The Growing Popularity of English Education for Preschool Chi ...

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  • Title: The Growing Popularity of English Education for Preschool Children in South Korea: The Earlier, the Better?
  • Author(s): Lee Jin Choi
  • Publisher: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Collection: Common Ground Research Networks
  • Series: The Learner
  • Journal Title: The International Journal of Early Childhood Learning
  • Keywords: EFL, English Education, South Korea, Pre-K, Early Study Abroad, English-Medium Kindergarten, English Worksheet Programs, English Acquisition, Foreign Language Acquisition
  • Volume: 26
  • Issue: 2
  • Date: November 07, 2019
  • ISSN: 2327-7939 (Print)
  • ISSN: 2327-8722 (Online)
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.18848/2327-7939/CGP/v26i02/1-6
  • Citation: Choi, Lee Jin. 2019. "The Growing Popularity of English Education for Preschool Children in South Korea: The Earlier, the Better?." The International Journal of Early Childhood Learning 26 (2): 1-6. doi:10.18848/2327-7939/CGP/v26i02/1-6.
  • Extent: 6 pages

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Abstract

This article provides a survey of the current scholarship surrounding the phenomenon of pre-kindergarten and kindergarten English language instruction in east Asia. First, it describes the “the earlier, the better” myth motivating a large and growing private industry in English language education. Second, it surveys the three major kinds of programs making up the majority of this new private education market, with particular attention to South Korea. Third, it surveys the academic scholarship on the relationship between age and second-language acquisition. Based on this survey, the preschool English education industry is predicated not on science but on a popular myth, and in fact could be detrimental to young learners.