English Education in South Korea (original) (raw)

In South Korea, the mere mention of English education invites controversy. The debate rages, fraught with questions that echo the paradigms of Mr. Smith’s English lesson: Why should we study English? Who should study it? When should we begin studying? What type of English should we learn? How should it be taught? These and other questions torment educators; but as a nation, South Korea has responded with decisive action. English was adopted as a regular subject in Korean elementary schools starting in 1997. For 20 years before that, English had been taught as an elective subject in elementary schools. As in Japan, it served as a required subject in junior high schools; and in high schools as an exam-preparation course. While the two latter conditions persist, the move to begin formal instruction at an earlier age generated a great deal of excitement among parents, despite the consternation of teachers. And now the nation waits to see what effect its decision will have on the secondary curriculum. At the university level, the consequences will be further removed in time. At present, the Ministry of Education seeks to bring English instruction into a more practicable sphere. English is seen as a key to the future; but a tenured past makes progress difficult. In the decades to come, South Koreans hope to reap a profitable return on their collective investment, that is, they hope that English education will lead their nation to economic prosperity. 小学校から大学レベルまでの英語教育を、MOEの教育方針としての目標・内容、教育課程、教員養成、そして教室における指導法を取り上げて論議する。動機付け、コミュニケーション能力、自由学習、さらに学習塾、就職斡旋、幼稚園、出版業、テクノロジーなど諸種の問題を提起する。結論としては、英語教育に関して韓国は日本と非常に多くの類似点を共有している。