A Study on Korean, Non-Native Speakers' Perceptions Towards EFL Education in Korea
By: Adam B. Reid
97-05897
Dr. Roth
EDE 591
06/29/98
Introduction
As an EFL instructor of three years, I have encountered many
different learning situations and many different learners. In Korea,
private language institutes are called "hawgwons". These offer after
school opportunities for public school children to learn English.
There are also hawgwons that offer early morning and evening classes
for adults to learn English as well. During my Korean experience I've
taught in small hawgwons with only three classrooms and two EFL
teachers as well as in larger schools with seventeen classrooms and
nineteen EFL instructors; from singing songs and coloring different
shapes and objects with young students to my current situation as an
adult conversation teacher. Throughout all of these educational
experiences there has always been one constant obstacle/factor: the
unknown of the cultural/language barrier.
Some of these barriers are obvious, such as the communication and
standards for social conduct that vary from country to country. But,
then again, there are also the idiosyncrasies, stereotypes, and norms
that are unique to every culture that an outsider might spend years
in trying to decode in an attempt to become part of that culture. I
fall into that category, as I plan on staying here for quite some
time to pursue my career on this side of the globe.
This course provided me with a way to scratch the surface on some of
my questions relating to these "barriers of the unknown". Since I
plan on spending quite some time in Korea as an EFL teacher, the more
I can learn on a first hand basis about as many of these unknowns
that foreign EFL instructors generally encounter, the better I will
be able to relate to my students. My main concern is to decipher how
my students think and feel about their EFL education here in Korea. I
have encountered a broad spectrum of students in my three years here
in Korea and I think that they must have some similarities in
their perceptions concerning studying English. I want to better
understand how my Korean students feel about studying English so that
I may become a better instructor by addressing their concerns and
sometimes by dispelling some negative stereotypes that might
exist.
My hope in doing this study was to cultivate some new knowledge on a
first hand basis to aid in my understanding of my students' mind-set
so that I might become a more effective EFL instructor. With this in
mind, my research question became:
What are Korean, non-native speakers' perceptions of EFL
instructors, EFL instruction, and EFL programs in Korea.
Methods
In undertaking my study, my first problem was to find a starting
point. Charles' (1995) chapter on "Educational Research and its
Sources of Data" provided me with the tools to begin my research
journey. After reading this chapter I gained a focus as to how I
should proceed. According to Charles' classifications, I decided to
do a: "Basic", "Nonexperimental", "Qualitative", "Descriptive",
"Evaluation" study employing "Primary Sources" through "Questioning"
and "Analysis" (Charles, 1995). I found this to be one of the most
useful resources in the course pack, especially since this was my
first time conducting a study and everything was new to me.
My next problem was to find a suitable sample. Luckily, I have an
acquaintance studying for her Master's degree in English Education at
Hanguk University of Foreign Studies, here in Seoul. She and some of
her classmates graciously agreed to take part in my study. This was
great because all of the people have had very similar experiences in
EFL studies as all Koreans receive approximately ten years of EFL
instruction during their public school days and most, generally, go
on to attend some EFL hawgwon in their adult life. (There are many to
choose from here in Seoul as English is a big business) Specifically,
the participants in this study: numbered fifteen in total, were all
Korean, non-native speakers, English Education Graduate students
(school teachers by day and students by night), aged 25-41, were ten
females and five males.
According to Wilson's (1992) chapter on the ethics of fieldwork, "it
can be particularly difficult for Western or local elite researchers
working in the so-called `Third World' to" understand the realities
that exist while conducting their fieldwork (Wilson, 1992). Even
though I'm not working in a third world country, I am working in a
very different country from that of my origin. So, I still find some
of Wilson's observations to be helpful for me. I find the idea of
"value-free research" to be very perplexing as I find it difficult to
eliminate "underlying ideologies and assumptions" so as not to bias
and limit the inquiry (Wilson, 1992). I see it as being the ideal
research situation, but as being very difficult to achieve. In terms
of the "Asymmetric friendships" that Wilson mentions, I am lucky that
that phenomenon does not exist in my situation. In a sense, I work
for my students and respect them as well. In accordance with that
idea, I granted them total anonymity so as not to hinder their
responses to the questionnaire. The knowledge that I gain from these
questionnaires will be given back to my students in the form of a
more understanding instructor. It is designed to be a win-win
situation.
I designed my questionnaire to address Koreans' perceptions of three
topics: EFL instructors, EFL instruction, and EFL programs here in
Korea. I designed what I feel are two complementary questions for
each topic in hopes of receiving a wide range of varying responses.
In creating the questions I tried to use my previously acquired
knowledge of my students in an attempt to come up with questions that
are of interest to both myself and my participants.
I see this group twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays, and had
hoped to get the questionnaires back in a week at the latest. But, as
with most things in life, it didn't work out quite that way. Two
weeks after distributing the questionnaires, after much reminding, I
finally received a total of nine out of the fifteen questionnaires
that I had originally distributed. At that point in time, I realized
that I could wait no longer and that I needed to begin my data
analysis in order to complete this assignment to meet my
deadline.
This study was quite an undertaking for a "first-timer", such as
myself. Reading all of the responses and putting some orderly
coherence to them was puzzling at first, but once I engrossed myself
in it I could see a definite trend to both the anecdotal and initial
"springboard" questions (in numbers 1,2,5,&6). However, this data
can not be expressed quantitatively in a practical sense. The
interpretation I have chosen, therefore, is very qualitative in
nature.
In establishing the credibility of my analysis, I looked to our
reading "Judging the quality of fourth generation evaluation", by
Guba and Lincoln (1989). In their article, they describe six methods
by which to prove or to help ensure the credibility of one's data
analysis. In my case, I have experienced a "prolonged
engagement" with my inquiry site, which has lead to
"persistent observation" of the issues that I have chosen to
investigate in this study. I was lucky enough to have one of my
fellow colleagues agree to be my "peer debriefer" who was able
to help me with my "progressive subjectivity". By having an
outside party to discuss my study with I was able to get unbiased
feedback and the opportunity for a fresh idea on the data when I felt
bogged down. Finally, I also conducted some brief "member
checks" by phoning some of my respondents to qualify their
answers. If time had allowed I would have rather done a more balanced
number of personal interviews and questionnaires, but there's always
next time. By accomplishing five out of the six criteria that were
mentioned in the Guba and Lincoln reading, I feel that I can safely
say that my data analysis is credible.
Study Results
Upon organizing my data, I came up with some pretty useful
information for myself. The following observations can be verified by
referring to summaries that follow them. On the first issue of EFL
instructors, I found that the majority of my participants preferred
an educated, prepared, native speaker who is sensitive to his/her
students' needs and who provides instruction focused on both
conversation and grammar. The dominant reasons for this seemed to be
the native speaker's ability to provide proper pronunciation and
cultural definitions to their students' vocabularies.
In the area of EFL instruction, students preferred small classes that
are low in stress and involve games, role-playing, and problem
solving activities. The most common complaints in this area were with
unqualified teachers who just kill time in class and with the large
class sizes that exist in the public schools.
Most of the participants feel that there needs to be a lot of changes
in Korea's EFL programs and offered some good suggestions, including:
(i) smaller class sizes, (ii) a shift from teacher
centered to student centered instruction, (iii) a shift from
grammar focused to a whole language approach, (iv) team
teaching with native and non-native speakers, and (v) focus
more on functional, practical English rather than on "text book"
English.
The subjects also felt that no matter how much that one studies
English in Korea, there needs to be a purpose and a use for it.
However, most felt that they didn't have adequate opportunities to
practice and improve upon their English skills when they stayed in
their home country. So, studying and traveling abroad for the purpose
of English language education is a popular trend here in Korea.
However, traveling abroad can be a very stressful and traumatic
experience if the person is not realistically prepared to confront
the cultural and language barriers head-on. Studying English by
traveling abroad also involves studying the culture in addition to
the just the language. This is an important fact that some students
neglect to consider that can quickly ruin and terminate their
learning experience abroad.
To further expand upon and support the previous information, I have
provided the following questionnaire summary table as well as a
completed questionnaire, which summarizes the subjects' responses.
Upon reading the following data, it can easily be seen that the
previous observations are accurate.
Table 1
Responses to the questionnaire by 9 Korean Students
|
Question |
SA |
A |
N |
D |
SD |
|
1. A trained native speaker is a more effective EFL teacher than a trained non- native speaker. (circle one) |
2 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
2. In general, EFL teachers in Korea should
approach EFL instruction with a ìgrammar first,
conversational fluency secondî attitude. (Circle
one) |
0 |
1 |
1 |
5 |
2 |
|
5. It is more effective to learn English in an English speaking country. (Circle one) |
3 |
4 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
|
6. There should be severe changesin the EFL programs in Korea's public schools and/or hawgwons. (Circle one) |
1 |
7 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
Survey Background Data Summary
Subjects: Korean, Non-Native, English Speakers
Occupation: Eng. Ed. Grad Students/Public School Teachers
Ages: 25-41
Sex: M (2) F (7)
EFL Study: All subjects have had approximately ten years of EFL
Instruction in their public school days and all subjects have had
some experience learning English in private schools in Korea (called
Hawgwons)
The following is a summary, including some direct quotes, of
the data taken from the questionnaires.
1. A trained native speaker is a more effective EFL teacher than a
trained non-native speaker. (Circle one of the following)
Strongly Agree (2) Agree (4) Neutral (2)
Disagree (1) Strongly Disagree
- "A native speaker knows the nuances and uses of words better
than a non-native speaker".
- "Conversation classes with a native speaker are generally more
effective than with a non-native speaker".
- A native speaker can convey English experiences and culture
better than a non-native speaker.
BUT,
- A bilingual teacher is very important in early EFL education
and, some might argue, all the way through one's EFL
education.
2. In general, EFL teachers in Korea should approach EFL instruction
with a "grammar first, conversational fluency second" attitude.
(Circle one of the following)
Strongly Agree Agree (1) Neutral (1) Disagree
(5) Strongly Disagree (2)
- "The order or focus shouldn't be fixed; every situation requires
a different focus".
- "There's too great a focus on grammar in public school EFL
education".
- Grammar and conversation should go hand in hand in EFL
education.
- Conversation is more important than grammar.
3. Describe your most positive and productive EFL learning
experiences in public school or in a private academy (Hawgwon in
Korean). What made them so productive for you?
- "A humanistic teacher who develops a nurturing and cooperative
relationship with students is important".
- "Creative, prepared, active students also contribute to the
success of an EFL class".
- No public school experiences were mentioned. All positive
experiences were derived from a private school setting.
- A non-stressful environment is important.
- A small class size (preferably six to ten) is important.
- Conversation classes that involved games, role-playing, and
problem solving activities were all seen as positive.
- A focus on pronunciation is always appreciated.
4. Describe some of your negative EFL learning experiences in public
school or in a private academy (Hawgwon in Korean). What solutions do
you think could have improved these negative experiences?
- The biggest complaint in private school EFL education is about,
"unqualified, untrained, and ill-prepared EFL foreign teachers".
Stricter guidelines for employment are required.
- In public school EFL education, the biggest complaints are about
the predominant focus on Grammar and the huge class size (sometimes
as many as 50). Korean and foreign EFL team-teaching and much smaller
class sizes were suggested.
- "Repetitive writing exercises without a purpose" are also cited
as common complaints.
5. It is more effective to learn English in Korea than in an English
speaking country.
(Circle one of the following)
Strongly Agree Agree (2) Neutral Disagree (4) Strongly
Disagree (3)
- Most subjects agree that a Korean, non-native speaker must
travel abroad in order to receive the most effective EFL instruction.
An immersion in the culture and language is seen as the best way to
learn, "fine-tune", and master the English language.
- A common complaint was that, "in Korea most students don't have
the opportunity or the purpose to practice their newly acquired
skills. Traveling and studying abroad provides that purpose and
opportunity".
BUT,
- Studying abroad can be a very traumatic experience. Success in
studying abroad depends upon the English ability and maturity of each
individual considering the undertaking.
6. There should be severe changes in the EFL programs in Korea's
public schools and/or hawgwons. (Circle one of the following)
Strongly Agree (1) Agree (7) Neutral (1)
Disagree Strongly Disagree
- Everyone agrees on making changes, but how and what?
- Some suggestions are: (a) Smaller class size
(b) A shift from teacher centered to student centered
instruction.
(c) A shift from grammar focused to a whole language
approach.
(d) Team-teaching with native and non- native speaking
instructors.
(e) Focus more on functional English than on "text book"
English.
Final Analysis
The responses to my questionnaire provided me with some useful
information that helps me to validate and confirm my own assumptions
and methods about EFL instruction in Korea. It has been beneficial
for me in many ways, but, as with most things in life, there's always
room for improvement. Such was the case with this endeavor.
Planning, planning, planning! Since this was my first study of this
kind, I went into it rather blind. In the future, if I was to do
another such study, there are a few things I would do differently.
Such as:
(i) I would do a larger, more statistical study with less or
no anecdotal comments at all. (ii) Time permitting, I would do
a number of personal interviews to help give a fuller meaning to the
responses in each case.
(iii) Reading the course pack and doing a study are two
entirely different things. The next time I would create a more
focused study that specifically looks at one issue.
(iv) I would also like to do a larger study with quicker
feedback that could be mapped out in a chart to have some graphic
meaningfulness.
(v) Time! Each step of conducting a study is as important as
the next. It requires a hefty amount of time to effectively follow
through on each step. I guess with more experience the time would
find itself, but a great amount of forethought and time are key to
conducting a successful study. Next time I would definitely designate
more of each.
As I said earlier, this questionnaire only scratched the surface, but
it did provide me with some new knowledge and some validation of some
of my previous assumptions. This was a very personalized study that
answered some of my questions that were of interest to me
because of my situation and my experiences here.
Through conducting this survey and by speaking with my adult
students, I have been able to establish a general scenario that fits
most Koreans when it comes to EFL education. Most Koreans had to
study the English language in public school for ten years, it was
mandatory. After graduating from public school many Koreans choose to
quit studying English because, to that point, English has been forced
upon them and has been predominantly focused on grammar. The common
trend is to rebel and quit studying English for a number of years and
then generally come back to it for the purpose of getting a "good"
job. Personal interest and self-improvement usually come in a distant
second and third as reasons for studying English. Most Koreans that
attend hawgwons (English language institutes) have experienced an EFL
"drought" for several years. They generally resume their EFL studies
in the area of conversation, rather than grammar, out of a need for
practicality in their immediate lives. Whether it is for work, study,
or travel abroad, becoming conversationally fluent seems to be the
most important goal for adult, Korean EFL students.
Studying in a private institute can be stressful for those shy and
insecure students. I always try to make my students feel comfortable
by creating a very "safe" classroom environment where all students
are encouraged to participate without fear of mockery. I also provide
lots of positive reinforcement to help build up my students'
confidence in their English speaking ability. However, most adult
students choose to study in a private institute on their own. So,
they realize that a great deal of effort and time are going to be
required, although many students hope for immediate results and
sometimes need to develop more patience.
It is important for EFL teachers here in Korea to be constantly
sensitive to their students' needs and desires when it comes to
studying English. Here in Korea we, as EFL teachers working in
private institutes, have to find a balance between providing quality
EFL instruction and maintaining a high registration rate. It is a
much different teaching situation than that of a public school
setting. In public schools, students may not like a teacher, but
there's not much they can do it about it. However, in a private
institute students speak immediately with their pocketbooks by either
reregistering or not. If an EFL teacher working in a private
institute here in Korea does not provide quality EFL instruction that
is specifically tuned to the interests of one's students, one will
soon be looking for another job. As a result, EFL teachers need to be
constantly evolving and not stuck in an educational rut. By taking a
humanistic approach to teaching this evolutionary teaching process
can be accomplished. Staying in touch and "in tune" with one's
students is the key.
Conducting this study has been a learning experience, in more than
one way. Most importantly I have learned the seriousness and gravity
of the position that I hold in my students' lives here. This helps
motivate me to be as educationally productive and positive in my
classroom as possible. As I continue to be a life-long learner
myself, it is my hope and my pleasure to continue the process as I
teach my adult students who are also looking for those keys to
knowledge as they study the building blocks of our language.
Charles, C. M. (1995). Introduction to educational research. White
Plains, NY: Longman. (Chapter 2: Educational research and its sources
of data)
Guba, E., & Lincoln, Y. (1989). Fourth generation evaluation.
Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. (Judging the quality of fourth generation
evaluation)
Wilson, K. (1992). Thinking about the ethics of fieldwork. In S.
Devereux & J. Hoddinott (Eds.), Fieldwork in developing countries
(pp. 179-199). New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.