A survey showed Thursday that a majority of Korean parents have tried teaching their children English, with many of them having studied the language themselves to enhance their teaching ability.

According to the survey on 527 parents by private institute Yoons English School this month, 87.7 percent of them said they have tried teaching their own children English.

Most, or 69.3 percent, preferred using materials such as sing-along packages and animation, followed by word cards (66.7 percent), English-language books (53.9 percent), teaching kits (46.1 percent) and English-related toys (30.7 percent). Multiple choices were allowed.

Of those who taught their own children, 53.9 percent said they were studying the language themselves. They studied 36 minutes on average, spending an average of 52,000 won ($46) per month.

Among them, 86.4 percent also said they were stressed about it, mainly due to their own lack of English-speaking skills (54.4 percent).

Other reasons for feeling stressed included not knowing how to teach well (47.1 percent); lack of time (35.3 percent); bad English pronunciation (32.2 percent); and conflict with the children while teaching (23.6 percent).

Some 28.1 percent of the parents said they felt they could teach the children in first or second grades in elementary schools.

Nearly two-thirds said they were teaching their own children to reduce tuition costs. (khnews@heraldcorp.com)