Beyond the NS/NNS Dichotomy: Exploring the Potential of Translanguaging in CPP Practice by Korean EFL Teachers

Abstract

As a crucial part of English teacher education, this study aims to critically reflect on the commonly experienced issues related to EFL learning and teaching in South Korea. Within the theoretical and methodological framework of critical performative pedagogy (CPP), this study focuses on the analysis of Boalian forum theatre, directed and enacted by seven graduate students majoring in English education in a graduate course. The results of the critical discourse analysis of the forum theatres reveal that the participants experienced the internalized native/non-native speaker dichotomy in communication with native-English speaking teachers at school, regardless of their backgrounds in English learning and teaching. Additionally, the concept of translanguaging can be applied to the Korean school context as an alternative view on Korean-English bilingual practices. The implication of this study emphasizes the importance of teachers’ critical reflection of their own experiences in the EFL context and the application of CPP as an alternative teacher education model for EFL teachers.