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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 24, No. 0, pp.836-851
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2024
Received 04 Jul 2024 Revised 12 Aug 2024 Accepted 20 Aug 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.24..202408.836

Issues of EPIK (English Program in Korea) and Suggestions for the Enhanced Implementation

Joonwon Lee
Lecturer, Department of English Education Konkuk University 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu Seoul, Korea, Tel: +821022787743 akajunee@gmail.com


© 2024 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

As a response to the globalization, the Korean government has tried to improve Korean students’ English proficiency by recruiting native English speaking teachers (NEST) through English Program in Korea (EPIK). Although EPIK has been influential, there also has been issues which hinder its effective implementation. Two of the issues often pointed out are about the nationality policy and the qualification of NESTs hired through EPIK. With this background, this study investigated the current nationality status of EPIK teachers which reflects the nationality issue. Also, this study tried to investigate possible solutions for the issues by comparing EPIK with the NEST programs of Japan and Hong Kong. The data gathered revealed that EPIK teachers are mostly from only a few countries, which hinder Korean students from being exposed to diverse English varieties. In addition, comparing the three NEST programs, this study suggested that EPIK should expand the eligible countries for EPIK to expose Korean students to diverse English varieties and should request higher qualification criteria to its effective implementation.

Keywords:

EPIK, English Program in Korea, JET, NET, world Englishes, EIL

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