CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE: WORKING IN SOUTH KOREA AS AN ENGLISH TEACHER THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF ADULT EDUCATION BY PETER JOUN APPROVED BY: ADVISOR: Carole Roy DEPARTMENTAL EXAMINER: Erin Careless EXTERNAL EXAMINER: Allan Quigley EXAMINER’S INSTITUTION: Penn State University ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY ANTIGONISH, NOVA SCOTIA APRIL 2015 1 Abstract Despite having the highest rates of suicide in the OECD and huge disparities in income, the recent recognition of South Korea as an advanced industrial country has been widely heralded as cementing proof of the success of globalization policies in the wake of Korea’s division and destruction during the Korean War. Rising with South Korea’s economic success has been a strong push to make English a major part of South Korea’s educational curriculum. Exams testing for English proficiency are now required in order to apply for work or study at South Korean governmental agencies, companies, universities, and selective secondary schools. The numerous jobs generated by the proficiency exam-driven English as a Foreign Language (EFL) industry attract English- speaking expatriates from around the globe. However, this lucrative endeavor is not without its issues. The roots of these problems appear to be largely systemic and intimately related to the political environment. This study seeks to explore and better understand the motives which impel expatriates from western countries to go to South Korea to teach English as well as the challenges they face when they arrive there, and how the phenomenon of the booming EFL industry is situated within the unresolved military conflict between the US/ROK and North Korea. 2 Acknowledgements This project has been a collaborative affair involving the efforts of family, friends, academic acquaintances, as well as fellow musicians in Tokyo, Seoul, and Denver, Colorado. I would particularly like to thank my advisors, Drs. Carole Roy and Paula Cameron, for guiding me through and being patient with me. Anne Curry for helping to edit this paper, Erin Careless, the second reader, and Dr. Allan Quigley, the external examiner. The participants for being so courageous and committed, and giving so generously of their time, energy, and insight. Critical researchers such as Professors Denzin, Brookfield, P. Allman, P. McLaren, Giroux, Phillipson, Canagarajah, Ellis, Bochner, Markham, Cumings, Chomsky, Pilger, hooks, Crookes and Kubota. My sister Julia, for allowing me to stay with her in Boulder, Colorado, while I conducted research and learned a little about farming in optimal temperatures. My father and mother, for their tireless concern and support. The city of Kyoto, the enclave of Hapjeong. The mountains of Palolo and the shore break at Makapu’u. 3 Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................1 Acknowledgements .....................................................................................................2 Table of Contents ........................................................................................................3 List of Figures .............................................................................................................6 Chapter Page 1 INTRODUCTON ............................................................................................7 Background .....................................................................................................7 The Political Environment ..................................................................7 South Korea’s English Proficiency ................................................... 11 Statement of the Problem ..............................................................................12 Purpose of Research ......................................................................................13 Overview .......................................................................................................14 Definition of Terms .......................................................................................15 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................21 Teaching English as a Foreign Language .....................................................21 Adult Education ............................................................................................22 Adult Educator’ Views on Ways of Teaching and Learning .............23 Early 20th Century ................................................................23 Mid-late 20th Century ...........................................................25 Late 20th Century-Early 21st Century ..................................28 Critical Reflection in Adult Education ..............................................31 Race and Culture ...................................................................31 The Bureaucratic Corporatization of Education ...................32 Critical Theory ..............................................................................................34 Critical Theory in Adult Education ...............................................................35 Issues of Cultural Sensitivity in EFL ............................................................38 Critical Reflection in EFL .................................................................38 Conclusions Drawn From Adult Educations, Critical Theory, and Critical EFL Literature ..................................................................................43 4 Chapter Page 3 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY ...............................................................44 Goals of the Study and Research Questions .................................................44 Research Methodology .................................................................................45 Data Collection Methods ..............................................................................46 Validity and Trustworthiness.............................................................46 Interviews ..........................................................................................46 Autobiographical Reflections ...........................................................51 Ethics.............................................................................................................51 Data Analysis ................................................................................................52 Delimitations and Limitations .......................................................................54 The Researcher: A Narrative .........................................................................54 Cultural Sensitivity ...........................................................................54 Teaching English as a Business Endeavor and Panacea ...................56 The Role of L1 ..................................................................................57 The Participants ............................................................................................59 Josh ...................................................................................................59 Stan ...................................................................................................60 Sibylle ...............................................................................................61 Ivan ...................................................................................................62 Mark ..................................................................................................63 4 FINDINGS ....................................................................................................67 Credentials Required to Teach English in South Korea ................................67 Importance of Qualifications and Experience ...................................68 Discrimination and Preference for a White Anglo Instructor ...........70 Lack of Basic Competence / Respect for a Teacher’s Responsibilities ........71 Hegemony of the EFL Industry ....................................................................73 Teaching as a Technical Enterprise ...................................................74 Teaching as a Response to Needs .....................................................75 Teaching as an Exercise in Praxis .....................................................76 English as a Mandatory Requirement ...........................................................78 Lack of Student Motivation to Cultivate Fluency.............................78 Low Value Attributed to Expatriate Instructors ................................79 Precedence of the Interests of Business and Government ................81 5 Chapter Page 5 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS .....................................................................84 Instructor Qualifications ...............................................................................84 Unqualified Expatriates Setting a Low Standard ..........................................85 Overwhelming Sense of Fraud......................................................................87 Cultural Insensitivity .....................................................................................89 Instructors Unfit for Employment in Their Native Countries .......................90 Awareness of Hegemony ..............................................................................93 The Impact of Institutionally-Mandated Requirements ................................95