From Korea to Cowichan: a Korean perspective on English language learning in Duncan

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to gain a better understanding of what opportunities for successful learning and socialization that young South Korean ELLs encountered at X Elementary School in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, BC. In order to achieve this aim, the author of the current study set out to determine the students’ perceptions of various factors that could influence their immersion experience in Canada. The questionnaires created for this study were gathered from seven South Korean ELLs in Grades 47, all of whom were residing in the Cowichan Valley and attending X Elementary School at the time of the study. The study found that the young South Korean ELLs enjoyed being at X Elementary School and felt confident about about their English abilities, but were unhappy about studying certain subjects at school as well as being displeased by certain dynamics within the Canadian homestay placement. The data from the survey showed that areas of social dynamics and food considerations were of vital importance to the happiness and success of the immersion experience for young South Korean ELLs at X Elementary School.