This study aims to identify differences of teachers" attitudes toward World Englishes (WE) for language teaching and language testing, and to investigate their perceptions of various rating criteria for the L2 oral proficiency test. Data were collected through questionnaires from 72 English teachers in the UK, Malaysia, and Japan. The analysis revealed that there are significant differences in their attitudes toward WE among the groups of English teachers depending on their teaching contexts. With regard to the perceptions on rating criteria, it was found that different groups of English teachers considered various rating criteria for the L2 oral proficiency test differently. The English teachers showing negative attitudes toward WE perceive grammar, pronunciation, native-likeness as more important rating criteria than the others such as vocabulary, organization, task fulfillment, and appropriateness for the assessment of non-native speakers" English language oral proficiency compared to the other group of English teachers showing positive attitudes toward WE.

This paper demonstrates the findings of an investigation into Korean secondary school English teachers’ practices and perceptions regarding writing instruction. The research employs in-depth interviews with a small number of teachers to identify: (a) teachers’ practices of writing instruction and assessment in the classroom; (b) teachers’ perceptions of writing instruction; (c) teachers’ evaluation of students’ writing abilities; and (d) teachers’ concerns or problems in teaching of writing. The results indicate that there exist discrepancies among teachers’ practices, perceptions, the National Curriculum and the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT): the curriculum provides writing goals that are too high for students; teachers cannot help focusing on low-level features of writing mainly due to students’ poor writing ability; and teachers and students do not have an urgent necessity to teach and learn writing, since writing is not tested in the CSAT. The paper concludes by providing implications and suggestions for future development of writing instruction in the Korean secondary school English classroom.

As English has been rapidly spreading to non-Western communities, we have had numerous varieties of English. In the Outer Circle, English gained an official status, which resulted in nonnative varieties of English. In the Expanding Circle, English achieved the status of the first foreign language. With a range of English varieties, educators and administrators have been faced with controversial questions such as: (1) how to define native speakers of English? and (2) which varieties to teach? This qualitative study investigates four Korean EFL teachers’ perception of speakers of English and the issue of target varieties. Using data from semi-structured interviews and personal conversations collected for one academic semester, the researcher found that the participants considered various features when identifying an individual as a native or nonnative speaker of English. They used to consider ethnicity and nationality important in the past, which have been replaced by language precedence, cultural attachment, native speaker’s intuition, and mutual intelligibility. The findings of this study also demonstrate that American English is regarded as the most preferred variety as an educational target in Korean ELT because of the power that its speakers have.

The national curriculum for English in Korea emphasizes the development of communicative competence through the use of task-based learning and communicative activities that suit the student’s needs and levels, as well as the integration of the four skills. This not only requires sophisticated teaching skills, but also a high degree of proficiency in English. The English Teacher Selection Test, which is meant to select quality English teachers, has never been free from being criticized for its lack of validity, consistency, and proper feedback. This study thus analyzes the English Teacher Selection Test items from 2004 to 2006 in terms of percentages of different fields of major and suggests some ideas to make the Test more efficient in serving its purpose, which is selecting quality English teachers.

The purpose of the present study is to compare the use of discourse markers by pre-service training students and in-service training teachers in middle school contexts. For this purpose, 20 participants in each of the pre-service (PS) and in-service (IS) teacher groups were selected and their teaching was videotaped. Then, the data was transcribed with a focus on the use of discourse markers. The results of the study demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the use of macro-markers between the two groups. However, it is interesting that student teachers in the PS group used various expressions for elaboration a little more frequently than the IS group. In addition, significant differences were found in the use of micro-markers between the two groups in terms of segmentation and temporal markers. On the basis of the results, some pedagogical implications on the teaching of listening and teacher training are suggested.

Since the introduction of teaching English as a regular subject into primary schools in 1997, it has been said that the discrepancy between students who are receiving private instruction at learning institutions and private tutoring and those who are not receiving private English instruction is steadily increasing. The purpose of this study was to investigate what impact private English instruction had on English achievement and attitudes of fifth- and sixth-grade students in primary schools. For this purpose, an English achievement test was developed based on the 7th National Curriculum and administered, along with two attitude questionnaires: One questionnaire was administered to 696 fifth- and sixth-grade primary school students, and the other questionnaire given to 12 primary school teachers of the students. The results showed that students started learning English at the average age 7.9-years-old and about 80% of the students were receiving a variety of private English instruction. In line with expectations, tutored students outperformed non-tutored students on the English achievement test. In addition most of the teachers, as well as students, thought it helpful to learn English through private English instruction. One implication from the results suggests that to ensure quality English language teaching at public schools, the government should put forth efforts to nurture qualified English teachers through intensive teacher training.

English is now commonly called an international or a global language. Korea starts to face some changes in terms of the situational and functional status of English from EFL to ESL. A bilingual education approach called 'immersion education' to teach English is urgently needed to be taken in Korea, especially in the primary school level. The present paper aims to investigate perceptions of primary school teachers about the introduction of English immersion education program. A total of 171 primary school teachers were surveyed employing a questionnaire asking about their knowledge, opinions and attitudes with regard to the introduction of English immersion education in primary schools in Korea. It was found that there are lots of things to take into consideration introducing the English immersion education system in the areas of preor in-service teacher training system, governmental assistance, and other practical issues of deciding starting grade and the subjects for immersion, for example. Some suggestions are provided for a practical guide for the introduction of English immersion education.

Despite the Ministry of Education's policy, early childhood English education has been widely conducted among private kindergartens and in private English Education agencies. Although there are a great number of English teachers who are teaching English to young children, few research has been done about their working conditions. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate the working conditions of early childhood English teachers, to determine the problems that they are facing in the education field, and to find out the possible solutions to improve their working conditions. Sixty-seven teachers answered the survey. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were done. This research found that teachers have difficulties in attracting children's attention when they teach English in the classroom, and in developing appropriate teaching techniques. It also found that their working conditions were not good enough to keep them doing this job. In spite of poor conditions, they are proud to be teachers. It was found that the subjects wished to have a medical insurance, a secured income, and to be free from extra teaching activities, such as textbooks sales and collecting monthly fees. They would like to have an opportunity to learn new teaching techniques through in-service teacher training. They also insisted that the Ministry of Education should face the current situation by giving them a chance to become certified teachers.

The purpose of this study is to investigate some problems about College Scholastic Ability Test(CSAT) on English listening and suggest its new approaches in the future. A survey, which was composed of 48 English teachers and 63 college students, was conducted to know about their opinions of the listening test. The results are as follows. First, the listening test is very important in learning English language, but it is not required to spend much time and efforts in listening class on account of its unvaried question pattern and lack of transferring into speaking ability. Second, the test should increase the number of the question and its total score. Third, it is necessary to provide the various questions related to the real life of English speaking countries implying not only linguistic knowledge but also non-linguistic knowledge like situation, socio-cultural background, and world knowledge. Fourth, sound phenomena may also be an important part in the listening test.