Most of parents want children study English from kindergarten or earlier that, so children study English in school and private institute after school. Children are very stressful to learn English, they spend many times and efforts by individually.
Now we need English learning programs appropriate for the Korea English educational system. EIP is an approach to foreign language instruction in EFL, an immersion program could be a solution for the Korean situation. So this research will consider EIP and the examples of EIP in other countries and elementary school conducting EIP in Seoul to find out an appropriate model to apply to Korean education system.
What are the research questions of English Immersion Programs?
1. What is the immersion?
2. What are strengths and weaknesses of English Immersion Programs?
3. How was English Immersion Programs applied to EFL(in other countries and Seoul)
4. What are some concerns about the implementation of English immersion programs in Korea and how can we accomplish effective implementation?
What is the Immersion?
1) Theoretical background
Immersion is a form of bilingual education in which students who speak the language of the majority of the population receive part of their instruction through the medium of a second language and part through their first language. Both the second language and first language are used to teach regular school subjects, such as Mathematics, science, or physical education, in addition to languages concurrently or during the same academic year. Different subjects are taught through the medium of each language. Generally speaking, at least 50% of instruction during a given academic year must be provided through the second language for the programme to be regarded as immersion. Programmes in which one subject and language arts are taught through the second language are identified as enriched second language programmes. (Genesee:1987)
In an Immersion program, students learn content through the target language, in a minimum of 50% of their classes. This provides them with the chance to experience the culture of other countries. There are some results that students achieve high level proficiency in both mother language and target language.
Why are English Immersion Programs concerned? It is possible to achieve 4 skills (Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing)of English, to master other content and understand other cultures. Because students learn English subject as well as other subject in English; immersion is most intensive form of content-based English.
2) Types of Immersion Program
The types of English Immersion Programs are divided by 1) Early total immersion 2) Early partial Immersion 3) Delayed Immersion 4) Late immersion. Early total immersion has been the most popular in EFL. But these types are flexible, it depends on their special educational system.
Total Immersion means that 100% of their classes are taught in English, while Partial Immersion refers to programs which have varying degrees (between 50% and 100%) of the other subject taught in English. Early Immersion is initiated in the earliest grades of elementary school. Delayed Immersion is introduced in the latter grades of elementary school, and Late Immersion is started in secondary school.
The classes are not repetitive in nature, which means that they don’t learn the content in first language and again in second language. However, no type is absolutely preferable to others. It depends on a variety of different factors culturally or economically related to each country or each school.
What are strengths and weaknesses of English Immersion Programs?A little quantity of students may benefit from the immersion program. Because it focuses on sociocultural aspects of language learning. A well-implemented maintenance immersion program provides non-English speaking with an equal educational opportunity like English speaking.
Students may develop their academic language proficiency. As Cummins said, academic English is typically acquired over a period of five to seven years, and it is more comprehensible by using home language instruction. Substantial home language knowledge aids in understanding the second language. Learning to read in English at an early age is facilitated when a student has already acquired the phonemic structure of their home language.
Students receive substantial language support in their native language, they may ease into second language learning without too much pressure. Once the student can read in her native language, they can also learn to read in other language because literacy automatically transfers to other languages.
But immersion students tend to lack the social and accuracy language use which the native speakers. Also students increase language use after leaving school.
How were English Immersion Programs applied to EFL?
There are many countries to conduct Second Language Immersion, also many Asia countries are processing English Immersion Programs which are appropriate their culture and economy. It is important to study successful or fail examples in other countries, and find out how we can apply EIP in Korea with special circumstance and variable factors.
Canada (Quebec) is the birthplace of immersion education is Canada In 1965, a group of English-speaking parents succeeded in initiating an experimental immersion kindergarten for their students. Because in Quebec where the French-speaking majority were asserting their rights and taking more power in the political and economic fields, so they wanted their children to achieve a high level of French, as well as English. French Immersion has spread across the country; over 320,000 students in Canada are in some form of immersion program. Their French Immersion program includes that all students have the option of entering early immersion, middle immersion, or late immersion.
Katoh Gakuen is a private elementary school a city located in shizuoka Prefeture. Katho Gakuen is not a international school. It follows the Japanese Ministry of education, but in grades 1~3, all subjects except Japanese and Language Arts are taught in English (English : Japanese = 70:30). From 4 to 6 grades students are studying English, math, science, computer in English (English : Japanese = 50:50), especially Japanese, social studies, Art, Music, PE is taught in Japanese. Students have to use only English in immersion classroom and with immersion teachers. Katoh Gakune’s immersion is 16 years old, so it is still in the experimental stage. But until now, the program is successful so that students have good achievement other subject as well as English (refer to http://www.bi-lingual.com/)
3) Other countries
There are over 400 schools in 27 states that offer total, partial or two-way immersion programs in 11 different languages. And English immersion programs spread to Japan, China and Singapore, Hong kong, Malaysia, Korea, where English is not their first language. Each country has its own cultural, economic environment, Singapore has 3 languages and they need one public language, so English Immersion is very effective for that country. But the numbers of family that use English their daily life are increasing. Also English immersion is successful in Hong Kong, Now Beijing the number of 25 high school has launched a Bilingual Teaching program in the city.
Malaysia gave up English Immersion Programs in 2009. They have taught some subjects for six years but it has dragged down student’s performance and it is particularly unfair on children who are not proficient in the language.
4) Young Hoon Elementary school in Seoul 
Young Hoon Elementary school which is private school implemented English immersion in Korea. They have used early-partial immersion program. One class is divided into two sides, each taught by a Korean and a native speaker.
According to research, students enjoyed English and showed on signs of development of Korean language-sills. Students attentive and interested in teaching conducted in English, and they were open and receptive to native-speaker teachers. Thus the primary goal of the program-developing an interest in English and other cultures in an open and creative environment-was achieved.
What are some concerns about the implementation of English immersion programs in Korea and how can we accomplish effective implementations?
There are some concerns about the implementation of English immersion programs in Korea. First, how to cover all the students from kindergarten to secondary school. Second, when to begin English immersion programs. Third, a possible negative effect of immersion programs on children’s development of first language.
Then, how can we accomplish effective implementations to English immersion programs in Korea. First, native language skills should be protected and the equal value must be given to the development. Second, professional development teacher training is necessary. Korean English teachers need to be continuously trained for their English skills and native English teachers need to be trained in teaching as well as cultural factors and should continuously use English as a medium of teaching English and subject matters. Third, district administrators need to become more closely involved with the actual practice of education. There needs to be coordination between school levels and connections among schools, district administrators should emphasize the learning being achieved and must show their dedication to mission. In addition, at the district level, administrators need to provide the funding for more qualified teachers, for the translation of materials, for professions development and for innovation within the classroom. Fourth, parental involvement is crucial to the success of English immersion programs, because are resources, both to their children and to school personnel. They can act as communicators and more. fifth, materials of comparable quality to those used in the regular courses should be available to provide qualifying information in English as regular course. Sixth, newly modified textbook will be necessary. Newly modified textbook will be necessary in order to teach subject courses in English. The materials should be developed which relate the content of the English class functionally to other subjects in the curriculum, so that English is not taught as a self-contained subject in itself. In addition, these textbook should well reflect curriculum of education in regular Korean schools and ensure that the students in English immersion programs receives corresponding information as well as in Korean.
Conclusion
English immersion programs are very effective method to enhance the overall language development of elementary school students under the EFL environment in Korea. This research includes how other countries effectively apply English immersion programs to their education system. To attain visible effective results, students should be provide ample opportunities for using English not only in the classrooms, but also in specific social and cultural situations.
As research has repeatedly shown that a language is learned most effectively when it is tied to meaningful content and adoptable usage for students’ lives, our English education should not just reside in the language teaching in an English language classroom, but should be integrated in the rest of the curriculum. Therefore, it is necessary to provide more meaningful activities and natural input as much as possible during a schooling period, otherwise it is difficult to produce desirable results.
For example, Singaporeans need to use an official language so they use English not only in schools, but also in every place and Finnish have a lot of chances to listen and speak English in their lives through the media. That is, Singaporeans and Finnish can succeed in English immersion program because they are continuously exposed to the English using and speaking environment, so they can more easily acquire English ability than some other countries.
The most important thing for Korean students is to devise an appropriate English immersion programs and to apply it to specific Korean conditions.
As pointed out here, some concerns, such as children’s development of first language, native teachers’ teaching ability, Korean teachers’ English speaking ability, financial problems especially excessively imposed on parents and newly modified textbook, etc., about the implementation of English immersion programs are expected to be reduced or partially solved in the future.
Reference
Genesee, F.(1987), Learning through two languages : Studies of immersion and bilingual education, Cambridge, MA : Newbury House
Im, Hye-ryun (2007), A study on immersion Program Theory and its application to Korean Elementary school.
Minjung Joyce Kim(2005), Effectiveness of Bilingual Education Implications to English Education in Korea,
Masako Matsubara(1999), English Education in Japan
David deveau&Young-joo Bang(2004), Developing an Immersion Program in the Korean EFL Context, the modern English Education Soceity, 5(1), 206~235
Lee, Hae Kyoung(2007), Suggestion for the Implementation of Immersion Program, Modern Studies in English Language & Literature 51.4, 322~344
Robert J. Fouser(2000), A case Study o fan English Immersion Program in a South Korea Elementary School, 13th English Education in East Asia Research Group Seminar(Seinan Gakuin University, July 22, 2000)
http://www.bi-lingual.com%20%20(homapage/ of Katoh Gakuen)
Research shows that language students learn more effectively and retain more when they study frequently and for shorter periods of time than if they study infrequently for extended periods of time.In an immersion program, the second language is not the subject matter, but only a tool used to teach students how to become proficient in another language other than their own.Total immersion programs given to the students by theforeign language schools gives more exposure to the language to make them more proficient.
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