sci, 2011

This research paper looks at a change in policy on English language and its implications to public institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. In 2000 the Ministry of Education of Malaysia introduced a common public examination on English which was known as Malaysian University English Test (MUET) for all pre-university students. Its introduction created uncertainties, language centres at these institutions which used to service university students suddenly found the need to review or revamp their English language (EL) programmes so that there is no overlapping with the MUET syllabus but one which is in continuity of the MUET programme. Universiti Sains Malaysia at Penang, Malaysia carried out pilot tests on the pre university students. The findings provide insights on the proficiency level of the students and also the need to review and revamp the existing EL programmes so as to stay relevant and in continuity of MUET. Most students are clustered in band 3 of the MUET scores. To stay relevant, the minimum English language entry requirement for university new entrants should be one level higher and the appropriate choice is band 4 scores. And students scoring less are recommended to repeat MUET or follow remedial courses to enhance their proficiency.

Impact of Politico-economic Situations on English Language Education in Korea

English Teaching, 2006

Choi, Yeon-Hee. (2006). Impact of politico-economic situations on English language education in Korea. English Teaching, 61(4), 3-26. This study explores the impact of politico-economic conditions of Korea on English language education in the 123-year-long history, following Cooper's (1989) framework of analyzing conditional factors influencing the decision making of language policies. The history of English education is classified into the six periods which are overlapped with Korea's political contexts and national curriculum reforms: the end of Joseon Dynasty (1883∼1910); the Japanese colonial time (1910∼1945); after liberation from Japan till 1955 including the U.S. military government (1945∼1955); from the First Republic to the military rule (Supreme Council for National Reconstruction) (1955∼ 1963); from the Third to the Fifth Republic (1963∼1992); and from the Citizens' Government till the Participatory Government (1992∼the present). The paper also discusses current reforms of the national English curriculum. Finally, it deals with major issues and challenges in English education and provides suggestions for the future.

Language policy changes

Language policy changes in Malaysia have taken many twists and turns throughout its 55 years of independence. English language was the major language in Malaysia prior to its independence from the British in 1957. Then, in post-independence Malaya (now Malaysia), Bahasa Malaysia (BM), stipulated to be the national language of Malaysia under Article 152 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. Article 152 was amended in 1971 where it clearly stated that the status of BM may not be questioned, and any amendment to Article 152 can only be made with the consent of the Conference of Rulers. The amendment also required all government bodies to use BM as their principal official language. When 'The National Education Policy' was established in 1971, it brought about the gradual change in the use of the English language in the Malaysian education system. All national schools would have to use BM as the medium of instruction for all subjects, except English. This decision has caused the standard of English language to

English Education Policies in South Korea

Language Policy, 2016

In South Korea, the government has actively promoted English proficiency as an indispensable tool in ascertaining competitiveness of individuals and the country. This chapter examines English education in South Korea and its policies as contextualized in its socio-cultural backgrounds. The discussion draws on theoretical insights that view policies as an interactive process among policy documents, the context and the actors in it (Ball, Maguire & Braun, 2012; Menken & Garcia, 2010). First, the background is laid out by illustrating the symbolic and practical meaning of the English language in the Korean context. Following that, the chapter traces the changes in English language teaching (ELT) policies through a historical survey of curricular reforms and also presents the current agenda of ELT policies, within which the communicative approach is strongly recommended, as reflected in the 7 th National Educational Curriculum. In an attempt to investigate ELT practice in context, two case studies, one at the primary level and the other at the secondary level, are presented, particularly to determine the relationship between policy and practice. Both case studies demonstrate that while teachers make efforts to follow the policies, how they actually implement them depends on their unique contexts and individual beliefs. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research and policy making.

PARADIGM SHIFT? A Query on the K-12 Multilingual Education

Communication is a crucial part of any transaction, especially in government policies and laws, wherein the implementer and the policy maker should have a clear-cut vision what a certain program would look like and have an effect on the country at large. In lieu of the major changes in the Philippine education system, this paper interrogates the background of the controversial K-12 Education System, shifting from a ten year educational cycle to a twelve year cycle, mandated by the Department of Education, by looking at the policy and curriculum guide that has shaped its implementation, specifically zoning in the much speculated Mother-Tongue based learning. Namely, these are Department of Education Order no.31 s.2012 and the K-12 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide circa December 2013. As mentioned earlier, this paper looks primarily on the Mother-Tongue based Multilingual Education, the prime factor of this newly refurbished education system, to check for certain themes and patterns that may show unique features, implementation issues, relations of power between the policy maker and the implementers, and the like. By looking at such themes, one could already extrapolate the success, or the lack of it thereof, of this momentous benchmark of Philippine education that would affect a single generation, at the very least. Interviews are made to validate or serve as an assessment about the implementation of the text.

Language Policy in Practice: Reframing the English Language Curriculum in the Indonesian Secondary Education Sector

English language curriculum development in a culturally and linguistically diverse setting is always site of struggle. Particularly in Indonesia, there has been a dramatic change in English language curricula in the secondary education sector during the past decade. This change has much been driven by the ideological and political agenda instead of pedagogical benefits of interested stakeholders (e.g., students, teachers, and parents). This is evidenced by the fact that the current curriculum, The 2013 ELT Curriculum, does not detail key elements, such as curriculum materials, pedagogy, and assessment from relevant theories of language, language learning, and language teaching. Though there is much literature on English language curricula in Indonesia, it does not specifically highlight key principles of reframing English language curricula in the Indonesian secondary education sector from a critical situated perspective (Tollefson, 2015). To fill this gap, the present chapter attempts to provide directions for reframing the current curriculum and to give fresh insight into the design of English language curricula, which takes into account agencies of teachers and students as well as socio-cultural environments. These directions are also applicable to other ELT contexts in Asia or the context where the status of English is a foreign language or an additional language.