This study explores ways to enhance pre-service English teachers’ curriculum development competency through collaboration with in-service teachers. To this end, a course was designed to incorporate three key competencies of curriculum development (curriculum literacy, curriculum development competency, and curriculum evaluation competency) while adopting task-based language teaching and collaboration with inservice teachers as teaching methods. The designed course was implemented in a university for validation and revision. Ten pre-service English teachers participated in the course, where they developed English curricula in response to requests from three in-service middle school English teachers. A questionnaire survey conducted at the end of the semester with both pre-service and in-service teachers revealed that the proposed course model adequately worked to improve the three key competencies of English curriculum development among pre-service teachers. Further, collaboration with inservice teachers was found to enhance pre-service teachers’ responsibility and active engagement in curriculum development, while also providing practical assistance and creative teaching ideas to in-service teachers.

The current study presents a methodology of teaching the connotations and nuances of the word Han (恨) to English-speaking Korean language learners. Since Han (恨) expresses unique and traditional aspects of Korean sensibilities, the goal would be for native English speakers to be able to understand the complexities of its meaning, in spite of the differences in culture background. To this end, research was done into how Han (恨) is translated into English, as there is no term in English with the same meaning. From these findings, a list of Korean vocabulary related to the meaning of Han (恨) was made to show its definitions in English. In addition, a survey was conducted on 42 Americans to find out how English speakers understand Han (恨). As a result of this research, the current study demonstrates the need to teach the meaning of Han (恨) to Korean language learners from English-speaking countries, and suggests a teaching methodology which follows the order of Pre-Class, In-Class and After-Class study based on the Flip-Learning model.

This study compares AI PengTalk’s assessments of Korean children’s pronunciation with the assessments of Korean teachers. Sixty Korean sixth-graders participated as assessees, and four Korean elementary teachers participated as assessors. Both PengTalk and the teachers rated the children’s production of 10 English sentences on a five-point scale. They focused on segmentals, stress-rhythm, intonation, and speech rate. The findings were as follows: Firstly, PengTalk evaluated the children’s pronunciation in the four elements significantly lower than the teachers across all English proficiency levels. Secondly, teachers’ ratings of the students aligned more closely with their pre-evaluated English proficiency levels than the AI PengTalk’s assessments. The teachers rated students at the upper level significantly higher than those at the intermediate level, who were, in turn, assessed significantly higher than those at the lower level in all four elements. Furthermore, AI PengTalk and the teachers differed in the mean order of the four elements, particularly in segmentals. Based on the results of this study, suggestions were made for the development and implementation of AI-based English programs.

This paper systematically analyzed research trends of North Korean defectors’ English education in South Korea using the scoping literature review method. From 2001 to 2022, research on this topic was categorized into three phases: 1) Phase 1 (2000-2011), 2) Phase 2 (2012-2019), and 3) Phase 3 (2020-Present). Each phase was analyzed using school levels, themes, and research methods. Approximately a quarter of previous research investigated alternative schools for North Korean defectors, with students having difficulties with their limited English learning experiences. Research themes mainly concentrated on learner factors (48 papers), followed by educational contexts and teaching methods (21 papers). Most studies on appropriate teaching methods for North Korean defectors adopted qualitative methods focusing on a small number of participants. Regarding research methods, studies adopting qualitative methods accounted for 48.0%, whereas studies using quantitative ones accounted for 10.4%, reflecting the limited research opportunities to collect a large set of data from various North Korean participants in South Korea.

This research investigated consistency of achievement levels stated in the 2015 revised national curriculum of English, high school English textbooks, and the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) according to CEFR Levels. Based on CEFR levels, this study compared levels of targeted achievement standards in the national curriculum, focusing on reading passages in High School EnglishⅡ and CSAT implemented for three consecutive years (2021-2023). Results indicated that the reading section of textbooks and CSAT included a considerable portion of passages whose text difficulty levels were higher than CEFR B2, exceeding the achievement standards required for high school graduates. These results suggest that difficulty levels in the national curriculum, textbooks, and CSAT should be adjusted according to target levels of language proficiency based on CEFR levels so that learning burden of students can be lessened and competency-based English teaching and learning finally can be performed.

This study explores the ways in which sociocultural perspectives on English language education can contribute to teacher education the era of artificial intelligence (AI). Three key words that represent the relationship between sociocultural perspectives and English teacher education—context, interaction, and social practice—can each be linked to the key concepts of criticality, multimodality, and action research. Teachers of English need to be ready for the forthcoming changes in the AI era, for which they must be equipped with a critical ability to focus on issues and needs in the Korean context. This ability can be applied in teaching students various types of interactions, especially those involving the use of computers, and will create opportunities for teachers to conduct research of their own and cultivate a professional teacher identity. This study concludes by recommending substantial changes in the current pre-service and in-service English teacher education programs in accordance with these key concepts.

본 연구는 첫째, 중국의 온라인 교육 시장 진출 모색을 위해 중국내 온라인 영어 교육 플랫폼 현황을 살펴보고, 둘째, 시진핑 정부의 ‘쌍감’ 정책 중 사교육 정책 시행 배경과 내용 및 추가 관련 정책을 면밀히 검토해 보았으며, 셋째, 관련 정책 시행 후 온라인 영어 교육 기업에 어떤 영향과 변화가 있었는지 구체적으로 분석해 보았다. 분석의 결과 정책 시행 후 중국 온라인 교육서비스 기업들은 운영에 있어 중국 당국 의 엄격한 통제를 받았으나, 이것이 기업에게 부정적인 영향만 준 것은 아니며 더욱 세분화된 시장 안에서 다양한 대상과 규정에 맞는 콘텐츠로 운영한다면 기회의 요인 이 될 수 있을 것임이 확인되었다. 본 연구의 분석 내용과 시사점들은 향후 우리나 라 온라인 교육 서비스 기업의 중국 진출 및 경쟁에 있어 일조할 수 있을 것으로 기 대된다.

Based on the multilingual perspective that emphasizes that non-native variants of English need to be recognized as having values equivalent to the native speakers’ English, this study aimed at discovering elementary school teachers’ perceptions and beliefs of native-speakerism, multilingualism, and monolingualism in English education, and the contradictions and questions they had as they reflected on the language ideologies. Nine elementary teachers participated in the study, and two written reflections on language ideologies and two follow-up group interviews were used as the data source. The findings were as follows. First, the teachers confirmed, consolidated, or realized how native speakerism and monolingualism were deeply rooted in English teaching and learning. However, they showed that they had agency in their own teaching, and also showed changes in their perception through reflecting on their experiences. Last, the teachers had questions and contradictions about implementing a multilingual approach in teaching English, which provides the issues and challenges to be solved for the transformation of English education in the multilingual world. This study has implications for primary English education.

본 연구는 조기영어교육기관에서 근무하고 있는 원어민 강사를 대상으로 조기영어교육기관의 특성과 근무환경, 직무 만족 및 직무몰입에 대한 인식과 차이를 조사하고, 원어민 강사의 직무만족 및 직무몰입에 영향을 미치는 요인을 알아보는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 이를 통해 원어민 강사의 업무성과를 개선할 수 있는 방향을 모색하고, 원어민 강사가 제공하는 교육서비스의 수준을 향상시킴으로써 조기영어교육의 효과성과 효율성을 높이는 방안을 모색하였다. 연구목적을 달성하기 위해 조기영어교육기관에서 근무하는 원어민 강사 262명을 대상으로 설문조사하고 15명에게 인터뷰를 실시하여 자료를 수집하였다. 본 연구의 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 조기영어교육기관 특성에 대한 원어민 강사의 인식은 아동의 애착과 존경이 가장 높고 협력수업에 대한 인식이 뒤를 이은 반면, 의사결정형태 및 직무연수가 상대적으로 낮은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 원어민 강사의 직무만족과 직무몰입은 보통 수준으로 나타났다. 둘째, 원어민 강사의 근무환경과 개인배경에 따른 직무만족 및 직무몰입은 조기영어교육기관의 근로자 수와 원어민 강사의 한국어 수준에서 차이가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 셋째, 원어민 강사의 직무만족에는 조직공정성, 상사의 직무역량, 상사의 의사결정형태, 동료지원, 아동의 애착과 존경이 영향을 미치고, 직무몰입에는 상사의 의사결정형태, 아동의 애착과 존경, 직무만족이 영향을 주는 것으로 나타났다. 원어민 강사의 직무만족 및 직무몰입 수준을 높이고, 이를 통해 조기영어교육기관의 교육서비스 수준을 제고시키기 위해서는 조기영어교육기관, 기관 내 상사 및 협력강사, 원어민 강사의 노력이 요구된다.

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.

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.

This study probes how cultural contents are represented in middle school English textbooks based on the 2015 revised national curriculum. To this end, culture-related sections of 15 textbooks were analyzed in terms of five aspects: cultural subject matters, cultural types, backgrounds, activities for cultural learning, and language integration. The results reveal that the middle school textbooks deal with everyday life of various cultures, including tasks for introducing Korean culture. The three culture types are provided at a relatively balanced ratio, but as the grade goes up, the portion of spiritual culture increases whereas that of material culture decreases. As for cultural background, non-English cultures in the outer and expanding circle are the most frequently presented. In the analysis of cultural learning activities, searching and communication activities connected to speaking and writing have a large portion, but experiential activities are rare. 45.5% of cultural activities are presented in a single communication skill and 54.5% of them are integrated into two or more skills. Finally, based on the study results, some suggestions for effective culture education to attract students' spontaneous participation in middle school English classes are presented.

This paper analyses the foreign language curriculum of general high schools in China. The Chinese educational authority announced an experimental version of its language curriculum in 2003, revised it in 2017, and revised it in 2020. In 2003, the foreign language curriculum included only three foreign languages: English, Japanese, and Russian. German, French, and Spanish were added from the 2017 curriculum. The 2017 curriculum consists of three categories: ‘required’, ‘required optional’, and ‘optional’. The required courses meet the requirements for graduation by all students. Students intending to go to college must complete all required optional courses. The six foreign language curriculums equally set four core competencies: language ability, cultural consciousness, thinking ability, and learning ability. In addition, this paper investigated curriculum structure of the six foreign languages, learning vocabulary, and items included in the appendix, and compared the foreign language curriculum in China and Korea. In conclusion, Korea’s next curriculum suggested that achievement standards and evaluation criteria should be more specific in preparation for the high school credit system, and that achievement standards and evaluation criteria should be described so that the curriculum and college entrance can be linked.

상선에 당직사관으로 승선하기 위한 해기사는 승선 전 해기사로서 갖추어야 할 적절한 자격요건을 국제규정에 맞게 충족시켜야 한다. 해사영어 활용 능력은 이와 관련한 중요한 요소 중 하나이다. 해기 교육 과정에 입교한 학생들은 교내 수업을 통해 선박과 관련된 영 문 서류, 검사 문서 그리고 사고 보고서에 이르기까지 다양한 상황에 대한 해사영어활용능력을 습득하게 되며 이를 통해 일반 영어뿐만이 아닌 실무에서 사용되는 해사분야 전문 용어 및 특수 문장까지 학습하게 된다. 하지만 선박 및 해운산업의 특수성으로 인해 해사영어를 포함한 해기 지식이 전달되고 또 평가되는 데에는 많은 제약이 존재한다. 해당 연구는 항시 접속 가능한 해사영어 학습 및 시험 플랫폼의 활용을 기반으로 학생들의 학습 결과를 측정하고 이를 통한 교육 효과를 조사하였다. 실험은 승선실습 과정에 참여한 실습항해사를 두 집단으로 나누어 진행되었다. 한 집단은 해사영어 학습 및 평가 플랫폼을 활용하였고 다른 한 집단은 해사영어 학습 및 평가 플랫폼을 활용하지 않았다. 6주의 실험을 통한 최종 시험 결과 두 집단 간 해사영어 시험성적에 유의한 차이가 발생하였으며 이를 통해 해사영어 학습 및 평가 플랫폼의 활용이 해사영어 시험 점수에 유의미한 점수 차이를 가져오는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 학생들의 개인 학습시간을 조사하여 그 교 육 효과를 정량화하였으며 나아가 추후 연구에 대한 개선방향을 제시하고자 하였다. 해당 연구는 해사 교육 분야에 다양하게 적용하여 활 용할 수 있는 학습 플랫폼 활용 효능을 조사하였으며 향후 해사영어 교육 외에 그 범위를 넓혀 활용될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

The purpose of this study was to explore how English teachers perceive the appropriateness of the quantity and level of content in the 2015 Revised National English Curriculum. In order to evaluate the appropriateness of the modified curriculum, a survey questionnaire was administered to English teachers at elementary and middle schools across Korea. Teachers and university professors were also consulted for guidance regarding the appropriate quantity and level of content. According to the survey results, both elementary and middle school teachers believe that the quantity and level of content are mostly appropriate for students. However, responses related to the appropriateness of achievement standards for reading and writing were less positive than those for listening and speaking for children in elementary school grades 5 and 6 and middle school grades 1 to 3. In general, methods of optimizing reading and writing content in the English curriculum are discussed.

This study investigates the historical development of English education in South Korea regarding the fourth and fifth National Curriculum Period. By analyzing the newspaper articles in five major newspapers in Korea, we focused on the characteristics of English education in each period. The research questions are: 1) what are the characteristics of the fourth National Curriculum? 2) what are the characteristics of the fifth National Curriculum?, and 3) what is the implication of these previous curricula on the current English education in South Korea? During the fourth National Curriculum Period, after the successful hosting of the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, the importance of communication skills in English spread throughout the country. Accordingly, the need for early English education emerged. In the fifth curriculum, various social factors, including the liberalization of overseas travel, led positive washback effects on English education. In elementary schools, English instructions were conducted as a special activity. In secondary schools, various changes in the educational environment were involved, including the introduction of listening tests and recruitment of native English teachers, which still affects English education in 2020. This paper concludes with educational implications and future research directions.