Communicative English for Chinese University Students in Korea

Abstract

The focus of my Portfolio is to create a Speaking Textbook for Chinese students who are studying English in Korean universities. The number of Chinese students studying in Korean Universities is steadily increasing. With the pressure to attend a good university, students in densely populated China compete fiercely to pass the Gaokao, the National University Exam. Many of those who do not succeed elect to study abroad, Korea being one of the preferred destinations. Even though these students will pursue their respective degree programs in Korean, all students enrolled are required to take mandatory English conversation classes. Recently, the English education system in Korean universities has started to value the importance of speaking skills for international communication purposes. University students are now expected to be able to know what to say, to whom, in what circumstances, and how to say it (Jeo, 2009, p.123-124). This differs from the past views of English teaching in which the Grammar- Translation method was the favored method for preparing for national university examinations (KSAT). This is similar to how China placed form over function for the preparation of the (Gaokao). As a result both Korean and Chinese students have similar EFL needs at the university level. As an English Instructor at a university for these first- year Chinese Freshmen students, there are many challenges in teaching these courses since most of the students have low motivation and they generally perform poorly throughout the semester. Since there is neither a set curriculum nor materials, it is my intention to create a fun and interesting communicative textbook that will catch students’ interest and motivate them to improve their communicative competence in English. I teach thirty five low intermediate students (according to the ACTFL proficiency scale) who are mixed gender and who take my conversation class once a week for two hours. This mandatory class lasts one semester, and they will receive two credits upon successful completion of this course. A needs analysis revealed that most of the students lack being able to use vocabulary in context. They also noted not having many opportunities to focus on speaking English since in China, accuracy is emphasized more than fluency (Jin, 2007, p.32). Also of note, despite being in Korea for over a year, most students lacked cultural information about Korea. Students expressed interest in wanting to learn about K- pop, soap operas, public transportation, shopping, and food. I use these areas of interest as topics for my textbook while providing a meaningful opportunity to learn about Korean culture through English.