Beliefs and perceptions of DPRK teachers of English towards CLT instruction and factors that influence program implementation

2012-04-12Similar to its neighboring countries of China, South Korea, and Japan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) (also known as North Korea) has made English a compulsory subject for middle school to university level students, and teacher training programs based on the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach have also been implemented. This mixed-methods study was conducted at the Pyongyang Computer English Refreshing Center, a program where ""native"" English speaking teacher educators provide professional development to DPRK teachers of English using curriculum based on the CLT approach. The aims of this study were to understand the DPRK teacher-participants' beliefs and perceptions towards the CLT approach and to explore the contextual factors (social, historical, cultural) that influence program outcomes