Exploring the Relationship between Creativity, Second Language Learning, and the EFL Curriculum: An Ethnographic Case Study Analysis

Abstract

This thesis contributes to the field of Applied Linguistics by investigating the relationship between creativity, second language (L2) development, and the classroom curriculum in South Korea (Korea, hereafter). Despite curricular reforms since the 1990s calling for more communicative approaches to teaching English, and despite Korea’s present interest in developing more creative citizens, an emphasis on creative learning in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom has been difficult to implement in practice. There are numerous reasons for this, but adherence to traditional methods of teaching is perhaps one of the most significant; therefore, for creativity to become part of the EFL curriculum in Korea, it must first be considered valuable for the learning process. Although a few studies have examined the correlation of these competencies by comparing assessments of creativity and language proficiency, this is the first longitudinal investigation of creativity in a classroom learning situation that uses an ethnographic, Case Study approach to explore creativity in a second language learning environment. The original analytical framework created for this study, derived at through the process of framework analysis, is an adaption of the Systems Model of Creativity proposed by Csikszentmihalyi (1999), which asserts that creativity depends not only on the person, but on environmental factors as well. The main aim of this exploratory study was to examine these environmental factors by comparing two curricula, a more traditional textbook-driven (TB-driven) curriculum and a Project-based Learning (PBL) curriculum, to evaluate the role of the curricular approach in providing opportunities, or “affordances,” for creativity and emergent language use. The Findings report an in-depth, contextualized definition of creativity in the L2 classroom based on the empirical data and offers five specific characteristics that represent creativity as a learner/environmental trait. Findings also show important differences between the two groups in the teacher and learners interactions in the classroom and in their perspectives on creativity in language learning. Finally, the study demonstrates that the analytical model used in this study can be a useful research tool for further exploration of the topic and can act as a conceptual and practical guide to help teachers and students better activate their creative capacities in the EFL classroom.