우리나라 영어 사교육 현장에 내재된 영어 식민주의: 초등 어학원의 사례

초록

Globalization has compelled the English language to become the leading international language. The English language as a lingua franca enables people in the world to communicate in a common language. On the other hand, the spread of English aggravates the inequalities among various languages and cultures around the globe. The purpose of this study is to investigate the inherent colonialism existing in the perception of English education and the relationships among employees at a private elementary English language institute. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two administrators, two native English teachers, and two nonnative teachers. Findings are as follows. Various characteristics of colonialism were identified among the staff. In their perception of English education, they recognized English as a tool for survival in a competitive society. In addition, all participants were keenly aware of excessive tuition fees and the existence of preferences for Caucasians in the practice of recruiting and employing English teachers. The administrators’ discrimination and native supremacy intensified tensions among the employees. It was also revealed that native teachers had subjective superiority in their use of the English language and exercised cultural capital. These results imply that there is a critical need for English education to focus on inequalities related to English and education for World Englishes, and to reconceptualize the notion of considering appearance and heritage in relation to the recruitment of teachers.

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