부산대학교 도서관

With the rapid globalization of the world, the importance of developing communicative competence in English has become an indispensable part of English education. Communicative approaches to second and foreign language teaching have been highly valued all over the world. Without exception, communicative approach has been a steady topic of discussion in the field of English education in Korea as well. Although previous research on the topic have already provided many implications to the field of primary English education in Korea, there still exists a strong need for a solid description of the problems and future implications in theoretical and practical aspects. The purpose of this study is to categorize and synthesize research on Primary English Education in Korea for the past ten years. Six characteristics of communicative approach most frequently discussed in studies related to primary English education in Korea were used as the standard of analysis. This study was also undertaken on the basis of who young learners are and what their distinct characteristics are in English as a Foreign Language (hereafter ‘EFL’) context. To this end, major Korean academic journals on English education were searched from 2005 to 2014, and a total of 204 studies were analyzed on the basis of the six characteristics of Communicative Language Teaching (hereafter ‘CLT’) which are most suitable for young learners in Korea. While the communicative approach is frequently discussed in the studies related to primary English education in Korea, there is, nevertheless, a need for further research that examines how accurately CLT is being reflected in them. The findings of this study confirm that 1) studies on listening and speaking were insufficient in quantity, 2) ‘affective factors’ was the most prioritized characteristic of the communicative approach in studies related to primary English education in Korea, 3) and ‘authenticity’ was the least discussed. This study suggests that balanced research on various characteristics of CLT is necessary for it to be effectively implemented in Korean classroom context. This would, in turn, contribute to the development of communicative proficiency in young learners. The study concludes with a summary of the findings and some directions for future research.