영어시험에 관한 담론 정치의 역사성 분석: 신자유주의와 평가국가의 논점으로부터

Abstract

Drawing from the genealogy work of Foucault (2011), this study analyzed the historical flow of discourse politics on high-stakes English language tests developed and administered in Korea. All the related JoongAng Ilbo newspaper articles, which appeared between 1993 and 2016, were collected. Foucault’s governmentality was then taken into account to trace the rationale and mandate behind the different discursive events of test implementation, by focusing on the exercise of power through the governing of the state and the governing of individuals. It was found that neoliberalism and evaluative state served as an (English language) testing policy mechanism over the recent decades, which pushed to replace a test with another test continuously. The chronology study of high-stakes English testing illustrated how the rationalization and legitimation of a particular political agenda of testing was inextricably related to process of knowledge (re)production and power struggles. It is expected that follow-up genealogy studies can demonstrate the close dependence of replacement-obsessed testing industry, market-managerial accountabilities, and the evaluative state.

Drawing from the genealogy work of Foucault (2011), this study analyzed the historical flow of discourse politics on high-stakes English language tests developed and administered in Korea. All the related JoongAng Ilbo newspaper articles, which appeared between 1993 and 2016, were collected. Foucault’s governmentality was then taken into account to trace the rationale and mandate behind the different discursive events of test implementation, by focusing on the exercise of power through the governing of the state and the governing of individuals. It was found that neoliberalism and evaluative state served as an (English language) testing policy mechanism over the recent decades, which pushed to replace a test with another test continuously. The chronology study of high-stakes English testing illustrated how the rationalization and legitimation of a particular political agenda of testing was inextricably related to process of knowledge (re)production and power struggles. It is expected that follow-up genealogy studies can demonstrate the close dependence of replacement-obsessed testing industry, market-managerial accountabilities, and the evaluative state.