영어 학습의 사회문화적 의미와 영어교육에의 함의: 네 가지 사회학적 접근법

초록

This paper investigates the meaning of learning English in South Korea from four different sociological perspectives. Since 1882 when the Korea-US commercial treaty was ratified by Chosun and the U.S. government, English has consistently played the key role in upholding the life conditions of many Koreans. This paper first delves into the secular desire to live an affluent life by learning English in Korea. In addition, Korean students’ intense competitive motivation and instrumentality in learning English are explained in detail. Second, the present paper focuses on the potential role of learning English as a social insurance, which functions as a safety net for the future. An expanded meaning of English learning as ‘alter ego familism’ is also explained. Third, a clear conceptual distinction is made between high-quality, expensive private English education and medium-quality, inexpensive public (or in some cases private) English education; the latter case is termed as Kitsch English education. Lastly, the meaning of English learning as cultural capital is elaborated on with relevant previous sociological literature. Summary and specific implications for English education in Korea are also provided.

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