[Not Knowing Korean Meanings ①] Asked an Elementary Student the Meaning of 'Genre'... An Unexpected Answer

Editor's NoteHangul will celebrate its 576th anniversary in four days. It is our script created when King Sejong of Joseon promulgated Hunminjeongeum in 1446. It is also the lifeblood of our national culture. However, today, the situation Hangul faces is difficult. The number of people who can read but cannot understand is increasing. This phenomenon is called declining literacy skills. It is not just a problem of a few with insufficient literacy. It is a problem for all of us who have neglected training in reading. On the occasion of the 576th Hangul Day in 2022, this paper aims to examine the current state of declining literacy skills and seek solutions.

[Source] Megastudy Elementary Literacy Diagnostic Test

Different Approach from the Start... Children Looking for Familiar Words

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Cho, Byungseon Gong, Gyumin Oh] We handed this test paper to Lee Minsu (7, pseudonym), a first grader in elementary school. His mother joined in. "Minsu, after reading this text, try to guess what 'genre' means. Among 'type,' 'singer,' and 'speed,' which word is most similar to that word?" Minsu frowned. "I don't understand what the question means." The smile that had lingered on his mother's lips disappeared. "My child likes books and usually reads a lot..." The mother encouraged him again, asking, "What part don't you understand?" It was no use. Minsu closed his mouth and shook his head. It was a silent declaration of giving up.

We gave the same test paper to his classmate Park Jaemin (7, pseudonym). Park pointed to '② singer' with his finger. When asked why, Park smiled shyly and said, "Because I don't really know." Unlike his smiling son, the mother seemed uneasy. Park's mother raised her eyes sharply and questioned the reporters, "My child reads a book every day! Isn't the problem too difficult?"

Our team visited an elementary school in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and asked 10 first graders. Only one answered correctly (① type). A considerable number of children chose the wrong answer '② singer.' The reasons for choosing ② were mostly similar: "Because I know the word 'singer,'" or "Because words related to 'singer' like 'music' and 'piano' appear in other sentences." This showed that their approach to the problem was not to read and understand the text but to find something familiar like a known word.

[Source] Megastudy Elementary Literacy Diagnostic Test

The same test paper was given to sixth graders at the same school. Three boys responded first. All chose option ②. Choi Yejun (12, pseudonym) said, "I chose it because the first part of the text says, 'After World War II, the great powers redrew the borders as they wished.'" The other two students said they chose ② because the word 'great powers' caught their attention. The same test was shown to four girls. Among them, three chose the correct answer ①. Only Lee Yejin (12, pseudonym) chose ②. She said, "I thought the problem happened after the sentence saying 'the borders were redrawn by the great powers' appeared."

Education Field and Statistics Both Indicate... Declining Literacy Skills Are 'Serious'

In South Korea, which boasts one of the world's lowest illiteracy rates, declining literacy skills have emerged as a social problem at some point. While reading ability is comparable to any country worldwide, the ability to understand context is significantly lacking. Recently, the seriousness surfaced again when a system error occurred during the pre-registration for a webtoon artist's autograph session, and the organizer's use of the phrase 'sincere apology' was misinterpreted. Some citizens misunderstood '심심한 (simsimhan)' meaning 'deep' (甚深) as the homonym '심심한' meaning 'boring and uninteresting.'

The decline in literacy skills is particularly worsening among children and teenagers, who represent the future of our society. A middle school English teacher in Gyeonggi Province said, "Some ninth graders don't know the word 'context' and ask about its meaning during exams," adding, "These students often move around during class or use bathroom breaks as an excuse to avoid paying attention." Educators agree that declining literacy skills among students have reached a level that disrupts normal classes.

This decline is reflected in academic achievement surveys. In last year's Ministry of Education academic achievement evaluation, only 64.3% of second-year high school students achieved average or above proficiency in Korean language. This is a 13.2 percentage point drop from 77.5% in 2019 over two years. For third-year middle school students, the rate dropped from 82.9% to 74.4% in the same period. The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) also confirms this trend. The average reading achievement score of Korean students fell from 539.79 in 2009 to 514.05 in 2018, a decrease of 25.74 points over nearly a decade.

Elderly Also a Vulnerable Group... 14% at Elementary 1st-2nd Grade Level

The elderly are also considered a vulnerable group alongside teenagers in terms of literacy skills. According to the 'Adult Literacy Survey Results' announced by the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education in August last year, 14.2% of people aged 60 and over were classified as non-literate at 'Level 1.' This is a stark contrast to the estimated 0.8% of adults under 60 classified at Level 1. Breaking it down by age group, 5.3% of those aged 60-69, 13.7% of those aged 70-79, and 49.3% of those aged 80 and above were classified at Level 1. Level 1 indicates an inability to perform basic reading, writing, and arithmetic necessary for daily life, roughly equivalent to the learning level of elementary school first or second graders.

The elderly people we met fell within this statistical range. When given the test paper used for sixth graders, Kim Oksun (68, pseudonym) immediately waved her hand, saying, "Oh, it's long." She eventually chose the wrong answer. Pointing to option ③, she said, "I solved the problem thinking about recent situations like inflation and drought." Jeon Isu (67, pseudonym) also avoided the correct answer. He said, "I chose ② because our country suffered hardships due to the tyranny of great powers." For them, the test paper at the sixth-grade elementary level was too difficult to read and understand.