Misreading “today” as “Friday” ... 96.5% of teachers say students’ literacy has declined

[Financial News]  
A survey found that 96.5% of teachers feel students’ literacy has declined. Eight out of 10 teachers said students struggle in class or with communication because they do not properly understand written material. The need for literacy instruction is growing, but there are not enough class hours or staff to provide it.
According to the “Survey on Student Literacy as Diagnosed by Classroom Teachers,” released by the Korean Teachers’ Labor Union Federation on the 9th to mark Hangul Day, 96.5% (1,309) of 1,356 teachers nationwide said students’ literacy had declined over the past five years. Of those, 64.2% said it had “declined significantly,” while 32.4% said it had “declined somewhat.” The survey was conducted from the 2nd to the 6th. The proportion who said they had frequently encountered difficulties in class or communication due to literacy problems over the past year was also high, at 82.1% (1,113).
Teachers were most concerned about students’ ability to identify the main points of a text. Asked to select two areas where literacy deficiencies were particularly pronounced, 80.2% (1,088) chose the “ability to analyze expository texts”—understanding the main content of textbooks or explanatory texts. This was followed by the ability to understand the context of literary works (37.8%) and the ability to understand everyday writing (37.6%).
Examples from actual classrooms included mistaking “ucheonsi” (“in case of rain”) for a city name, understanding “geumil” (“today”) to mean “Friday,” and taking “jaesan” (“property”) for the name of a mountain. One response said that during a middle school third-year exam, so many students did not know the word “yoji” (“main point”) that its meaning had to be explained over the school-wide public-address system.
There were also signs that students were reluctant to read texts properly. Some 59.7% of teachers said students ask their friends for the answers first without reading their textbooks or the materials provided. Meanwhile, 43.4% said students were reluctant to read when a text was even slightly difficult. Another 27.0% said students look for answers from generative artificial intelligence (AI) before trying to read texts themselves.
The survey found that although teachers face a heavy burden in teaching literacy, schools provide insufficient support. Some 83.8% (1,137) of teachers said running classes to improve literacy was a major burden, and 76.3% (1,034) said their schools did not provide enough time, staff, or materials. Another 46.2% said there was little or no separate support for students with weak foundational literacy.
The measure teachers most frequently identified as an urgent educational priority was expanding programs that provide intensive support for foundational literacy (63.6%). Measures to support teachers ranked as follows: reducing administrative work and securing class time (43.4%), providing teaching materials (26.1%), and assigning additional teachers (20.3%).
Asked whether including Chinese characters alongside Korean text in textbooks would help improve literacy, 63.5% responded negatively. By contrast, 36.5% thought it would help students understand subject concepts based on Sino-Korean words or infer the meanings of unfamiliar vocabulary.
Song Su-yeon, chair of the Korean Teachers’ Labor Union Federation, said, “The literacy problems teachers see firsthand are serious, but there is far too little time and too few staff to address them,” adding, “It is difficult to overcome the challenges in classrooms simply by including Chinese characters in textbooks.” Song went on to urge expanded support from education authorities, saying responsibility for literacy instruction should not be left solely to individual teachers.
This survey examined teachers’ perceptions; it did not directly measure students’ literacy. Since 83.6% of respondents were elementary school teachers, there are limits to generalizing the findings across all school levels.
[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter