Educational Gaps Revealed: Students Speak Out on Overseas English Experience vs. Domestic Education

ⓒ 장희주, 출처 ChosunMedia

 

Diverse Backgrounds in English Education and the Resulting Gaps

 

As English has become the world's lingua franca, teaching English has become a compulsory subject in most schools in the country. However, the way students learn English varies widely. Some students are directly educated abroad, while others learn at home through cram schools, tutoring, or rely on self-study. These differences in learning backgrounds are reflected in regular school classes.

 

However, the public education system cannot fully reflect students' diverse backgrounds and language proficiency. There is a language gap between students who have been educated abroad in a foreign language, such as English or Japanese, and those who have only been educated domestically. This gap significantly impacts class participation, speaking frequency, confidence, and learning attitudes, leading to educational in-equality issues.
 

Experiences of Students Educated Domestically

 

We interviewed two different types of students to understand their perspectives. First, we spoke with students who were educated in English within Korea without any study abroad experience, representing the majority of Korean students.

‘Private Education is effective in improving grades…However, there is lack of time to explore career paths’

 

“I have learned English in a private academy since I was eight years old. I went for an hour every week for about eight years." Student A, who is attending our school, has been exposed to private education from a relatively early period. At first, the learning started in the local academy, but since then, the proportion of students who join the private academies has increased with the advancement of middle and high school. She, who is still attending an academy, evaluates that private education has helped to improve grades.
"I was able to learn school classes in advance through prior learning, and during the exam period, the academy provided me with materials that fit the scope, so it was easy to manage my grades." However, she says that the method of private education was rather uniform. "Most of them were memorizing and solving problems over and over again." The greatest benefit that student A gained from repeated learning was 'efficient study method'. It is said that the ability to optimize processes, not just results, has been created.

‘Grade competition also affects relationships.’

 

Competition among students sometimes affects relationships. Student A conforms, "There were cases where grades affected feelings with friends." With everyone having to compete with each other, she was stressed by the comparison and competition with other friends and these feelings sometimes affected her relationship with friends.

 

'Referring to the structural limitations of domestic education'

 

Student A also expressed regret about the domestic education system. "As the curriculum itself focused on college entrance exams, it felt like a structure that induces private education. It's a pity that the focus is on studying for universities rather than growing diversity or creativity."
She added that private education did not directly limit her freedom of thinking or career choice, but "she did not have much time or space to try anything other than studying." She explained that she only explored interest through career programs within the school intermittently.

‘Career choice.’

 

Then, how did she decide her career path? Student A said that there were expectations and influences from people around her, but in the end, she made the choice herself. Rather than determining the direction, she seemed to feel that private education reduced the time she had to choose a little.
There have always been fears of failure, such as worries about test results and anxiety about college entrance exams, but those experiences are also part of what made her what she is now, she says.

 

Perspectives of Students Educated Abroad

 

Next, we interviewed a student who lived in the United Kingdom and the State of Kuwait for five years for comparison with the students interviewed earlier.

 

‘Academic level grouping improves focus'

 

‘I’ve lived and gone to school in the UK and Kuwait for the past five years,’ said the student. ‘In both of these countries, students are divided into classes by academic level, which makes it much easier for me to concentrate because I can take classes that are just right for my level.’ She believes this helps students learn better.

 

‘Open-ended questions and engaging lessons encourage thinking’

 

The difference that struck her most was the way the exams were administered. ‘Most of the exams are narrative instead of closed-ended questions, and I have to write my own answers, which makes me think more deeply and express my opinions.’ ‘The classes are more participatory, with lots of opportunities for discussion and opinions in class, which makes learning more interesting and helps me develop critical thinking skills,’ she said.

‘Differences from Korea: Memorising the right answers vs. valuing your own ideas’

 

‘In Korea, there is a lot of focus on memorising the right answers, whereas in the UK and Kuwait, teachers were more interested in hearing “what I think”,’ she says. ‘In Korea, the tests are very broad and you have to memorise a lot of material quickly, but in the UK and Kuwait, the tests are narrower and you can study a topic in depth, which makes studying much more enjoyable,’ she adds.

‘The practical benefits of learning English abroad’

 

When asked if learning English in the UK and Kuwait gave her an advantage over students who studied only in Korea, she said, ‘Definitely.’ ‘Living in English-speaking countries helped me improve my listening and speaking skills much faster,’ she explains. "In Korea, I studied mainly from textbooks, but abroad, I used English naturally in everyday conversations with my friends, so it became a “language” for me.

‘Communication-oriented classes boost confidence’

 

‘My classes abroad focused more on communication and expressing my thoughts than on   grammar and memorising words, so I was able to speak more confidently in real-life situations,’ she says on the difference in teaching methods. ‘That’s not to say that studying in Korea is useless, as it helps with basic grammar and exam preparation, but it’s hard to speak fluently if you don’t have enough conversation practice,’ she adds cautiously.

‘Current English skills and motivation’

 

When asked about her current English skills, she smiles and says, ‘I feel more confident when I participate in English discussions at school. I feel like I’m thinking in English straight from my head, not just translating from Korean to English.’ ‘Being exposed to an English environment every day has been the biggest stimulus for my improvement, which is something my friends who have only studied in Korea don’t have.’ she concludes.

 

Suggestions for Addressing Educational Gaps

 

From these two interviews, we can clearly see that students’ different educational backgrounds have a significant impact on their learning experiences and achievements. In particular, the gap between the educational experience abroad and the educational environment at home has a direct and indirect impact on students’ engagement, confidence, and attitudes towards learning. This deepens the problem of educational equity. To address these issues, there is an urgent need for personalised education policies that go beyond simple curriculum improvements and reflect the diverse backgrounds and needs of students. Expanding specialised support programmes for multicultural and multilingual students and strengthening communicative and real-life English language teaching can be a good solution. We also need to introduce different teaching and assessment methods, such as differentiated classrooms and assessments, to create an environment where all students can reach their full potential. When these efforts are combined, we can improve the quality of education and make it more equitable at the same time. Then our education system will be truly inclusive and innovative. Only an education that respects diversity and believes in the potential of each individual will be able to develop the people who will lead our society in the future.

 

By Staff Reporter Lee Seoin (1-1)

Son Gaeun (1-5)

Kim Hayoon (2-1)