푸코 이론을 기반으로 한 영어시험의 권력담론 탐색

초록

This article examines English language testing from power discourse (Foucault, 1977), defining power in a manner similar to Shohamy (2001, 2006). According to Shohamy’s (2001) critical language testing, tests are often introduced by those in authority as disciplinary tools, often in covert ways for the purpose of manipulating educational systems and for imposing the agendas of those in authority. Literature review and students’ journal studies (Baily & Schsner, 1983; Nunan, 1989) were used to discover different powers (sovereign and disciplinary) situated in English language test administration and preparation in Korea. This study presents some results of reflection journals by college students, who were asked to write their personal test-taking history. The data eliciting fear, unfairness, and powerlessness among students can be categorized to identify different features of power of English language testing discussed in Foucault’s literature (1977, 1980, 1996). The results offer insights into how Foucaultian theory of power can explain the way Korean students prepare for English language tests.

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