초등영어 정책 개선을 위한 기초학력 연구

A study of foundational English literacy for policy reform in Korean elementary education

This study investigates whether basic English literacy is adequately ensured in Korean elementary education and explores the causes of English learning underachievement. It first defines measurable components of basic L2 literacy, including recognition of letters, phonics, and sight words, and CEFR A2-level reading skills using approximately 800 essential words. By comparing previous study results and global references, such as CEFR, a gap of 132 instructional hours was identified in the current elementary school English class for students to reach CEFR A2-level proficiency. The findings show that the 2022 revised elementary English curriculum does not sufficiently guarantee basic English competency. Furthermore, according to an English literacy test conducted with 416 middle school students, one-fourth of the participants failed to meet achievement standards, demonstrating learning difficulties caused by a lack of prerequisite skills, particularly, phonological recognition of words. The study concludes that current goals are unrealistic within existing timeframes and insufficient elementary learning leads to continued underachievement in middle school. Starting public English education from Grade 1 is suggested to secure necessary learning time.