Sun Young (Sara) Park ITSF 4025 Final Research Project Language Dynamics in the ESL & EFL Environment of the Korean Communities Sun Young (Sara) Park ITSF 4025 Final Research Project

Defining Terms ESL English as a second language (learning English in a country where English is already the main or official language) EFL English as a foreign language (learning English in a country where English is not the main or official language) TESOL Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages

The Hype on English Education - Increasing enrollment in Hagwons (For-profit private cram schools) Increasing number of students studying abroad Increasing number of immigrant families to English-speaking countries Proposal of English immersion programs in Public schools

Hagwons (over 3000 in operation as of 2002) Numbers from the Ministry of Finance

How much Korean families have spent on English education overseas 45.2% Undergrad 38.4% Grad 7.2% Other 9.2% OPT Numbers from the Ministry of Finance

Purpose of the Study To survey Korean mothers’ attitudes on the mother tongue Korean and English, the power language

ESL environment. Surveying 8 Korean mothers with children in the New York public elementary schools (Surveys were conducted in Korean.)

1. How important is it that your children speak Korean? Very important – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – Not important Your reason: 2. How important is it that your children speak English? 3. How important is it that your children can read and write in Korean? 4. How important is it that your children can read and write in English? 5. How is your child learning Korean? What about English? 6. What are your plans to help your child(ren) maintain Korean?

Summary of Findings. Korean mothers have high expectations for their Korean-American children to be proficient bilinguals. Importance of learning Korean is tied to personal identity and importance of learning English is tied to success and assimilation into the society. There is a clear separation between Korean education happening at home and English education at school. There is a concern for maintaining the Korean language.

EFL environment. Surveying 6 Korean female TESOL graduates who are from/returning back to Korea

1. How important is it that your children speak Korean? Very important – 7 – 6 – 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – Not important Your reason: 2. How important is it that your children speak English? 3. How important is it that your children can read and write in Korean? 4. How important is it that your children can read and write in English? 5. What kind of plans do you have for your children’s English education? 6. What is your opinion on President Lee Myung Bak’s new proposal on the English immersion classrooms?

Summary of Findings Korean mothers-to-be in the EFL environment considered English proficiency to be less important compared to the ESL environment. Interestingly, the importance of English reading and writing ability were scored slightly higher than the importance of the speaking ability. This reflects the use of English in the Korean EFL environment; English not as a means of communication but a means of intelligence. Importance of learning Korean is tied to personal identity and importance of learning English is tied to success and moving upward in the society. Mothers don’t express any concern for Korean education. But it seems that greater access to English education is given to the more privileged upper-class families. And according to the survey responses, Korea seems not ready for an immersion program that may have a potential for a more equal opportunity for English education.