Grounded Narrative Inquiry into Language Teacher Cognition: Stories and Case Studies on English Language Teaching in South Korea Ian Moodie A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand April, 2015 ABSTRACT This thesis contributes to the field of language teacher cognition (LTC) research by investigating LTC and development in South Korea (Korea, hereafter), where English is taught by non-native English speaking teachers (NNEST) as a mandatory foreign language in the national curriculum. English education in Korea is often described as a fever: Curricular reforms in the 1990s raised the stakes for learning English and challenged the status quo of teacher-centered instruction, but reforms were met with resistance from teachers, and Korea’s shadow English education industry has become a multi-billion dollar sector and a socioeconomic malady. Understanding LTC is important for understanding what language teachers do; however, LTC has received little attention from researchers in Korea and this thesis addresses the need for in-depth qualitative research with prolonged engagement and persistent observations. The aim of this exploratory thesis is to problematize key issues related to LTC and English language teacher development in Korea. The scope covers initial commitments to English language teaching (ELT), stated cognitions, observed practices, and the influences of experience on the cognitions and practices of Korean public school English teachers. The theoretical framework is defined as grounded narrative inquiry, an approach that combines narrative research and grounded theory methods. Critical incident (CI) theory and case study methods also influenced the design. The thesis comprises two studies. Study 1 was a background study using narrative frames to prompt four stories from 27 Korean English teacher participants regarding their (1) reasons for teaching English, (2) prior language learning experience, (3) pre-service education, and (4) first year teaching English. Narrative content was coded and categorized to uncover patterns and themes in participant stories. Findings from Study 1 influenced the design of Study 2, which consisted of four in-depth case studies, two with experienced primary school teachers and two with novice primary school teachers. Data collection occurred over 18 months and included reflective writing, CI logs, semi-structured interviews, and observations. This thesis contributes to the field in the following ways: 1. Using workplace commitment theory to discuss the issue of ELT turnover in Korean primary schools; ii 2. defining a professional knowledge base (PKB) that provided a context-sensitive, locally-appropriate framework for discussing ELT expertise; 3. discussing the stated influences of experience on LTC, including the anti-apprenticeship of observation; 4. mixed-methods analysis showing that experienced teachers were more aligned with curricular aims than were novice teachers, for example, regarding the communicativeness of lessons, teaching English through English, collaborative learning, and meaning- focused instruction; and 5. a CI model for interpreting LTC change with in-service teachers, grounded in the practice of teaching. The thesis findings question the status quo of second language teacher education (SLTE) in Korea by drawing attention to participant knowledge gaps regarding ELT methodology and second language acquisition (SLA). This research implies that a more situated view of learning to teach is necessary in Korea in order to increase the efficacy of SLTE. Recommendations for future studies include further research on ELT turnover in Korea, applying the PKB to materials development and to discussing locally effective practices, and looking for practical applications of the CI model for developing SLTE programs. Key words: language teacher cognition, narrative inquiry, professional knowledge base, non-native English speaking teachers, English in South Korea iii DEDICATION To Mirang Jun for reminding me why this is important AND To Wynn and Lou Moodie for your commitments to education iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am forever grateful to my primary supervisor Dr. Anne Feryok for her mentorship throughout the research process, beginning when I approached her with an ambitious idea years ago. She has consistently gone above and beyond my expectations for supervision, and I owe much to her guidance on this thesis and in my career beyond. I am thankful to my secondary supervisor Prof. Jae Jung Song for agreeing to supervise a topic outside the purview of his regular work in linguistics and for his clarity, critical eye, and prompt feedback. Thanks are also due to the University of Otago for generously funding this thesis. To my parents, Wynn and Lou Moodie, I would like to express my gratitude to you for supporting the life-long education of your children and your commitments to the field of education. Also, thanks for proofreading and offering comments, sometimes on very short notice. Professors Boyoung Kwon, Gitaek Ryoo, and Scott Miles deserve recognition for their support of my previous work in the English & TESOL Department at Daegu Haany University. I am grateful to Dr. Hyunjeong Nam for peer debriefing my interpretation of research published in Korean. Thanks are also due to Mira Jun for help finding literature from Korea, to Prof. Andrew Finch for his help recruiting participants, and to Sookhui Kim for her generosity. To all my friends and colleagues in our department, it was a pleasure to work with people of such diverse talents and backgrounds. In particular, I am thankful to Jo Oranje and Max Olsen for proofreading chapters and peer-debriefing the analysis, and to Jieun Lee for help translating and transcribing Korean text. Lastly, my greatest appreciation is reserved for my best friend and companion Mirang Jun, who was the inspiration for this thesis. Your support and encouragement were invaluable. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ ii DEDICATION .......................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................ v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................ xiii LIST OF APPENDICES ......................................................................................... xiv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xv A NOTE ON KOREAN LANGUAGE AND AUTHORSHIP .............................. xvi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 1 1.1 Background of the Problem ....................................................................... 1 1.2 Purpose of the Study, Research Questions, and Significance .................... 4 1.3 Research Approach and Rationale ............................................................. 5 1.4 Overview of Methodology ......................................................................... 6 1.5 Definition of Key Terms ............................................................................ 7 1.6 Organization of the Thesis ......................................................................... 8 1.6.1 Literature Review (Chapters 2-4) ....................................................... 8 1.6.2 Methodology (Chapter 5) .................................................................... 9 1.6.3 Findings (Chapters 6-8) ...................................................................... 9 1.6.4 Discussion (Chapter 9) ........................................................................ 9 1.6.5 Conclusion (Chapter 10) ................................................................... 10 1.7 Integration of Published Research ........................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ON ELT IN KOREA: HISTORICAL PRECEDENTS, CONTEMPORARY ISSUES, AND THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CONTEXT ....................................................................... 13 2.1 From Missions to Free Market: A Brief History of Education Policy and ELT in Korea ........................................................................................... 14 2.1.1 Early Roots: Missions (1883-1910) .................................................. 15 2.1.2 Japanese Colonization (1910-1945) .................................................. 15 2.1.3 The End of World War II: Korea Divides, US Intervenes in the South (1945-1950) ....................................................................................... 16 2.1.4 The Korean War (1950-1953) and Aftermath (1954-1960) ............. 17 2.1.5 Post-War Politics and Education Policy (1954-1960) ...................... 17 2.1.6 The Korean Miracle: Economics and education under dictatorship (1960s to 1980s) .......................................................................................... 18 2.1.7 Looking Outward: English Education Policy of the 1980s and 1990s 19 2.1.8 Curricular Reform in a Globalized World (1997-present) ................ 20 2.1.9 The Free Market English Frenzy ...................................................... 20 2.2 Korea’s English Fever and Current Issues