Hip-hop and English Education for Korean EFL Learners: An Investigation of Hip-hop English Content on YouTube

Jae-hyun Im (임재현)

Hip-hop and English Education for Korean EFL Learners: An Investigation of Hip-hop English Content on YouTube

Modern English Education
Abbr : MEESO
2022, 23(1), pp.15-27
Publisher : The Modern English Education Society
Research Area : Humanities > English Language and Literature > English Language Teaching
Received : September 10, 2021
Accepted : February 4, 2022
Published : February 28, 2022

Jae-hyun Im ¹

¹Indiana University at Bloomington

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The majority of English as Foreign Language (EFL) practitioners think hip-hop and English education in South Korea are incompatible, partly due to the lack of academic discussion about the use of hip-hop for EFL education. This paper examines how hip-hop is utilized in online discourse to teach Korean learners English. This study’s findings showcase that hip-hop provides Korean EFL learners with unique opportunities to learn the English language and culture in an original way that may look different from the public English education method. In terms of language, hip-hop content is used to teach hip-hop community vocabulary, localized English, the translanguaging of vocabulary pronunciation, English expressions in certain contexts, and rap poeticism via rhyming. Regarding culture, hip-hop content is used to explain the tension between Asians and Black Americans in the US, and provides an Asian woman’s narrative of Black culture. The findings suggest that hip-hop benefits Korean EFL learners in many ways. There is a strong need for more in-depth research on the best ways to utilize hip-hop for Korean EFL curriculum and to provide practical guidelines to practitioners.

KEYWORDS

Hip-hop, EFL, YouTube

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

[book] Ahn, Hyejeong / 2017 / Attitudes to World Englishes: Implications for teaching English in South Korea / Routledge

[journal] Ahn, Yoo Young / 2020 / An examination of translingual practices on a mobile application / International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education 1 : 54~72

[journal] Alexander-Smith, A. C. / 2004 / Feeling the rhythm of the crucially conscious mind / English Journal 93(3) : 58~63

[journal] Alim, H. S. / 2007 / Critical hip-hop language pedagogies: Combat, consciousness, and the cultural politics of communication / Journal of Language, Identity, and Education 6(2) : 161~176

[book] Alim, H. S. / 2009 / Global linguistic flows: Hip Hop cultures, youth identities, and the politics of language / Routledge

[journal] Atkinson, D. / 1997 / A critical approach to critical thinking in TESOL / TESOL Quarterly 31(1) : 71~94

[book] Avery, P. / 1992 / Teaching American English pronunciation / Oxford University Press

[journal] Baik, M / 2001 / English in animated movies: The shaping of prejudices through education / STEM Journal 2(2) : 27~44

[journal] Barrett, C. / 2013 / (Re) Imagining TESOL through critical hip hop literacy / The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy 4(3) : 100~115

[book] Baugh, J. / 1999 / Out of the mouths of slaves: African American language and educational malpractice / University of Texas Press

[journal] Bazalgette, C. / 2013 / Buckingham, D. (2013). Literacy, media and multimodality: A critical response / Literacy 47(2) : 95~102

[journal] Belle, C. / 2016 / Don’t believe the hype: Hip‐hop literacies and English education / Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 60(3) : 287~294

[book] Bradley, A. / 2017 / Book of rhymes: The poetics of hip hop / Civitas Books

[book] Canagarajah, S. / 2013 / Translingual practice: Global Englishes and cosmopolitan relations / Routledge

[book] Chang, J. / 2005 / Can’t stop won’t stop: A history of the hiphop generation / St. Martin’s Press

[journal] Charles, Q. D. / 2019 / Black teachers of English in South Korea: Constructing identities as a native English speaker and English language teaching professional / TESOL Journal 10(4) : e478~

[journal] 최성희 / 2013 / Poetics of Rap: A Crossroad in the Culture War / 영미문학교육 / 한국영미문학교육학회 17(2) : 177~209

[journal] Darvin, R. / 2015 / Identity and a model of investment in applied linguistics / Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 35 : 36~56

[journal] Duff, P. A. / 1997 / The negotiation of teachers’ sociocultural identities and practices in postsecondary EFL classrooms / TESOL Quarterly 31(3) : 451~486

[journal] Farrell, T. S. C. / 2011 / Exploring the professional role identities of experienced ESL teachers through reflective practice / System 39(1) : 54~62

[book] Fowler, R. / 1996 / Linguistic criticism / Oxford University Press

[journal] Gee, J. P. / 2017 / Affinity spaces and 21st century learning / Education Technology 57(2) : 27~31

[book] Gee, J. P. / 2018 / Introducing discourse analysis: From grammar to society / Routledge

[journal] Grewal, S. H. / 2020 / Hip Hop and the University: The Epistemologies of “Street Knowledge” and “Book Knowledge” / Journal of Popular Music Studies 32(3) : 73~97

[journal] Hill, M. L. / 2006 / Using Jay-Z to reflect on post-9/11 race relations / English Journal 96(2) : 23~27

[journal] Holliday, A. / 1999 / Small cultures / Applied Linguistics 20(2) : 237~264

[thesis] Hwang, Tae-kwan / 2017 / Using hip-hop rhythm for the enhancement of English grammar of the 6th graders at primary school / 석사 / Chinju National University of Education

[journal] Im, Jae-hyun / 2020 / Korean hip hoppers’ identity negotiation in non-performative spoken discourse / Journal of World Popular Music 7(2) : 168~189

[journal] 임재현 / 2020 / Teaching a Part of American Culture Through Hip-Hop and African American Videos: A Media Content Analysis and Teaching Implications / 영상영어교육 / 영상영어교육학회 21(2) : 95~121

[confproc] Im, Jae-hyun / 2018 / English village? American village!: Critical discourse analysis of English villages in Korea / Paper presented at 2018 International Association for World Englishes Conference

[journal] 이보열 / 2011 / The Effects of Hip Hop Based Kindergarten English Instruction on Kindergarteners' Phonological Awareness and Interests / 영어교과교육 / 한국영어교과교육학회 10(1) : 145~168

[book] Kearse, R. / 2006 / Street talk: Da official guide to hip-hop & urban slanguage / Barricade Books Inc

[journal] Kelly, L. L. / 2020 / Listening differently: youth self-actualization through critical Hip Hop literacies / English Teaching : Practice and Critique 19(3) : 269~285

[journal] KIM KITAI / 2007 / Using Movies to Improve Awareness of African American Culture / 영상영어교육 / 영상영어교육학회 8(2) : 3~27

[journal] Lam, W. S. E. / 2000 / L2 literacy and the design of the self: A case study of a teenager writing on the Internet / TESOL Quarterly 34(3) : 457~482

[book] Lave, J. / 1991 / Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation / Cambridge University Press

[journal] 이도협 / 2020 / Hip-hop Identity in the Music Video <This Is America> / 문화와융합 / 한국문화융합학회 42(4) : 275~300

[journal] 이현구 / 2015 / Fostering Users of Intercultural English Language in the World Englishes Framework: What to Know / 영어어문교육 / 한국영어어문교육학회 21(3) : 115~132

[journal] Lee, Incho / 2011 / Teaching how to discriminate: Globalization, prejudice, and textbooks / Teacher Education Quarterly 38(1) : 47~63

[journal] Lee, J. S. / 2007 / I’m the illest fucka / English Today 23(2) : 54~60

[book] Lee, J. S. / 2010 / The languages of global hip-hop / Continuum : 139~161

[journal] Lee, J. S. / 2011 / Globalization of African American Vernacular English in popular culture: Blinglish in Korean hip hop / English World-Wide 32(1) : 1~23

[journal] Lee, Kang-Young / 2009 / Treating culture: What 11 high school EFL conversation textbooks in South Korea do / English Teaching : Practice & Critique 8(1) : 76~96

[journal] Lee, Kang-Young / 2012 / Teaching intercultural English learning/teaching in World Englishes: Some classroom activities in South Korea / English Teaching : Practice and Critique 11(4) : 190~205

[journal] 이강영 / 2013 / Another EIL: Teaching English as an Intercultural Language (EIcL) / 어학연구 / 언어교육원 49(2) : 291~310

[book] Lee, Mun Woo / 2015 / Early study-abroad and identities: Korean early study-abroad undergraduates / Springer

[journal] Li, Lan / 2005 / The growing prosperity of on-line dictionaries / English Today 21(3) : 16~21

[journal] Li, Wei / 2018 / Translanguaging as a practical theory of language / Applied Linguistics 39(1) : 9~30

[journal] Love, B. L. / 2015 / What is hip-hop-based education doing in nice fields such as early childhood and elementary education? / Urban Education 50(1) : 106~131

[book] Major, C. / 1994 / Juba to jive: A dictionary of African-American slang / Viking

[journal] Moll, L. C. / 1992 / Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms / Theory into Practice 31(2) : 132~141

[journal] Morrell, E. / 2002 / Promoting academic literacy with urban youth through engaging hip-hop culture / English Journal 91(6) : 88~92

[journal] New London Group / 1996 / A pedagogy of multiliteracies: Designing social futures / Harvard Educational Review 66 : 60~92

[web] Oh, Dae-seok / 2019 / Koreans spend average 23 hours a month on YouTube, up 38% on year / https://pulsenews.co.kr/view.php?-year=2019&no=720158

[journal] Park, Jinny / 2020 / Rhyming techniques and identity in Korean hip hop / Journal of World Popular Music 7(2) : 145~167

[journal] Park, Jonghyun / 2016 / Rap as Korean rhyme: Local enregisterment of the foreign / Linguistic Anthropology 26(3) : 278~293

[book] Paulus, T. M. / 2021 / Doing qualitative research in a digital world / Sage

[journal] Pennycook, A. / 1999 / Introduction: Critical approaches to TESOL / TESOL Quarterly 33(3) : 329~348

[book] Pennycook, A. / 2021 / Critical applied linguistics: A critical reintroduction / Routledge

[journal] Petchauer, E. / 2009 / Framing and reviewing hip-hop educational research / Review of Educational Research 79(2) : 946~978

[journal] Petchauer, E. / 2020 / “Oh boy, I ain’t playin’no games!”: Making sense with youth in the aural imaginary / English Teaching : Practice & Critique 19(3) : 365~379

[journal] Rickert, W. E. / 1978 / Rhyme terms / Style 12(1) : 35~46

[journal] Ruecker, T. / 2015 / White native English speakers needed: The rhetorical construction of privilege in online teacher recruitment spaces / TESOL Quarterly 49(4) : 733~756

[book] Shor, I. / 1980 / Critical teaching and everyday life / South End Press

[book] Smith, M. / 2020 / Rhymes in the Flow: How Rappers Flip the Beat / University of Michigan Press

[journal] Song, Heejin / 2013 / Deconstruction of cultural dominance in Korean EFL textbooks / Intercultural Education 24(4) : 382~390

[book] Song, Myoung-Sun / 2019 / Hanguk Hip Hop: Global rap in South Korea / Palgrave Macmillan

[book] Stoker, J. / 2015 / Slant rhyme / Xlibris

[book] Storey, J. / 2015 / Cultural theory and popular culture: An introduction / Routledge

[journal] Stovall, D. / 2006 / We can relate: Hip-hop culture, critical pedagogy, and the secondary classroom / Urban Education 41(6) : 585~602

[book] Street, B. / 1993 / Language and culture / Multilingual Matters : 23~43

[book] Tomalin, B. / 1993 / Cultural Awareness / Oxford University Press

[book] Wenger, E. / 1998 / Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity / Cambridge University Press

[book] Westbrook, A. / 2002 / Hip hoptionary: The dictionary of hip hop terminology / Broadway Books

KJCKorea
Journal Central

Modern English Education 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 1.55