한국어 학습자의 그릿과 자기효능감이 한국어 능력에 미치는 영향 - 태국인 한국어 학습자를 중심으로 -

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine factors, such as grit and self-efficacy among Thai students learning Korean as a foreign language. In addition, the study will explore the complex correlation between these concepts’ subfactors and the students’ proficiency in Korean. To address the goal, a survey and statistical analysis were carried out with 295 learners studying Korean in Thai middle schools, high schools and universities. The results attained were as follows: First, as subfactors consisting of Korean learners’ grit, two factors, consistency of interest and perseverance of effort, were found, and as the subfactors of self-efficacy, three factors were extracted as task difficulty preference, self regulatory efficacy, and self-confidence. Second, each of the subfactors consisting of Korean learners’ grit and self-efficacy differed by their educational background or grade. In particular, the undergraduate group exhibited a high level of grit and self-efficacy compared to the other groups. Third, various correlations were observed between the Korean language learners’ grit, self-efficacy and Korean proficiency. It was observed that, perseverance of effort, the subfactor of grit influenced the learners’ Korean proficiency significantly, whereas consistency of interest did not. It was also observed that, all three subfactors of self-efficacy had a positive influence on the Korean proficiency of the learners. When self-efficacy was inserted as a parameter, it was observed that, self-confidence mediated the correlation between consistency of interest and Korean proficiency. In addition to this, the mediating role of self-regulatory efficacy and task difficulty preference in the relation between perseverance of effort and Korean proficiency was also brought to light. This study is significant as it provides insights into the subfactors of grit and self-efficacy of Korean language learners in Thailand and examines the complex correlation between each of these factors and the learners’ proficiency.