언론사

English Study Status of Korean University Students with Native Professors

The CheongDae Times Editor-in-chief Jin-won Seo

From the high school to college, maybe until college graduation, we should continue English study in the future. In our university, English I, II, and III subjects are included as required liberal arts classes for the freshmen and sophomore. In addition, there are English elective liberal arts subjects such as TOEIC LC and RC. These subjects are very popular liberal arts lectures among the students.

The difference between elective and required liberal arts about English is that required liberal arts are taught by native-speaking professors. In English I, II, and III, classes are conducted students to practice in various areas of English like listening, writing, reading, and speaking. It is different from the entrance exam English class where you learn mainly grammar.

Have students been following these English classes well? How good are the current students' English skills? We interviewed Professor Cathy Hynes, who is teaching essential liberal arts English classes, to understand the students' actual English skills and problems.

First of all, let me introduce Professor Cathy Hynes. Professor Cathy Hynes came to our University. She is teaching English I, II, and III subjects. She likes coffee, animals, and bicycles. You can see Cathy Hynes professor at C-Staion cafe! We can know how she loves animals by her special activities. She said that she has been volunteering to help abandoned dogs which have been in shelters and in need of help find owners for over 15 years.

We asked some questions to professor Cathy Hynes. about our university students’ English study.

Q. What do you think about our university students’ English level?

A. Students seem to only focus on test scores, or skills related to the tests, and tend to ignore other aspects of language learning. Since speaking is not needed to pass the entrance exam many high school students stop practicing it and focus more on grammar and listening as it related to the exam. Therefore, I think many Cheongju University students are shy to speak and lack confidence in their listening and speaking skills. Usually as students get comfortable with their professors and classmates, I can see their confidence return. So it is not about their English level, it is about creating an environment where they feel comfortable to express themselves, and then I can see their actual English level! I have found writing is better than in the past and I feel that although it is not required for the university entrance exam student have studied and practice in academies.

Q. Are students doing well in your class? What is the good thing and bad thing about student’s studying style?

A. The majority of students in my classes are willing to participate and try various activities and projects. They quickly realize that language classes, or at least my class, requires their participation and is not a lecture. My goal is to improve their English communication skills. I think this is a change from regular high school classes where the focus is solely on grammar, translating and the test. At first students are a little uncomfortable and stressed as I only speak in English, but once they realize they can understand me and I can understand them I can see their confidence improve!

Q. Do you know about English education style teaching method in Korea? As an English professor, what do you think about the biggest problem of students’ English study?

A. The one issue I find is their overreliance on Papago and translators! This is quite frustrating as the material is not new or difficult and they can do it, but they don’t believe they can! This lack of confidence holds many students back! Another issue is the lack of vocabulary. It seems that Korean education is test focused and memorizing many words for a test is common, but students often can’t use these words in a real-life situation. Finally, proper pronunciation is not a focus in schools, instead the focus is on reading and grammar. This is a huge issue as students need to be able to communicate in English if they wish to attend conferences, tradeshows, etc in the future.

Q. What should students do to improve their English skills?

A. English is a skill, and all skills need practice to improve. Many students confuse test scores with skill level. Getting a driver’s license means you passed the test, but you do not become a good driver without practice. Learning languages is the same, it requires practice!
Watching movies or Netflix shows, first with Korean subtitles to understand the content and then watch again with English subtitles to understand how English is used can be very helpful. Watching animation or kid’s programs can also be helpful as it uses simple expressions and avoids idioms and slang. Also, reading books in English. Choosing a genre that interests you is important.
There is no reason to start with the classics or some highly recommended book from the bestseller list. There are a lot of Young Adult books that are easy to understand and will help improve both vocabulary, sentence structure and how words are used.

Q. If you have some advice and opinion to Cheong-Ju university students’ English study, describe it please.

A. There are many English classes and programs offered at Cheongju University that focus on speaking these classes are a great opportunity to practice English in a fun environment. There are also various meetups and language exchange groups that students can find in their city. These are a great opportunity to meet new people and practice their language skills. The most important thing is for students to brave and try to use English outside of the classroom.

▲ Image credit : Pixabay

Professor Cathy Hynes said 'lack of confidence' as the most important problem in students' English study. She pointed out that the problem of English education in Korea is due to the lack of practice of English communication skill. Because Korea’s English education is focused on grammar and reading for entrance test. I think this penetrates the problems of English study of our university students and the problems of English education in Korea.

Students have studied English for entrance examinations and employment. But you have to remember that English is also a language. Communicating with people in English will allow us to have more experiences in a wider society. Readers of this article should check their English methods and start studying English for communication.