Five Years of Teaching English Through English: Responses from Teachers and Prospects for Learners

Abstract

It has been more than 5 years since the TETE policy came into effect. Now is the time to assess the effectiveness of the policy, particularly from the teachers’ point of view. This study aims to identify Korean teachers’ responses to the TETE policy through written survey questionnaires. Their perspectives were analyzed with reference to the type of school they work for, the amount of teaching experience they have, and the frequency with which they use English. The findings indicate that most of the teachers perceived TETE as different from simply using English for classroom management purposes. Their definition of TETE included either mostly or only English for all instructional purposes. Teacher anxiety associated with classroom teaching was notable although the teachers did not seem very anxious about interacting with their students in English. They seemed to believe in the benefits of TETE for both teachers and students. These perceptions were, however, found to be significantly different according to school level, teaching experience, and the frequency of English use. The implications of the findings are discussed and some useful strategies for TETE are suggested.