A review study on discourse-analytical approaches to language testing policy in the South Korean context

Abstract

Abstract Research on language planning and policy (LPP) has transcended beyond enacting government-initiated language policy and progressed towards uncovering inherent power relations. The discourse-analytical approach (DA) effectively captures the relation between texts and other elements of social practices. Therefore, this approach has been adopted to analyze the meaning-making process in ideologies, practices, and different social contexts. The current study expands on previous research and argues that language testing policies (LTP) be explored using the DA because the former is also produced within the discursive practices of intertextual and interdiscursive links among texts (e.g., policy documents and media texts) and social structures. Three empirical contexts are analyzed to demonstrate the need for introducing tests: (1) introducing the National English Ability Test to replace the preexisting English subject test of the College Scholastic Test in Korea to measure speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills; (2) adopting cut-off scores for graduation based on the Test of English for International Communication; and (3) implementing the Test of Proficiency in Korean scores for screening and regulating the flow of immigrants. The results facilitate an understanding of the variability in LTP contexts, thereby contributing to democratic pluralism in the LPP field.