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Modern Language Education Programs in Asia and Pacific Countries

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International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific

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Abstract

This chapter is devoted to a discussion on modern language education programs in the Asia-Pacific region. The chapter aims to provide an overview of modern language education in three regions: Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The chapter highlights that English still dominates the modern language education landscape, either as the de facto official language, as the dominant foreign language, or as the main medium of instruction in formal schooling. Teaching and learning languages other than English has just begun to draw the public attention in this region, though with variations depending on the different socioeconomic development levels of the countries. However, to what extent that the attempts to diversify modern language education can achieve fruitful results still remains to be seen.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Retrieved from https://kess.kedi.re.kr/eng/index. Access date Oct. 10, 2021.

  2. 2.

    This is measured by the DAC List of ODA Recipients by OECD. Retrieved from https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/DAC-List-of-ODA-Recipients-for-reporting-2020-flows. pdf, date of access September 15, 2021.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Yongyan Zheng

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  1. Yongyan Zheng
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Correspondence to Yongyan Zheng .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Singapore Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore

    Wing On Lee

  2. School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Phillip Brown

  3. Thomas More Brennan Chair in Education, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA

    A. Lin Goodwin

  4. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

    Andy Green

Section Editor information

  1. Department of Education, University of Bath, Bath, UK

    Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen Ph.D

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Zheng, Y. (2022). Modern Language Education Programs in Asia and Pacific Countries. In: Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A.L., Green, A. (eds) International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_28-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_28-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-2327-1

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