북한 이탈 초등학생의 국어 능력 진단 평가 분석

Abstract

The objective of this study is to understand the focus of Korean language education provided to North Korean defector students attending elementary schools in South Korea; for this purpose, two rounds of language assessments were conducted on the students. A total of 53 South Korean elementary students and 57 young North Korean defectors participated in the first assessment. The North Korean elementary students’ scores varied depending on the subject area; however, overall, their scores were lower than those of South Korean students. When the items with low scores in the first assessment were reevaluated in the second one, students showed mild improvements on some items; however, the scores of some other items were actually lower than those at of the first assessment. This is a reflection of the North Korean students’ inadequate knowledge of grammar and vocabulary, as well as inferior literary interpretation and critical and inferential thinking skills, which result from various factors, including shortcomings in the education provided to these students, differences in educational curricula and evaluation items between North and South Korean educational systems, and the differential development among students of the complex thinking processes involved in problem-solving. Furthermore, despite the fact that they were Korean natives, North Korean students lacked adequate knowledge of the language etiquettes and norms that are followed in different situations. Therefore, we suggest the following educational measures to promote the quantitative and qualitative improvement of Korean language skills among North Korean defector elementary school students. First, the education provided to these students should aim at improving their vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, critical and creative thinking, pragmatic language, and literary competence. Second, various learning strategies should be applied to help the defector students perform self-directed learning, which would improve their learning skills and motivation to study. Third, educational goals should be focused on improving Korean language thinking skills and language cultures instead of merely concentrating on Korean language skills alone to promote academic achievement.