use of literature

筑紫女学園大学アジア文化学科「蒼翠」 第3号, 2002

In South Korea, the mere mention of English education invites controversy. The debate rages, fraught with questions that echo the paradigms of Mr. Smith’s English lesson: Why should we study English? Who should study it? When should we begin studying? What type of English should we learn? How should it be taught? These and other questions torment educators; but as a nation, South Korea has responded with decisive action. English was adopted as a regular subject in Korean elementary schools starting in 1997. For 20 years before that, English had been taught as an elective subject in elementary schools. As in Japan, it served as a required subject in junior high schools; and in high schools as an exam-preparation course. While the two latter conditions persist, the move to begin formal instruction at an earlier age generated a great deal of excitement among parents, despite the consternation of teachers. And now the nation waits to see what effect its decision will have on the secondary curriculum. At the university level, the consequences will be further removed in time. At present, the Ministry of Education seeks to bring English instruction into a more practicable sphere. English is seen as a key to the future; but a tenured past makes progress difficult. In the decades to come, South Koreans hope to reap a profitable return on their collective investment, that is, they hope that English education will lead their nation to economic prosperity. 小学校から大学レベルまでの英語教育を、MOEの教育方針としての目標・内容、教育課程、教員養成、そして教室における指導法を取り上げて論議する。動機付け、コミュニケーション能力、自由学習、さらに学習塾、就職斡旋、幼稚園、出版業、テクノロジーなど諸種の問題を提起する。結論としては、英語教育に関して韓国は日本と非常に多くの類似点を共有している。

2016

Since the first significant appearance of international students in U.S. higher education in the early 1990s, English language literacy has been a central focus to literacy teachers. Despite the plethora of studies concerning students' second language proficiency, primarily aiming to enhance assimilation and acculturation into the U.S. academic disciplines, not many studies have looked beyond the pedagogical/instructional aspects within classroom settings. Under labels such as "international students," "ESL learners," or just "foreigners," the students have often been considered one large homogeneous group in need of homogeneous language support. To understand the limits of such a blanket approach and to avoid deficit ideologies that focus primarily on what international students lack in language and literacy, my study explores the past, present, and projected literacy experiences of South Korean undergraduate students with early study abroad (ESA or jogi yuhak) experiences. I argue that the language and literacy practices of these undergraduate students (henceforth post-jogi yuhak students), with pre-college education in English speaking countriesincluding the United States, Canada, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia-continuously develop within the larger global and local contexts. My study therefore complicates not only categories of transnational students but also approaches to pedagogy. This understanding of the complexity of multilingual backgrounds is crucial to the field of Rhetoric and Composition at a pivotal time when U.S. higher education institutions are experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of international undergraduate students. This dissertation highlights the literacy and rhetorical practices of post-jogi yuhak students, a particular group of international undergraduate students who have been fairly unknown to non-Koreans on campus and to composition and rhetoric scholars despite their significant presence in U.S. higher education institutions. At the University of Illinois, the public higher education institution iii with the largest international student population, Korean students are the second largest international group and more than 80% of them have had jogi yuhak experience. My ethnographic project provides in-depth articulation of ways post-jogi yuhak students' literacies and literate selves do and do not develop as they navigate college life. As my study demonstrates, post-jogi yuhak students sought out a transnational educational experience early in their lives to learn English and become "global" citizens, yet at Illinois I claim that they are heavily engaged in localization of their "Koreanness" not only through their use of the Korean language but also through the institutionalized rebuilding Korean social practices. These practices ultimately help them ground their identities as college students. Their literacy and rhetorical practices are shaped not only by and within global and local politics but also within the everyday dynamics of a particular institutional climate and policies. iv To my fellow international students and all on their transnational journey v TABLE OF CONTENTS

Journal of curriculum and teaching, 2023

This study investigates the national English curriculum, social and academic culture, roles and positions of (English) teachers and students, and their changes in Korean history. Based on this exploration, the author discusses considerations to advance the current Korean English curriculum and where the next curriculum is to be headed in the era of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). Given that the 4IR welcomes people who have high qualities in complex problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity, management, collaboration, decision-making and negotiation, significant changes in teacher and student roles and teaching practice are needed. The Korean pedagogical background of teacher-led practice, text-or grammar-based learning, test-preparation lessons and pursuit of competition in English education should not be obstructions for these changes. Thus, the author suggests the application of AI programmes and problem-based learning for the realisation of more learner-centred, democratic, and constructive learning. This study will provide educators in East Asian countries as well as in Korea with several rationales to deliberate for their next curriculum design.

This theoretical essay has been written to critically explore the manner in which English is used as a globalizing medium in South Korea’s education sector. Attention is afforded to the (a) adoption of English as a medium instruction at the tertiary level, (b) practice of hiring native English speakers from non-education related degree fields to perform as teachers, and (c) use of English as a curricular device at the primary level to reinforce Korea’s cultural heritage. The knowledge generated from this report may be used to extend critical discourse concerning the rise of English in East Asia, call attention to recruitment practices that further the deprofessionalization of the second language teaching field, and challenge the inward emphasis placed on learning Korean cultural traditions in the English language classroom.

The Journal of English Language and LiteratureDOI:`10.15794/jell.2021.67.1.006, 2021

In the changing educational environment in Korea, some departments must justify their existence or adapt to changing circumstances. How language and literature fields can do so without sacrificing their essence is less clear, especially when facing neo-liberal attitudes among policy makers that value the more tangible rewards of education. In response to this situation, this paper engages in a broad exploration of some relevant themes, and attempts to sketch out some theoretically grounded and practical rationales for clarifying and articulating the value of such programs. This can provide a basis for more cogently articulating to the public the social value and necessity of the humanities, especially language and literature programs. Exploring philosophical methods of understanding our respective fields can serve as a starting point for clarifying the values and goals of the various scholarly disciplines that fall under the rubric of language departments. This can help identify some important aspects of these disciplines that can be communicated to those outside of these academic fields. Practice-based pedagogical philosophies can help bridge the gap between the theoretical goals and relevant outcomes of these programs, and thereby we can identify the practical benefits for students that need to be communicated to the public. Empirical research into education can provide further rationales and support in articulating and arguing for the social and practical value of such programs. This can not only help scholars to better articulate the value of our programs to others, but also provide a framework for discussing how to revitalize language departments and help our students to better understand the value of their studies and their degrees as they enter the job market.

International Journal of English Language Education, 2014

This paper determined the English majors' a) expectations in terms of class contents, teaching methodology, and teacher's professional/personal traits; b) experiences in terms of English classes, outside school socialization, and dealings with foreign professors; and, c) potentials in terms of critical thinking-driven and communicative activities. Results revealed that there is a discrepancy between their expectations, experiences, and potentials in achieving communicative competence due to cultural aspects, amount of communicative outputs, limitation of critical thinking, teaching and learning orientations, and English education system. However, the researcher still believes that Korean students majoring English still have the potentials to excel in communicative challenges towards Korea's globalization by putting up more international schools that are affordable and English conversation clubs on campus, by implementing CLT-based approach more meaningfully, by integrating culture in the curriculum but use effective techniques to draw out student's attention to communicate, and by designing a curriculum training program for English teachers and English majors more meaningfully.

International Journal of Educational Technology and Learning

As the use of English in the academic world increases around the world, English for Academic Purposes (EAP) continues to grow. The increase in demand for EAP courses and teachers often finds English teachers having to prepare students to study in fields that they themselves might not be familiar with or teach a style of course they might not have done before. In addition to these obstacles, there are many institutional barriers that prevent teachers from teaching EAP properly. This paper examines these problems in the South Korean university context. Currently many Native English Speaking (NES) English teachers are transitioning from teaching Commutative Language Teaching (CLT) classes to teaching EAP courses and are experiencing many problems and barriers as they transition and teach EAP. 10 NES university teachers were interviewed in order to gather qualitative data about their experiences in teaching EAP courses in an attempt to better understand the current situation in many Korean universities. The data gathered revealed many similar problems and led to ideas for possible improvement on many levels.

2016

Under the slogan of internationalisation, Korean universities have opened international colleges as a way to better attract and accommodate foreign students. However, due to a lack of foreign student recruiting capability, the majority of the students who enrol at one such international college are not foreign, but Korean. Contradictions arise when the English-language medium enforced by the foreign faculty members of the college conflicts with the linguistic practices of the mostly Korean student body. This article uses an international college in South Korea as a case study for the examination of the role of English on student life at Asian universities pursuing internationalisation strategies via the recruitment of foreign faculty members. Paradoxically, by establishing an international college that aggressively enforces the English language medium, the Korean university has created an environment where students avoid using English at all.

2012

K orean literature is generally taught in North American universities in an area studies department as one of the three major literary traditions of East Asia along with Japanese and Chinese literature. But far more than these better known national literatures, Korean literature functions as a means for heritage students and Korean studies majors to learn about the country in general. Meanwhile, the particular qualities of Korean literature that make it vital and worth studying for the way in which it, like other memorable works of literature, help us understand ourselves and the world around us—these qualities are too often lost. Instead, students are more likely to be concerned with what the story can teach them about being Korean or the culture rather than with what the literature itself has to offer. As an instructor of literature, I believe that this is where the problem lies. Usually, Korean literature is taught in isolation from literature programs throughout the rest of the ...