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The teaching and learning of English at secondary school level in South Korea: The curriculum and its implementation A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Waikato by OH, KYOUNGJA ________ University of Waikato 2016 Abstract This thesis explores the professional attitudes and practices of a sample of teachers of English in South Korean secondary schools in the context of a focus point-based analysis of the South Korean national curriculum and a sample of widely used textbooks. There has been widespread criticism of the teaching of English in South Korea since the curriculum reforms that were first manifested in the 6th national curriculum. That curriculum, later superseded by the 7th national curriculum and a number of curriculum amendments, was the first major attempt to respond on a national level to the impact of globalisation and, in particular, to the rapidly increasing use throughout the world of English as a lingua franca. At the core of the research reported here is language teacher cognition. The backgrounds, beliefs, attitudes and professional practices of a sample of Korean teachers of English in secondary schools are explored using a mixed methods approach that combines questionnaire-based surveys and semi-structured interviews with classroom observation. Surrounding and contextualising this aspect of the research is analysis of the 7th South Korean national curriculum as it relates to English and a sample of English language textbooks used in South Korean secondary schools. Problems associated with the teaching and learning of English in South Korean schools have been widely attributed to three main factors - teachers‘ lack of an adequate level of oral proficiency in English, the fact that the national examination system is inconsistent with the general direction of teaching reforms, and student resistance to communicatively-orientated teaching. The findings of this research project suggest that although these issues are very real ones, there are other issues which are of equal or greater significance but which have been the subject of very little criticism. The first of these is the nature of the national curriculum itself. Close analysis of the 7th national curriculum documentation uncovered a number of critical issues associated with the authors‘ interpretation of some of the literature in the area of communicatively-orientated language teaching -i- along with a number of internal inconsistencies. These things, taken together, were found to result in an overall lack of transparency and coherence. The second problem identified relates to the nature of the textbooks which are made available to teachers. The authors of the textbooks analysed as part of this research project had clearly attempted to be as faithful as possible to the curriculum, selecting much of their content directly from lists of decontextualised phrases and sentences that appear in appendices to the curriculum document and providing, in teachers‘ guides, actual lesson scripts in English which are, in some cases, accompanied by anticipated student utterances (which are uncannily correct and/ or appropriate). In view of all of this, it was not surprising to find that many of the teachers who took part in this research project indicated that they were struggling to cope with what they believed was expected of them. What was surprising was the nature of the language lessons that were analysed. It is widely claimed that grammar translation is still practised in parts of Asia, including South Korea. However, grammar translation was not in evidence in these lessons. Nor were audio-lingual methodology or any of the various manifestations of communicative language teaching. Although each of the lessons was very different, what they shared was a sense of theatre in which the teachers, generally occupying centre stage, seemed concerned, above all, to demonstrate their own oral proficiency in English. The South Korean government has spent a vast amount of money in an attempt to resolve problems associated with the teaching and learning of English. Much of that money has been spent on providing in-service teacher training opportunities. However, unless the problems relating to the nature of the curriculum documentation itself are resolved, it seems unlikely that any of that expenditure will result in a significant change for the better. Key words: English language teaching in South Korean secondary schools; language teacher cognition; lesson observation; questionnaire-based surveys; semi-structured interviews; textbook analysis; South Korean English language textbooks; the South Korean national curriculum for English; the teaching and learning of English in South Korea -ii- Dedication This thesis is gratefully dedicated to my late loving father, Heungyoon Oh. He taught me and my siblings how we should live by showing us his attitude to the life. He was always upright and honest and also always had faith in human nature. He taught us the importance of communication and logic in overcoming complications. He gave me many opportunities to improve myself and was always unstinting in his support and praise. During his last month, in spite of his illness, he always had in mind the exact date I would visit him. His endless love will be felt forever. Acknowledgements I would like to begin by thanking the staff of the University of Waikato for giving me the opportunity to be a PhD candidate and for providing me with a University of Waikato International Doctoral Scholarship and a University of Waikato Doctoral Merit Award. I would also like to express my deepest appreciation to my chief supervisor, Dr. Diane Johnson. She has provided me throughout my time as a doctoral student with guidance, support and encouragement and a whole range of insightful comments and suggestions. She has also taught me by example a great deal about teaching, including the importance of leadership, thoroughness, enthusiasm, and a considerate and positive attitude towards others. I am deeply grateful also to my associate supervisor, Dr. Winifred Crombie. Without her support and encouragement, this thesis could not have materialised. She has provided me, even since her retirement, with thoughtful advice and a meticulous commentary on my work. All of the lessons I have learned from my supervisors will, I am sure, be a tremendous help in my future career. I owe a very significant debt of gratitude to Gwangju Educational Office in Korea for allowing me to take study leave and to all of those teachers of English in Korea who have participated in the research by taking time out of their busy schedules to complete questionnaires, take part in interviews and provide me with recorded lessons. Without their cooperation, this research project would have been impossible. Many thanks are also due to friends and former colleagues who have supported me in so many ways – by distributing questionnaires, seeking out lesson recordings for me to analyse and providing me with textbooks and teachers‘ guides that were otherwise not available to me. I would like to express special thanks for their support to my family in Korea, to my mother, sisters and a brother who have always encouraged and supported me. Lastly, my deepest appreciation goes to my children, Emma and Daniel, who have been a source of constant inspiration and delight during this long research journey. -iii- Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................... i Dedication ............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements .............................................................................................. iii Contents ............................................................................................................... iiv List of Tables ...................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures ..................................................................................................... xvi Chapter 1 .............................................................................................................. iv Introduction to the research................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction to English and English language education in South Korea .... 1 1.2 Personal motivation for the research ............................................................. 3 1.3 Research aims and research questions .......................................................... 6 1.4 Overview of the thesis .................................................................................