English Education In Korea Research Articles

Evaluation on the Application of Factor Analysis Method in the Field of English Education in Korea

Evaluation on the Application of Factor Analysis Method in the Field of English Education in Korea

영어교육의 새로운 패러다임으로서 복합양식 리터러시 연구

Objectives This study proposes a model of multimodal communicative competence for English education in Korea based on the review of multimodal literacy theories and suggests instruction, materials, and evaluation methods to implement the model in the school curriculum.
 Methods To this end, the study reviewed the theories of Canale and Swain (1980), Byram (1997), and Coccetta (2018) to select sub-competency elements that are applicable from a school curriculum perspective, based on Royce's (2002, 2007) concept of multimodal communicative competence (MCC).
 Results The study extracted four sub-competency categories that constitute MCC: linguistic competence, discourse competence, sociolinguistic competence, and multimodal competence, and set up five stages of elements to constitute multimodal competence, considering the current perspective of competency education: attitude, knowledge, receptive skills—viewing, productive skills—presenting, and multimodal literacy.
 Conclusions This study proposes a multimodal communicative competence model and its sub-competency elements that expand the traditional language-centered communicative competence model for English education by including non-verbal communicative modes from a school curriculum perspective. This study is expected to contribute to the improvement of the learner’s communicative competence by complementing the learning of non-verbal communicative modes, which have been neglected in the practice of English education.

Translanguaging in Action: A Case Study on Two Korean Students’ Engagement in Translanguaging in Radio-Based English Education

This case study investigates the engagement of two Korean college students majoring in English education with translanguaging. In a course that integrates the teaching of translanguaging and encourages active student participation in exploring translingual practices in everyday literacy, the study examined two students’ analysis reports on translanguaging in an EBS radio English education program, their reflection notes on translanguaging, interviews, and in-class discussions on the pedagogical potential of translanguaging. Two research questions were asked: How do Korean students majoring in English education apply translanguaging knowledge in analyzing an EBS radio English show, and what are their attitudes towards translanguaging? Utilizing a qualitative research approach, the study analyzed written and spoken data of the participants. The findings illustrated that the participants comprehended the crux of translanguaging and effectively applied it in analyzing the EBS radio program. They also employed their linguistic knowledge gained from other language education and linguistics courses to make sense of the translingual nature evident in the EBS teachers’ teaching practices. Moreover, they displayed a positive attitude toward translanguaging for English education in Korea, despite encountering challenges and ineffective translanguaging moments. This study calls for further research to advance the promotion of translanguaging in Korean ELT.

한국 초등 영어교육과정 25년사: 제6차에서 2022 개정 교육과정까지

This study undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the elementary English curricula
 in Korea since the implementation of elementary English education in 1997. The
 research examines the transformations that have occurred in the curriculum’s 1) nature
 and objectives, 2) content system and achievement standards, and 3) teaching-learning
 methods and assessment aspects across six revisions. Employing a systematic literature
 review methodology, the study scrutinizes the six curricula to shed light on the changes
 that have transpired. Despite several revisions, the fundamental nature and objectives
 of elementary English education continue to emphasize the significance of early English
 education in cultivating students’ interest and confidence in learning English. Different
 configurations were found for the content system. The teaching-learning methods and
 assessment standards were simplified, and their objectives were changed from being
 organized by individual grades to being organized by grade groups. Consequently,
 achievement standards also tended to decrease quantitatively. This paper also discusses
 the implications of these curriculum changes for English education in Korea.

“It’s not real culture anyway”: Language ideologies of local and expatriate English teachers in rural South Korea

In South Korea (Korea), Park (2004) identifies three dominant English language ideologies: necessity (English as essential to compete in neoliberal markets), externalization (English as antithetical to Korean identity), and self-deprecation (English as unobtainable by Korean speakers). While studies have explored these ideologies among Korean English teachers in cosmopolitan settings like Seoul, few studies consider how teachers in rural areas negotiate these language ideologies. This study compares ideological stances from both expatriate guest English teachers (GETs) and local Korean English teachers (LETs). Participants working in the rural province of Jeollanamdo conducted semi-structured interviews about their perspectives and experiences regarding English education in Korea. Interviews underwent thematic analysis where initial codes identified Park’s three ideologies, and further coding produced subthemes through stance analysis. Findings indicate a diverse mix of stances between LETs and GETs that both affirm and resist dominant English language ideologies. LETs and GETs with experience working in both rural islands and coastal cities also report variation in students’ motivation and stress toward English education. By examining variation in teachers’ stancetaking toward dominant English language ideologies, this study challenges Bourdieu’s (1991) notion of a unified linguistic ideological marketplace.

A Systematic Review of CEFR-Related Research of English Education in South Korea

This study aims to analyze the trend of CEFR(Common European Framework of Reference) related research in South Korea using the method of a systematic review and to discuss the research fields required in relation to CEFR. The Council of Europe released the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) in 2001. It acts as a standard for curriculum, teaching, learning, and evaluation. With this, thirty kinds of literature from the years 2000 to 2020 that satisfied the selection criteria were chosen from a search of CEFR-related research on English education. After the 2015 revised national curriculum was implemented, studies related to CEFR increased by 70% from 2018 in terms of publication year, and 60% of those studies used quantitative methodologies. After organizing the subjects of the studies by the Korean academic levels and CEFR levels, the data showed a focus on research for elementary and university while a wide range of CEFR levels from Basic User to Proficient User was represented. Since CEFR builds vocabulary, grammar, and language competence based on corpus data, 80% of the studies were performed in relation to the curriculum and evaluation using the corpus. However, in order to successfully apply CEFR to Korean English education, research on more detailed level settings and the linkage between each level needs to be actively conducted. More studies are necessary to adapt CEFR to the EFL context in Korea since CEFR describes communication skills that L2 learners should have, including pluricultural competence. This means a wide range of studies on CEFR are needed to expand the quality and quantity of English education in Korea.

Validation of the L2 Speaking Performance Assessment for Young EFL Learners: Using Many-facet Rasch Measurement

Although performance assessment has been widely used in English education in Korea, scant attention has been focused on the validation of the assessment, especially on the one that targets young language learners. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to validate an L2 speaking performance assessment for elementary school EFL learners, adopting many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM) as an analytical tool. The validation focused on examinees’ behaviors, to offer an assessment validity argument as to if the result of the assessment can be considered accurate. While it was found that examinees were evaluated relatively accurately, probability curves of rating scales revealed that examinees were not separated appropriately from the current 4-level rating scale, indicating that 2-level to 3-level distinctions would better describe examinees’ achievement. Interaction analyses between Examinee✕Task and Examinee✕Rating Scale showed that examinees displayed irregular patterns when the task comprised question forms and when they were evaluated in terms of delivery of the speech. The findings of the study provide valuable information to teachers as well as researchers, on the design and interpretation of performance assessments.

Time to Focus on Positivity: Integrating a Positive Psychology Perspective into EFL Research in Korea

The purpose of this paper was to introduce positive psychology, to the fields of SLA and English education in Korea. Positive psychology investigates how people flourish and seeks the virtues and strengths of humans. It focuses on the factors enabling people and their communities to thrive, instead of focusing on psychological disorders and abnormalities, longstanding issues of general psychology. Its three main research topics include positive emotions, traits, and institutions, all of which have relevance to SLA and L2 education. This paper examined how these topics have been approached in SLA. Much attention has focused on positive emotions, particularly, enjoyment, which has gained momentum in recent years with publications. Empirical studies of the impacts of positive emotions on L2 learning were reviewed with discussion of enjoyment. The paper concludes by discussing directions for future research, applying positive psychology to Korean EFL contexts.

Research Trends in College English Education in Korea －A Topic Analysis Using LDA Topic Modeling

This study investigated the research trends of college English education in Korea from 2001 to 2020. The data was collected using a Biblio data collector and a total of 313 papers were analyzed. For research purposes, the data were analyzed using frequency analysis, LDA (Latent Dirichlet Allocation), and time series analysis. The summary of the findings is as follows: In the first instance, the number of research papers regarding college English education has increased significantly in quantity for 20 years. Secondly, in analyzing the topics of the chosen papers, a total of 10 topics in college English education were found. The topics were “curriculum and level-differentiated programs (T1)”, “learners’ affective factors (T2)”, “assesment and learning strategies (T3)”, “teachers’ factors (T4)”, “English vocabulary, grammar and writing (T5)”, “English for specific purposes (T6)”, “teaching and learning methods (T7)”, “web-based learning (T8)”, “learner-centered education (T9)”, and “textbook analysis etc. (T10).” Among these topics, the three that were identified as topics increasing in popularity were “learners’ affective factors (T2)”, “English for specific purposes (T6)”, and “learner-centered education (T9).” The topics increasing in popularity shared one key characteristic: the topics were related to learners’ factors such as the learners’ motivation, the learners’ goals, and the learners’ activities in class. This study is meaningful in that it collected a wide range of data related to college English education in Korea and produced more reliable results by using big data-based LDA topic modeling techniques.

2015 개정 교육과정 영어 교과서의 다문화적 요소 분석: 초등 5, 6학년 교과서를 중심으로

This study aims to investigate how multicultural aspects are dealt with in current elementary English textbooks. The cover pages, dialogues, main readings, and culture sections of a total of 10 elementary English textbooks for 5th and 6th graders were closely examined in terms of (1) the races and genders of the characters, (2) the cultural backgrounds of the contents, and (3) Bennett’s (2010) core values of multicultural education. The results revealed that each gender was equally represented and the textbooks present diverse cultural backgrounds in a balanced way. It was found, however, that there was an imbalance in terms of racial backgrounds. With respect to the core values of multicultural education, acceptance and appreciation of cultural diversity, and respect for human dignity and universal human rights were the top two values that appeared most frequently throughout the textbooks. Responsibility to a world community was the value that was comparatively hard to find in them. Detailed findings are discussed in greater depth, along with implications for elementary English education in Korea.

포스트 코로나 영어교육을 위한 방향과 과제

The purpose of this study was to predict educational transformation in the post pandemic era and address a new agenda for participants in both education and academia of Korean EFL. First of all, this article calls attention to rapid societal changes due to technology for the last few decades, particularly in facets of language use, knowledge building, and learning paradigm. Second, this study attempted to articulate unprecedented challenges of English education in Korea for adapting to educational reform in the digital society: 1) defining digital literacy from the second language (L2) perspective, 2) relocating English curriculum within digital learning ecology, and 3) achieving normalization of Korean school English curriculum. For successful transition, this paper finally suggests that a united voice is needed from participants and that new governance should be established in English education to connect educators, researchers, and policy makers to each other empowered by major academic associations such as KATE.

Prospects of Compulsory English Education in South Korea: What Went Wrong and What Could Be Rectified

This article examines the conceivable rationales as to why Korean students’ English-speaking proficiency scores are not as outstanding as other international standardized test scores such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Despite the efforts of the Korean government to impose compulsory English education policies such as starting English education earlier and arranging for native English speakers to co-teach in English classes, the English knowledge of Koreans is still lacking. Without knowing the details of the English Program in Korea (EPIK) and the curriculum of English education, the Ministry of Education’s (MOE) strategies may sound ideal in terms of effective language pedagogical approach, yet in this article I examine why they are ineffective. I begin by analyzing the results of three tests: PISA, TIMSS, and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to assess Korean students’ scholastic aptitudes. Next, I examine the current stage of compulsory English education in Korea according to the data from the MOE. Finally, prospects and recommendations are proposed on how the Korean compulsory English education could be improved based on the discovery of three critical drawbacks: insufficient instructional time, eligibility of EPIK, and the need for teacher evaluation.

An emerging trend in English education in Korea: ‘Maternal English education’ (eommapyo yeongeo)

Korean parents are strongly committed to investing time, effort, and money into improving their children's English competence in order to maximize their human capital in the era of globalization, a phenomenon often referred to as ‘English fever’ (Park, 2009). However, because of the Korean socio-economic structure, there is considerable disparity among families in the financial investment they can afford. Therefore, in the educational privileges and especially English learning support that Korean children receive is an inequity often overlooked by the majority of Koreans. One response to this issue is the newly emerging movement among Korean mothers called ‘maternal English education’ (eommapyo yeongeo), which has become a widely used term throughout the country.

미래 초‧중등 영어 교육의 방향 및 과제

미래 초‧중등 영어 교육의 방향 및 과제

Developing Critical Thinking and Human Compassion with English Short Stories in the Korean EFL Classroom

This essay begins with problematizing the commercialization of English education in Korea that usually emphasizes economic profitability whether it is of private education expenses or of national competitiveness in deciding the national policy of English education. Instead, it introduces Martha Nussbaum’s idea of education that insists, education’s deepest purpose is not in teaching students to be economically productive but in helping them to be citizens who can think critically and sympathize with the underprivileged. She argues that the humanities and the arts are still essential in fostering citizens’ critical thinking and human compassion that is the basis for building the healthy democracy. Hence, this essay pronounces that teaching English literature occupying the shared space of English language and the humanities is crucial to developing students’ critical thinking and its accompanying human compassion, and plays a central role in bridging English education and democratic citizenship. It deals with four English short stories, Nadine Gordimer’s “Town and Country Lovers” and Doris Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel,” “A Woman on a Roof,” and “The Habit of Loving,” to investigate how teaching English literature to Korean students could be a fruitful experience in developing both critical thinking and English proficiency. It shows that short stories themselves instigate thought-provoking questions in mutual dialogue and interaction between the instructor and students and among classmates. Besides, this essay applies intertextuality across literature, social issues in newspapers and film, and interculturality between England /or South Africa and Korea, as class methods to motivate students to participate in class discussion from a multi-dimensional perspective.

영어교육 실행연구 논문 분석을 통한 실행연구 방법론 방향성 연구

This paper analyzes 46 theses and 13 journal articles that have used action research methodology in the study of elementary and secondary English education in Korea for the last 18 years (2001-2019). Three criteria have been applied to the analysis of the selected action research studies: the teacher as a practitioner of action research, the spiraling cycles of the research process, and the teacher learning community to share research results. The findings are as follows. While teachers as the main researcher participated in the research in most of the studies, their action research basically did not start from figuring out the problems inherent in their teaching practices but from applying the existing instructional theories to their teaching practices. As a result, 83.05% of the studies left out the process of analyzing the problems inherent in the teaching practices. Also, only 23.73% of researchers shared the research results without forming the teacher learning community. This study shows that many studies have been conducted under the name of action research, but there are not many in its true sense. It is necessary to comply with the aforementioned criteria to be proper action research.

제 2차 및 3차 교육과정기의 한국 영어교육: 신문기사 분석을 중심으로

This paper explores the historical development of English education in Korea regarding the second and third National Curriculum period. By using the historical research method which analyzes newspaper articles in four major newspapers in Korea, we compared the similarities and differences between these two periods. The research questions are: 1) what are the characteristics of the second National Curriculum? 2) what are the characteristics of the third National Curriculum?, and 3) what is the implication of these previous curricula on the current English education in Korea? It was found that the second National Curriculum Period showed steady development in English education in terms of its emphasis on oral skills instead of the traditional emphasis on reading and grammar skills. However, the lack of coherence among various English textbooks, the lack of English teachers fluent in English, and the exam-oriented social atmosphere were the significant challenges in fully implementing the second National Curriculum. The third National Curriculum Period overlaps with the Yushin Regime propagated by the late President Park Junghee. During this period, a systematic effort to introduce communicative language teaching continued, whereas the exam-orientation persisted which made the English class employ teacher-centered grammar-translation methods. This paper concludes with educational suggestions and future research directions.

"Analysis of English Education Policies and Curricula Since the Implementation of Primary English Education in Korea"

"Analysis of English Education Policies and Curricula Since the Implementation of Primary English Education in Korea"

The Interplay of Language Planning in the Peace Corps/Korea TEFL Program

This paper is aimed at looking critically at the interplay between the status planning and acquisition planning in the Peace Corps/Korea TEFL Program conducted in Korea from 1966 till 1981. In the case of English in Korea, it is modernization that should be added to Hornberger’s (2006) existing policy goals of status planning such as officialization, nationalization etc. As such, modernization was accepted by both the U.S. and Korea as a keyword of the program particularly in accordance with the modernization theory fully-fledged during the 1950s and 1960s. As far as the concept of modernization is concerned, however, it is pointed out that the U.S. was more interested in a sweeping societal change of Korea in its nation-building process, whereas Korea was more concerned with its economic development in terms of Peace Corps’ newly introduced English education. The dichotomy in Language Planning and Policy (LPP) between the two macro-institutions gave rise to a few major controversies or conflict of interests between the Peace Corps/Korea and the Korean schools, ending in de facto only a status quo of English education in Korea, despite PCVs’ far-reaching audio-lingual oriented emphasis on spoken English.

Analysis of Research Trends in Content and Language Integrated Elementary English Education in Korea

Analysis of Research Trends in Content and Language Integrated Elementary English Education in Korea