Korean English Teachers Research Articles

Exploring Emotional Vulnerability and Sense of Agency in the Digital Realm: A Three-Year Case Study of an EFL Teacher in South Korea

This study presents the findings from a longitudinal case study on a Korean English teacher’s experience of emotional vulnerability and professional development in online teaching. Grounded in an ecological perspective on teacher agency and emotional vulnerability, the study investigates how and why the teacher exercised agency in navigating her emotional challenges and adapting to the virtual teaching environment. Data were collected from various sources, including interviews, observations, field notes, and artifacts, for three years. The findings showed that the intricate connection between the teacher’s multiple and dynamic emotions, beliefs, and concurrent working environments significantly influences her engagement in digital teaching practices. Furthermore, the teacher’s emotional vulnerability in virtual teaching facilitated her engagement in reflective and action-oriented practices, leading to a more proactive approach to exploring and implementing alternative teaching methods online. The findings highlight the interplay between emotions, agency, and identity development, emphasizing the importance of experiencing, understanding, negotiating, and expressing emotions to discover potential alternative teaching resources and methods in ever-changing teaching environments. This study provides insights into how teachers can leverage their emotions and exercise teacher agency to enhance their professional growth and adaptability in digital learning environments.

Teachers’ Views of L1 Use in English Speaking Classes : A Case Study of University Teachers in Korea

This study investigates the views of university English teachers in Korea teaching English speaking classes to develop a greater understanding of how L1 is used and for what reasons and purposes in the classroom. The primary means of data collection included a survey with multiple choice questions and open-ended questions, as well as semi-structured interviews. Thirteen teachers, five native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and eight Korean English teachers (KETs) responded to the survey, among whom four teachers participated in the interviews. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics or qualitative methods, depending on their types. Findings revealed that teachers attempted to use English as the primary medium of instruction, adhering to class identity and their teaching beliefs. However, the majority also found themselves allowing for the use of Korean to some extent for reasons such as the students’ low English proficiency, course goals, the tense environment, common L1 among students, and the students’ demand, although some differences were observed in the way that Korean was used between NESTs and KETs. Teachers also showed more leniency towards the students’ Korean use as opposed to their own use of it and employed Korean for different purposes in each case. Discrepancies were found between NESTs and KETs in their purposes. For instance, NESTs focused their use of Korean on social purposes while KETs focused on managerial purposes. NESTs permitted students to use Korean for various purposes, whereas KETs focused mainly on affective and social purposes. However, both groups seldom considered the students’ use of Korean for linguistic purposes. Further discussions on implications for teachers, education administrators, and researchers are provided.

Incorporating World Englishes into Middle and High Schools in Korea: Teachers’ Awareness and Attitudes

The worldwide utility and status of English have given it enormous cachet in Korea. English education has been heavily emphasized in Korean middle and high schools as a means to foster a globally-oriented, linguistic diversity-aware citizenry. Yet the predominant model for language learners in Korea remains an idealized speaker of British or American English – the so-called ‘native speaker’ model. A World Englishes (WE)-informed model of English language teaching would be more in line with the Ministry of Education's stated vision, but uptake of this paradigm has been slow in Korean schools. We therefore investigate the perceptions and attitudes of Korean middle and high school English language teachers about the place of WE in Korea's English education system. Specifically: (a) What are Korean English teachers’ perceptions towards WE?; and (b) What challenges and barriers do they perceive in integrating WE into Korea's English education system? Survey data from 106 Korean middle and high school English teachers, supported by a subset of eight interviews, show that the sample view English as a global mode of communication among all its users, though they often view the ‘native’ varieties of English as more prestigious than those from other countries. They acknowledge the desirability of incorporating a WE-informed paradigm into Korea's English education system, but the varieties which they advocate are all from Anglophone countries. They also identify numerous challenges to implementing WE in Korea's classrooms. One is the need for teachers to prepare their students for high-stakes examinations which are uniformly constructed around British and American English. Another is the perceived community pressure to emphasize American English in their teaching. Finally, the absence of any WE-informed teacher education resources limit their knowledge about WE and how to teach it to students.

Representation of Native English Teachers and Korean English Teachers in Korean English Newspapers: A Corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis

Representation of Native English Teachers and Korean English Teachers in Korean English Newspapers: A Corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis

English Language Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Korea: A Comparison between Korean Teachers of English and English Native-Speaker Teachers

English Language Teachers’ Job Satisfaction in Korea: A Comparison between Korean Teachers of English and English Native-Speaker Teachers

“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.

An Argument for Including Critical Media Literacy in EFL Curriculum and Pedagogy

The purpose of this paper was to provide a theoretical outline of why critical media literacy (CML) should be included in Korean English education teaching practices and teacher training curricula. CML is a pedagogy designed to sensitize students to ideological meanings embedded in media that socialize people into specific values, beliefs, and behaviors. This paper begins with a review of theoretical foundations of CML including the symbolic nature of human consciousness signification and the processes of socialization, which are theoretically encapsulated within the dialectic among post-structural theories of discourse and representation. A review of literature on CML and its application to English as a foreign language (EFL) is then presented. Applications of CML include situated inquiry, discussion, creation of group multimodal projects suggests, how it fosters the development of critical thinking skills, the acquisition and use of new vocabulary idioms, and transforming student perceptions of themselves and their society.

Facts and Fictions of Native Speakerism: Local EFL Teachers’ Experiences and Viewpoints

Most literature on native speakerism has criticized its impact especially in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts where native English-speaking teachers, who are deemed to be more competent and desirable, enjoy more benefits and privileges than their nonnative counterparts. However, recent research has suggested that such assumptions associated with native speakerism may not accurately reflect what is actually happening in EFL school settings. The current study examines Korean English teachers’ views on various dimensions of native speakerism in order to capture the impact of native speakerism as experienced by local English teachers. Data were collected from 37 in-service teachers working in elementary and secondary schools in South Korea via surveys and interviews. The survey results showed negative effects of native speakerism for some constructs; however, the qualitative results revealed that concerns surrounding native speakerisms were not as problematic as one might hypothesize based on the existing literature. The results are discussed with suggestions aimed at alleviating any negative effects of native speakerism in EFL settings.

중등 영어교사의 문화 수업 설계 시 과업 선택

The purpose of this study was to investigate Korean secondary EFL teachers’ task type choice during lesson planning for a hypothetical culture class and the factors which influence their decision making. A total of 146 English teachers in middle and high school were surveyed, and the data were analyzed using frequency analysis and multiple response analysis. Also, in-depth one-to-one interviews were conducted with four Korean English teachers: a male middle school teacher, a female middle school teacher, a male high school teacher, and a female high school teacher. The results show what types of tasks they prefer when they are asked to choose a certain task type to teach a unit using a textbook in a hypothetical classroom: discussion task type to teach culture and personalization task type to assess cultural elements. The findings also reveal differences between middle school teachers and high school teachers in task type choices. The in-depth interview participants’ detailed uses of task-based language teaching (TBLT) and their interpretations on their TBLT practice were discussed. This study leads to the discovery of Korean EFL secondary teachers’ tendencies and their criteria for task type choices. Therefore, it suggests a different approach to teacher training programs as well as a focus change in future research in spite of some limits of the research.

Exploring English Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions of Online Classes: Based on the Teachers’ Experiences

The purpose of this study was to explore Korean English teachers’ attitudes and perceptions of online classes during the pandemic, based on their experiences with online classes. The following questions were constructed; 1) What skills should the English teachers be equipped for online classes? 2) How have they perceived online classes during the pandemic? 3) What kinds of online class can be most effective for learning? Six middle and high school English teachers participated in this study. The survey questionnaire, in-depth interviews, and the researcher’s journal were collected and analyzed. A thematic analysis approach was employed to explore the characteristics of online classes. According to the findings, the teachers considered computer-handling technology the most important skill to provide online classes effectively. Also they expressed mixed attitudes toward online classes, commenting the advantages and disadvantages of online classes. Lastly, they turned out to have similar opinions on which method would be the most effective online class, pointing out real-time classes would be the most effective one. Based on these results, implications for language teaching and learning are suggested.

코로나 19 상황의 온라인 교양영어 수업에 대한 한국인과 원어민 교원의 인식 및 적응 과정

Objectives The purpose of the study was to investigate Korean and native English teachers’ perceptions of online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK), techno-stress, teacher efficacy, and environmental support. The study also attempts to illustrate how the Korean and native English teachers have adapted to online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic and how their experience has affected their perceptions about online classes. Methods Data were collected through a survey questionnaire and interviews. A total of 37 (27 Korean, 10 native English) faculty members responded to the questionnaire and twelve of them participated in the interview. The responses in the survey were analyzed to compare the participants’ experience in online classes and their perceptions and interviews were coded to illustrate their adaptation process of teaching online classes. Results The results showed that there was no significant difference between the Korean and native English faculty groups in terms of their online class experience, and perception of TPACK, techno-stress, teacher efficacy, and environmental support. It was shown that the mean scores of TPACK and teacher efficacy were relatively high while their techno-stress was not high. The participants underwent the process of frustration, adaption, and reflection while coping with challenges of acquiring and utilizing technology-based instructional tools in their online classes. Though the participants were forced to adapt to online classes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it helped them improve their technological skills and gain new understandings of their own classes and students. Conclusions The online class experience provided the participants an opportunity to improve their TPACK and to reflect on their teaching methods, students’ perspectives, and colleagues’ support. It can be suggested that teachers need to be encouraged and challenged to adapt to new teaching environments through which they can improve their teaching efficacy.

Identity Negotiation of a Korean English Language Teacher during Two Years of Compulsory Military Service

ABSTRACT This longitudinal case study describes a male Korean English teacher’s identity development during two years of compulsory military service. An investment and imagined communities framework undergirded the thematic analysis of emails, mobile messaging, and casual conversations. Three recursive themes emerged: English user, researcher, and hyeong (older brother) identities. The findings indicated the following: Jung’s English user identity was manifested in the role of someone who was occasionally asked to perform the task of translating for the U.S. and Korean Armies. His researcher identity reflected his eagerness for further study and interest in academic issues, which was sustained through his interactions with colleagues in the academic community and military comrades. His hyeong identity, the counselor, emerged in response to military colleagues’ requests for advice on English learning and the importance of English in Korean society. This study shows the need for increased attention to this under-researched population.

An Exploratory Study of a Korean EFL Teacher’s Identity Shift during the Pandemic

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, language teachers have been asked to rapidly react and adapt to constantly changing teaching environments in order to understand their students’ needs in L2 learning and make judgments in conditions of uncertainty. The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the need to understand how teachers’ identities evolve during such difficult times and situations. In response to this need, this study reports the findings from my qualitative case study on a Korean English teacher’s identity shift. Drawing upon Foucault’s (1983) notion of ethical self-formation, I examined how the Korean English teacher negotiated and developed her identity to adjust to drastically changing working environments as she weighted the benefits and challenges of online and offline education, particularly for novice Korean EFL learners. Data were collected through various sources from an experienced Korean English teacher, called Anna, at a regional foreign language center in South Korea over the course of two years. Due to the pandemic, she had to make the transition from offline to online teaching. Further, her center closed one year after the outbreak of the pandemic, and she was reassigned as a travelling teacher in a multi-school program for underachieving English students. The findings reveal that Anna became more agentive in searching for and utilizing multiple resources for teaching, showing her reflective and action-oriented practices to involve in ethical, practiced, and productive identity work (Miller, Morgan, & Medina, 2017). The findings contribute to expanding our understanding of the transformative potentials of language teachers’ identity.

Comprehension of the Co-Operation of Professional Identity and Metacognition of English Teachers in Pedagogical Problem Solving.

Teaching is a metacognitive pedagogical problem-solving process. Teachers’ commitment to this process can be partly influenced by their professional identity (PI) in the pursuit of identity-congruent actions and identity verification. For these pursuits, teachers produce cognitive, affective, and behavioural responses, which are the representations of PI, and use metacognition by monitoring and regulating these responses for successful pedagogical problem solving. Teachers, in turn, improve their PI and metacognition. Based on a narrative approach, the problem-solving processes of five Korean teachers of English are explored along with their PI and metacognition operation. This exploration provides the rationales for the conceptualised co-operation mechanism of teacher PI and metacognition, and also reveals the possibility of its variation. Comprehension of the mechanism enables teacher educators and policy makers to establish specific plans and procedures for principled professional development or policy support. Thus, based on the conceptualisation and findings, systematic interventions via problem-solving-based teacher education and contextual support, which help teachers develop PI and metacognition, are discussed.

한국인 영어학습자들의 비명시적 문법 교육 연구: 영어 관사와 추상명사를 중심으로

This study investigates the grammar education of Korean English learners regarding the usage of co-occurrence of the definite article with proper nouns and singularity and plurality in abstract nouns that are without explicit grammatical rules in English. To achieve this aim, this study wanted to find out how well 81 Korean English learners(43 middle school, 38 high school) understand the usage of non-explicit language. Furthermore 9 Korean English teachers in middle and high schools were surveyed on how to teach non-explicit language. Specifically, experiments 1 & 2 and one questionnaire were conducted. The findings of the current study suggest the following two results. First, As the Korean English learners increase their learning levels, they are able to acquire explicit language rules relatively well, but not non-explicit language. Second, Korean English teachers in schools said that they have not provided explicit teaching approaches about the non-explicit language in the schools’ educational environment.

Investigation of English Program in Korea: Focusing on the possibility of VR use in orientation and training programs

The introduction of the communicative approach in the English language education brings in a Korean the English Program in Korea (EPIK), which is a Korean government sponsored program established 1995. by the Korean Ministry of Education improve Korean students’ and teachers’ communicative competency in English within the public school system in Korea. For this goal, EPIK invites English speakers from 7 major English-speaking countries. However, the effectiveness of this program has been questioned in Korea. Thus, the objective of this paper is to explore the current status, problems, and the directions for the program to be aimed at, and for the effectiveness of EPIK through investigation of the program. Then this paper presents some possible solutions and suggestions including the possibility of VR use in orientation and training programs in order to empower both Korean teachers of English and English native teachers in Korea.

Comprehension of experienced English language teachers’ professional identity and related metacognitive thinking procedures

ABSTRACT In order to comprehend the attributes of expert teachers, the current study investigated professional identity (PI) and related metacognitive thinking procedures of experienced Korean teachers of English through a questionnaire survey and interviews. The teachers’ PIs contained pedagogic meanings that highly regarded teachers’ having language knowledge and skills, realising learner-centred practices, teaching communication skills for practicality, and developing professionalism. They relatively less valued practising teacher-led, test-preparation lessons but also using challenging tasks and creative materials and combining content, materials, and activities, which reflects their unestablished meanings of learner-centredness. Some of the interviewed teachers revealed their active performance of metacognitive monitoring and regulations of different meanings (cognitions), emotions, and actions over their pedagogical problem-solving processes for overcoming teacher-led, test-preparation lessons. Thus, experimenting with negotiated pedagogies and modifying their pedagogic meanings by learning from this, they tried to balance identity-congruent actions and verification, and reshaped their PI and related metacognitive thinking procedures; others’ pedagogic experimentations and related experiences were rejected by contextual rigidities. Comprehension of the PI and related metacognitive thinking procedures of experienced teachers provided several implications for teacher education.

Concepts of Co-teaching in Secondary English Classrooms: Perspectives of Korean and Native Teachers of English in South Jeolla Province

The current study explores the perspectives of co-teaching practices based on the voices of four secondary school English co-teachers consisting of two Korean English teachers (KETs) and two native English teachers (NETs) in South Jeolla Province. Online interviews were conducted for data collection with regard to KETs and NETs’ definitions of co-teaching from personal experiences in Korea, influential factors in determining current attitudes towards co-teaching, and future needs for better co-teaching. Each interview was analyzed through weekly peer debriefing sessions. Findings showed that all four English co-teachers had lacked opportunities to learn ways to reach an explicit consensus on the concepts of co-teaching, its goals, how to co-teach, and how to share feedback. Consequently, KETs and NETs developed an unbalanced sense of ownership and implicit disagreement over co-teaching class. The results revealed that the KETs had difficulties in discussing with a native co-teacher on co-teaching lessons as they assumed that attempts for sharing ideas about co-teaching would be interpreted as a form of “interference” by their native English co-teachers. Both KETs and NETs were found to be lacking in any form of training on how to co-teach, which seemed to have caused the difficulties in taking proper steps to teach collaboratively. Based on the results, some suggestions are provided.

인공지능 활용 교육에 대한 한국인영어교사와 원어민영어교사 간 인식비교 연구

This quantitative study examines K-12 English teachers’ (N = 107) perceptions of AI-based instruction in South Korea. Drawing on practice related to computer-assisted instruction (CAI), this paper compares in-service Korean English teachers and Non-Korean English teachers. A questionnaire was used to explore the teachers’ general perceptions of AI and familiarity with AI-supported education and the responses of 52 Korean English teachers and 55 Non-Korean English teachers were used to examine differences between the two groups of English teachers. The results revealed that there is no general consensus between the two groups of English teachers about the definition of AI-based instruction. However, both groups identified lack of AI knowledge as their main challenge to incorporating AI in their teaching. Non-Korean English teachers showed more positive perceptions and expectations for using AI than Korean English teachers. The article concludes with a call for extensive research on evidence-based AI-supported teaching and systematic teacher training programs for both groups of teachers for effective, widespread AI applications.

원어민과 한국인 비원어민화자의 영어의 특정시제의 선택과 사용에 관한 연구 -설문 분석을 중심으로-

The purpose of this study is to investigate the need for a pragmatic approach of choice between interchangeable tenses. In general, particular types of tense-aspect combinations seem fixed in English grammar level. However, from a pragmatic point of view, their boundary may be blurred and tied to a three-dimensional perspective. From the survey-based analysis of native and korean non-native speakers, the major findings are shown as follows; 1) Present Perfect or Past Perfect can be replaced with Simple Past by native speakers. 2) Tense-extension between adjacent tenses implies the resilient characteristic, which allows language users to make a flexible choice. 3) The pairing-relation of Present Perfect and particular time-adverbials (i.e., since, until now, for, so far) shows the mismatch in real language-use unlike the concept described in the Korean version of English grammar textbooks. Accordingly, tense-choice should be recognized not by a grammatical category but from a pragmatic lens. For this reason, the shift from a grammatical category to pragmatic dimension might be needed for both Korean English teachers and Korean English learners.