Korean Foreign Language and Native Speaker Teachers

Korean Foreign Language and Native Speaker Teachers

  Many students learn English in Korea solely through listening and/or reading comprehension, little time is spent on the verbal production of the language. Hence, despite studying English since grade 7, proficient speakers of English in Korea are rare. (It is noted that as a result of South Korean educational reforms in recent years the study of English now begins from grade 3.) Firstly, this article examined some of the issues underlying the native/non-native speaker teacher dilemma. Next, background information regarding research data was detailed. Following this, exploration of student beliefs regarding classroom contributions of Korean foreign language teachers over native speakers and vise-versa was presented. Lastly, along with student suggestions for Korean foreign language teacher and native speaker teaching improvement, analysis and recommendations were made for the future of English language instruction in Korea.