Korean Language Teachers’ Emotional Struggles and Language Policy Interpretations

The recent trend of the internationalization of higher education has increased the significance of English as a medium of instruction and communication on campus in non-English speaking countries. Within this context, this study explores Korean language teachers’ vulnerability over their foreign language competency, particularly English, revealed in their narratives about the Korean-only policy in the classroom. Analysis of interviews of twelve teachers of Korean as a second language (KSL) demonstrates their divergent ways of interpreting and implementing the policy according to their foreign language competency and relevant emotional vulnerability. KSL teachers with other language skills tended to challenge the monolingual policy by utilizing their bilingual skills and experiences as resources for their teaching. Monolingual KSL teachers interpreted the Korean-only policy narrowly to support a monolingual immersion approach as a way to secure their teacher authority. Regardless of their policy interpretation, however, most teachers experienced various levels of anxiety concerning their perceived lack of adequate English proficiency even in the Korean-only classrooms. The results suggest how second language teachers struggle to maintain legitimacy and authority against the hegemony of English in non-English second language contexts, providing implications for the language teacher education.