Parents’ Language Ideologies of English and Social Class

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to find out how language ideology is maintained within a social class. This study highlights how English, which has high value in Korean society, is recognized as class mobility and is embedded in the fabric of Korean society through upper or middle class parents of international school students in Korea. This research explores what language ideologies function as crucial factors for deciding on their children’s language education. This study uses the qualitative narrative data drawn from interviews with the participants to investigate how the language ideologies are constructed by social class in the Korean context, and how inequalities of class come to be rationalized with these ideologies in Korean society. The main method in content and thematic analysis is the inductive coding of the reflective data according to emerging patterns. The findings revealed that the cultural value of the participants of the middle class was associated with the US. The participants considered English ability itself as one of the qualifications of being part of the middle class in Korean society. Moreover, the participants constructed their own inner-circle to share their values and norms through the schools. This study shed light on the issue that a cultural capital can play a significant role in constructing social structure, which enables certain groups to obtain the cultural capital connected to economic advantages in society.