영어사교육 결정 요인

Abstract

A Study on the Potential Determinants of Private English Coaching: Perceptions of Parents, Students, Teachers, and Private-sector Specialists

Mi-sook Nam

Department of English Language and Literature Graduate School Pukyong National University

Abstract

In Korean society, English ability is perceived as an important means of moving upward in a social stratum. Even though English is taught in elementary school, a large majority of parents enroll their children in all types of private English coaching. In an attempt to help policy-makers explore ways to curb the spread of private coaching and solve the problems of educational inequity, this study examined the perceptions of parents, elementary school children, elementary school teachers, and private-sector specialists and the potential determinants of private English coaching for elementary school children. The research questions of this study were as follows: 1) What perceptions do parents have regarding preschool private English coaching for their children, and what are the possible determinants of preschool private coaching? 2) How do parents perceive private English coaching for their elementary school children, and what are the possible determinants of private coaching after elementary school admission? 3) What are the perceptions of elementary school students, elementary school teachers, and private-sector specialists regarding the determinants of private English coaching? A total of 1,436 people participated in this study, including 811 parents who have children in third to sixth grades, 426 elementary school students in third to sixth grades who are receiving private English coaching, 102 elementary school teachers, and 97 private education sector specialists in the Busan area. Parents were selected to represent different social economic status ranging in Busan, too. All the participants were asked to respond to questionnaires intended to examine their perceptions on private English coaching. The questionnaires consisted of 121, 23, 36, and 36 items for parents, elementary school children, teachers, and private-sector specialists, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 12.0. Attempts were made to answer the research questions through frequency analyses, chi-square analyses, regression analyses, factor analyses, meta-analyses, independent-samples t-tests, Welch-Aspin t-tests, ANOVA’s, and mean comparisons. Statistical significance was set at .05. Major findings of the study were as follows. First, the extent of private English coaching depended on parents’ socio-economic status, and as a result an English ability gap is expected to exist among students from different social strata because of differences in the extent of private coaching experience. Second, 10 potential determinants of preschool private English coaching and 17 of private coaching after elementary school admission could be identified. Also, potential determinants of private coaching as perceived by students, teachers, and private-sector specialists could be identified and prioritized. The importance of English language education for children topped the list of potential determinants of private coaching. Parents wanted their children to receive private coaching which they think better English-learning environments and customized English programs suitable for their children’s English ability level. They hoped that their children would have a good command of English through private coaching. Third, the tendency to prefer private English coaching was shown partly attributable to the social climate where educational achievements strongly affect people’s future success. Since getting into special-purpose high schools or foreign language high schools and later entering to prestigious universities is considered evidence for the educational achievements, many parents were found to believe that their children should meet the qualifications for admission, one of which used to be a high proficiency of English. Public English language education was perceived by a large number of parents as not sufficient to develop their children’s English ability to the desired level. This distrust of public education appeared to lead to a worrisome increase in private English coaching among elementary school children. Finally, parents were shown to depend on private coaching, but at the same time, many of them said they would probably discontinue private coaching for their children if public-sector English language education could offer level-differentiated, quality instruction that matches that of the private sector. This has revealed that many parents' clear willingness to be set free from the burden of private coaching expenses. This also suggests that the problems of prevalent private coaching may be eased through the implementation of a good English program in the public sector. The findings of the study, especially those regarding the determinants of private coaching, have some important implications for policy-making. First, attempts should be made, at the national level, to incorporate some of private English coaching prior to the third grade into the public sector. Second, the national curriculum must be reconsidered and possibly reformed to meet the needs of the stakeholders including parents, students, and teachers. Third, the environment for English language education in elementary school should be urgently improved to help curb the growth of private coaching. Finally, the social climate should change so that English ability may be emphasized as a means of achieving global competitiveness, not as a means for entering prestigious schools. In this regard, the current student selection systems of prestigious high schools and universities may have to be revamped. It is hoped that the findings of this study will be useful in resolving the problems of private English coaching among elementary school students. It is also hoped that the widening English divide may be halted and eventually bridged.