In the era of globalization, English has become an essential means of communication. Korea also recognizes English learning as an important part of education, and consistently emphasizes the importance of developing English communication skills. In EF...
In the era of globalization, English has become an essential means of communication. Korea also recognizes English learning as an important part of education, and consistently emphasizes the importance of developing English communication skills. In EFL(English as a Foreign Language) setting, the quality of English classes in schools is vital to students’acquisition in English. In order to improve the quality of these classes, research should be undertaken to analyze the ways in which those classes are actually conducted and textbooks are used in schools. However, previous research in forms of surveys or interviews cannot sufficiently identify how real lessons run exactly in classrooms. Therefore, further research is needed.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the actual implementation of English classes in both middle schools and high schools in Korea. This study is executed by recording one lesson of the textbook and conducting a survey of 16 English teachers, which consist of 6 middle school teachers and 10 high school teachers. First, this study investigated how teachers use textbooks by examining the language skills that teachers include and omit from the textbook for class use and the amount of time assigned to teach each language skill. Second, this study examined what method teachers employ to teach each language skill(listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation), and what teachers' perceptions of the quality of their classes are by utilizing questionnaires. By analyzing and comparing the results from middle school and high school, this study ultimately aims to identify the implementation of English classes in Korea and any potential problems. The results are as follows:
Firstly, most teachers included and omitted some parts of the textbooks. In middle school level, all teachers dealt with all major language skills(listening, speaking, reading, writing) in their classes, except for one teacher who omitted the writing part. On the other hand, all high teachers, except two of them, omitted all sections except reading.
Secondly, both middle school and high school teachers emphasized the reading part the most. In case of middle school, reading took up 30% of the total amount of teaching time, whereas grammar accounted for 20%, listening 17%, speaking 16%, vocabulary 13%, writing 4%, and pronunciation 1% of the time. As shown, almost every section was treated fairly equally, but writing and pronunciation were taught lightly. However, in case of high school, reading occupied80% of the total amount of teaching time, while vocabulary 8%, grammar 6%, listening 4%, and speaking 2%, in descending order. But nobody taught pronunciation.
Thirdly, the results of analyzing teaching method used for teaching each language skill in class showed that some types of methods are frequently used for each language skill. In the case of listening, both middle school and high school teachers used 'listening to CD-ROM and answering the questions' and 'translating listening script and explaining expressions in the text' methods. In the case of speaking, the methods of 'listening to CD-ROM and answering the questions' and 'role-play' were used most frequently. In addition to this, the methods of teaching reading, 'grammar translation method' and 'answering the questions' were used the most by both middle school and high school teachers. The other method that middle school teachers used the most for teaching writing were 'sentenced-based writing', 'filling in the blank', and 'listening to the example writing', but none of the high school teachers dealt with writing. On the other hand, both middle school and high school teachers mostly adopted the methods of 'explaining the rules', 'reading and translating sentences' and 'answering the questions' when teaching grammar. In the case of vocabulary, 'explaining the meaning and part of speech' method was used the most. In the case of pronunciation, only middle school teachers taught it and they used 'repeating after the sounds', 'reading sentences aloud', and ‘comparing to the other sounds' methods.
Fourthly, teachers could be classified into several types according to their teaching styles. In the case of middle school, teachers were divided into three groups: the teachers whose classes are based on communication-based using cooperative learning, the teachers whose classes are meaning-based, and the teachers whose classes are based on audio-lingual and grammar translation methods. In the case of high school, teachers were classified into two groups: the teachers whose classes are based on the teacher-centered grammar translation methods and the teachers whose classes are based on cooperative learning.
Finally, the results from the questionnaire are as follows. When asked for the reasons why teachers omitted some parts in the textbook, in case of middle school, teachers replied that it was due to the lack of class time and the difficulty level for students. In case of high school, teachers replied that the materials were not related to university entrance exam and class time was not enough. Most teachers acknowledged that the sections they included and omitted for teaching were consistent all the time, and it was desirable for them to omit some sections in textbooks when necessary.
According to responses by both middle and high school teachers, the most difficult part of teaching with textbooks was the lack of interesting and authentic activities from the books. In addition, at high school level, there was also gap between textbook activities and university entrance exam requirements. Moreover, teaching methods that middle school teachers used the most were cooperative learning and presentation, while high school teachers used lecture almost exclusively. Most importantly, most teachers talked in Korean, not English, when they taught. That was due to the difference in students' individual English level, and it was not the appropriate method for university entrance exam.
Based on the results of this study, the educational implications are as follows. First, teachers should be encouraged to deal with all components of English learning in their class as much as possible, even if they do not cover allparts of the textbook necessarily. Second, as opposed to grammar translation method, student-centered lessons should be emphasized, because this method allows students to participate actively in classes. Third, teachers need to introduce various teaching methods to suit each language skill as part of training programs. Fourth, the problems of current textbooks should be addressed when constructing new versions of textbooks. When creating a textbook, it is necessary to consider and correct any previous problems in the structure of the textbook. Fifth, as students exhibit different levels of English abilities, teachers should make an adequate effort in using suitable level of language input that can balance the needs of all students. Lastly, the importance of delivering lessons in English is highly recommended.
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