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Problems for learners in South KoreaLearning another language is one of the most rewarding experiences one could ever have. Being able to communicate using a foreign language makes one feel empowered and moreover it opens the world for the individual. But these benefits do not come without challenges. In this article I shall discuss some of the problems learners face in South Korea. I would like to note the issue of english being a foreign language in a country where everyone speaks one language. In many cases, english is not used at all. Students at home, at work and at schools speak one language. This kind of setting presents a challenge for learners due to minimal exposure to english. This situation results to a point where the student?s developments take place at a very low rate. The other challenge that the learners face is when they have a teacher who has no interest in their needs. Sometimes the learners could be willing to learn but the presence of a teacher who does not have adequate knowledge or method to teach hinders their learning. The teacher may not have the patience and the passion for their work. The teacher may not be able to motivate and encourage the learners. The teacher may prepare lessons that may not be exciting and interesting. The other noticeable point is the use of textbooks in the class. Most textbook are not geared to meet the level of all the students. The high level student for an example may find themselves having to do work that is relatively too easy and vice versa. This kind of a situation could be eliminated by a well equipped teacher and by a teacher who is willing to reach out to the students. Furthermore, the dynamics within the class creates a number of challenges for the students. In a case where students are paired up or are working individually, the stronger students tend to dominate and the shy ones are then left behind. This situation creates a challenge for both the teacher and students. On the other hand, not all learners choose to study english. Some students are decided by their parents. This kind of situation subjects a student in a position where they do not want to learn english. Furthermore, since english is their second language, especially for young beginners, they need to work very hard in adopting a Roman writing style. This poses a lot of confusion for them. Another challenge that students face, more especially the younger learners, is in the area of learning the vocabulary. Many languages have words that are similar in sound and meaning to english words. Students at time do not know when and how to use these words. This goes further in learning grammar. Students find that learning grammar is very difficult. As a result, many sentences produced by students lack the basic structure. Thus, students tend to make no sense or there is a tendency of making a sentence sound completely different from its actual meaning. The final challenge that students face in Korea, is about understanding the text. In many cases students do not understand the text that they read. You find many students having to read for hours and yet gain less understanding of the text. You find many learners paging through their dictionaries.
