A Study on Foreign Students’ Perception of Metaverse-Based Korean Language Course as General Education

Abstract

As basic research for establishing the metaverse-based Korean language course as general education, this study aimed to seek concrete direction for the development of curriculum by conducting a survey on learners’ perception of the teaching/learning of Korean language using the metaverse, and then to apply the results to actual classes on a trial basis. As of late, the metaverse is being actively applied to language education as a new educational medium that could improve the immersion and understanding of learning among students through interaction with a high level of presence in the virtual world. Thus, this thesis aimed to understand the familiarity, preference, and expected effect of the metaverse targeting Korean language learners. From the results of conducting a perception survey targeting a total of 534 foreign students of A university located in Seoul, we learned that the students showed a low degree of experience with and understanding of the metaverse, but that they professed a high level of interest in the establishment of a Korean language course using this new educational medium. In particular, they expressed the highest expectation for the establishment of a course connected with speaking among their communication skills. Thus, this study provided a pilot class using the metaverse to the divided speaking class of A university, and then conducted a survey on learners’ responses. Concerning the operation of the class, the learners preferred offline or an on/offline combined method instead of fully using the metaverse online. Also, they wanted to learn in a kind of metaverse that realistically reflected a familiar school space or some kind of Korean symbolic space.