English education in a neoliberal era: Its history and implications for educational equity

Choi Tae Hee focuses on the most recent developments in relation to education fever, focusing on the neoliberal era, using English education as a case. She will present a historic overview of neoliberalism around English education as reflected in related policies and initiatives, from the introduction of the neoliberal discourse into English education to a recent movement aiming to reflect an alternative, counter‐discourse. She also analyses how different initiatives reflecting diverse degrees of neoliberal ideals have created or mitigated English fever, and hypothetical implications they have had or may have on life chances of students from less affluent backgrounds. She will depict a rather complex landscape in this endeavour, trying to capture the lived experiences of both the majority and outliers within these socio‐economically marginalised students. The discussion will draw on policy documents, media reports, and data from a multi‐case study. The findings will highlight the important role played by the global and local contexts, which are going through continuous changes, in shaping and reshaping the meaning and impact of the policy initiatives of and on the English fever, and explore whether Korean society is now ready to outgrow it. Copyright © 2018 ISCHE 40.