최근 영어교육 분야의 연구방법, 연구성향 및 연구주제의 국제적 비교분석

A comparative analysis of research studies in the TEFL journals: Focusing on research methodology, orientation, and topic

  This paper investigates research methodology, research orientation, and research topic in research studies in the TEFL journals in an effort to project the future directions of TEFL research in Korea. For the study, research articles recently published in English Teaching, The Journal of Asia TEFL and TESOL Quarterly are analyzed in terms of research methodology, orientation and topic. The comparative analysis reveals that research studies in Korea are more quantitative and less qualitative than those in Asia and the world, and in particular the studies in Korea and Asia are less ethnographic and narrative. The analysis also reveals that TEFL studies in Korea and Asia are overdominantly descriptive, much less interpretive and ideological, and that there are some research topics which are less considered in the studies in Korea and Asia. On the basis of the analysis, the future directions for TEFL research in Korea are suggested.