제 7차 교육과정기의 한국 영어교육: 동아일보 기사 분석을 중심으로

Abstract

This paper investigates the historical development of English education in South Korea during the Seventh National Curriculum period from 1997 to 2007. By focusing on Dong-An Ilbo newspaper articles published in Korea, the research questions are: 1) how did the sociocultural issues influence English education during this period? and 2) what are the implications of the social issues in this period to the current English education policies in Korea? A total of 446 articles were categorized into five major themes: surging interest in private education, an effort of consolidating public education, implementation of various English tests, overseas employment and emigration, and other factors. It was found that the national interest in English education closely reflected the desire to occupy a better social position in Korea. In this process, instrumental motivation in English education dominated during this period. Such instrumental desire first influenced private English education, and accordingly, public education endeavored to address these changes initiated by the private sector. However, since English education policy lacked systematic preparation, these efforts did not provide intended, positive results. This paper concludes with educational implementation and future research suggestions.