Korean Learners Research Articles

Crosslinguistic influence in bilingual morphosyntactic processing: Effects of language-common, language-contrasting, and language-specific information

Abstract This study investigated how second language (L2) learners process the Korean numeral quantifier construction by using transferable and nontransferable information. For Chinese-speaking learners of Korean (Chinese group), agreement between an honorific numeral quantifier and a noun in Korean constitutes transferable information in the canonical structure and nontransferable L2-specific information in the scrambled structure. For Japanese-speaking learners of Korean (Japanese group), this information gives rise to crosslinguistic conflicts in both structures. The results from a self-paced reading task showed that the Japanese group did not exhibit sensitivity to grammatical errors in both structures, whereas the Chinese group detected the agreement violation in the canonical but not in the scrambled structure. When a context sentence was provided to license scrambling in the test sentence, however, another group of Chinese-speaking learners of Korean showed sensitivity to the violation. These findings suggest varying degrees of crosslinguistic influence in L2 sentence processing.

Evaluation of the forAge Age-at-Death Estimation Program Using Pubic Symphyseal Surface in a Korean Population.

The forAge program estimates the age-at-death of human pubic symphysis using 3-dimensional scans. It was developed by Dennis E. Slice and Bridget F. B. Algee-Hewitt, and utilizes three distinct scores: the Slice and Algee-Hewitt (SAH) score, bending energy (BE), and ventral curvature (VC). However, these scores and age estimation regression equation were obtained through European American pubic symphysis. Changes in the pubic symphysis surface are evaluated as one of the most reliable indicators for estimating age, but in connection with this, using Korean materials, changes in the pubic symphysis surface and the actual changes are evaluated. There is no bar where the relationship between ages is grasped, and there are cases where a methodology developed for a specific group is applied to a Korean group. Changing the pubic symphysis surface by aging was evaluated as one of the most reliable indicators for estimating age. However, there is no study conducted on the relationship between changes in the pubic symphysis and actual age and applied the age estimation method for a specific population among Korean population. The purpose of this study is to compare the difference between the actual age and the estimated age in Korean to see if the forAge program is applicable to other population of different ancestral origin. One hundred and four modern Korean pubic symphyseal surfaces (47 to 96 years old) were used in this study. Through the pubic symphyseal surface 3-dimensional images, age-at-death was estimated via prediction equation and new regression lines using SAH, VC, and BE scores. Firstly, the estimated age via prediction equation using the first version of SAH score was lower than the actual age according to all pubic symphyseal surfaces for those older than 56. With aging, the difference between the actual age and estimated age became markedly larger. Secondly, the estimated ages via the new regression lines using VC, the second version of SAH score, and BE were shown a similar pattern to the previous prediction equation. The current study explored the applicability of a quantitative method using pubic symphyseal surface for age estimation in a modern Korean population. This study showed the forAge program cannot be applied to a modern Korean population, as they present relatively low correlations with the actual age-at-death.

The Significance and Musical Features of Modern Korean Buddhist Hymns through Baek Yong-sung’s Buddhist Hymns

Chan-bul-ga (찬불가, 讚佛歌), which in English means ‘songs in praise of the Buddha’, refers to a style of Korean Buddhist hymn that emerged during the modernization of Korean Buddhism. Buddhist hymns—which can be considered to be based on Christian hymns—are characterized by the fact that they can be easily learned by the general public so that they can easily participate in Buddhist rituals together, unlike the existing Korean Buddhist musical styles of ‘Beom-pae (범패, 梵唄)’ and ‘Hwa-cheong (화청, 和請)’. The monk Baek Yong-sung (1864–1940), who embraced the function and effectiveness of these new religious music styles as one of his methods of propagation, participated in the independence movement after the 1910 Korea–Japan Annexation Treaty, and he led both the public enlightenment movement and the spread of Buddhism by creating Buddhist hymns. The present study seeks to examine Baek Yong-sung’s social activities and the context in which modern Buddhist hymns emerged. This study also explores the religious, social, and musical meanings of Buddhist hymns while focusing on his works ‘Wang-seng-ga (왕생가)’ and ‘Se-gye-gi-si-ga (세계기시가)’.

Investigating the Impact of Cultural Awareness on Language Learners' Motivation and Proficiency

Learning multiple languages is advantageous for individuals engaging with diverse communities across borders. However, language barriers and miscommunication have posed significant challenges, prompting learners to improve their foreign language skills, knowledge, and expertise. A lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity has hindered learners from successfully mastering foreign languages. The inability of the UK and European populations to promote diversity and inclusion, coupled with disrespectful attitudes towards other cultures, contributes to their struggles in language acquisition. To address these issues, active engagement in cultural activities can boost motivation and proficiency in language learning. Exploring Hofstede's six dimensions of cultural competency reveals that American learners exhibit lower anxiety levels than Korean learners in language training classrooms due to high individualism. Conversely, the high power distance in China, compared to Mongolia and Hungary, results in Chinese students being less interactive and assertive in classrooms. Limited interaction negatively impacts students' psychological and behavioral development, highlighting the importance of fostering intercultural communication skills. Thus, cultural factors have been elaborated with the implementations of Lewis's cultural competency model, which has elaborated that nations worldwide can be segregated into three categories based on their cultural beliefs such as linear-active, multi-active, and reactive. Among these three categories, reactive has been identified as the most flexible, people-oriented, and culturally aware nation, wherein most Asian countries like India, Malaysia, Korea, and Thailand belong. It has been identified that due to a lack of cultural awareness, the students have been confronting significant issues in confidently learning new languages with the inability to speak appropriate terms and pronounce them properly. Participation in cultural activities and training on intercultural communication might be helpful in mitigating cross-cultural issues in new language learning.

과학⋅기술 특성화 대학 한국어 프로그램 현황과 학습자 특성 연구

Objectives This study explores a relatively under-researched aspect of Korean language programs tailored for international students in science and technology institutes. The objective is to contribute to a broader understanding of various types of Korean language programs within this unique academic environment.
 Methods We present an overview of the curriculum and analyze learner characteristics within the Korean language program at K University. Specifically, we conducted an analysis of a survey involving 145 students enrolled in Korean language classes at K University.
 Results International students at K University predominantly enroll in Korean language courses due to graduation requirements, with their motivation for learning Korean primarily stemming from integrated factors. At K-University, since more than 80% of classes are taught in English, the direct impact of students' proficiency in Korean on their academic performance is minimal. This circumstance has the potential to diminish their enthusiasm and inclination to learn Korean.
 Conclusions In conclusion, the Korean language program at K University should adapt to the diverse levels and needs of international students by offering courses in both Korean language and culture. We provide recommendations for enhancing the program, including diversifying the range of Korean courses, introducing cultural immersion initiatives, and adopting a flipped learning approach.

A Study on the Literary Educational Value and Utilization of Poetry Picture Books - Focusing on the Pre-service Korean Language Teacher's Impressions of Poetry Picture Books -

A Study on the Literary Educational Value and Utilization of Poetry Picture Books - Focusing on the Pre-service Korean Language Teacher's Impressions of Poetry Picture Books -

한국 영어 듣기학습자를 위한 다양한 영어 실제(authentic) 자료 보통속도 연구

Objectives Normal English speed is a core factor of characteristics of authentic spoken language; thus, its study is essential for teaching English listening. The purpose of this study is two fold: 1) To investigate English normal speed(160~190 wpm), which was claimed by Primsleur, et. al. 45 years ago; and 2) To find out whether normal speed is utilized in teaching of listening in Korean high schools.
 Methods To find out current normal English speed, we investigated 42 YouTube materials from varied genres. In addition, a survey was conducted with 22 prospective English teachers.
 Results The research findings on the speech rate for various genres are: speeches (135 wpm), dramas (141 wpm), talk shows (174 wpm), and news (185 wpm). We found out that the normal speed has been maintained for 45 years under similar conditions as measured by the news announcers' speeches. The survey reveals that slower than normal speed is utilized in English listening classes, which makes Korean learners of English experience difficulties in authentic situations.
 Conclusions Utilizing the normal speed is recommended on the Korean Scholastic Ability Test listening items and in the English classroom alike, to solve the speed gap between the English classroom in Korea and authentic situations in English.

고려인 청소년 및 청년들의 한국어 인식과 태도 연구

This study investigated experience and willingness to learn Korean, awareness of the necessity of learning Korean, and important factors when learning Korean through surveys and individual interviews conducted on young adults and adolescents of Koryeoin living in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. A total of 113 people participated in the survey, and among them, 108 people(95.6%) have learned Korean and only 5(4.5%) responded that they had never learned Korean. Also, the 74 people(65.5%) who are currently learning Korean continued to learn Korean because of their plans to study abroad or to move to Korea, and their interest in Korean language and culture. Also, the survey participants answered 3 or more out of 5 points on average when asked about the necessity of learning Korean for young adults and adolescents of Koryeoin, and there were various reasons for thinking that learning Korean was necessary, such as plans to study abroad or to move to Korea, justification as a Korean, and in order to get a job in the local area. In addition, ‘professor's professionalism' and ‘speaking' accounted for the highest proportion of the questionnaire on the most important elements and areas of learning Korean, and these results were also consistent with the results of individual interviews conducted on a total of 10 young people and adolescents of Koryeoin in their 10-20s. Also most of the young people and adolescents of Koryeoin who answered that they had learned Korean studied Korean for less than three years, and among the areas of learning Korean culture, the importance of ‘popular culture such as K-pop' was perceived as the lowest compared to ‘modern society and culture', ‘history' and ‘traditional culture'. Through this, this study was able to find out the perception of young adults and adolescents of Koryeoin living in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan on Korean language, and based on the main results, this study suggested the direction of Korean language education in the corresponding area in the future.

초등학습자의 쓰기 태도와 웰빙(Wellbeing) 과의 관계 분석

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between elementary school students' writing attitudes and their well-being.
 Methods: To this end, this study explored the concept of well-being and examined the composition of well-being literacy to promote well-being. Next, the correlation between writing attitude and well-being and the influence relationship were investigated through regression analysis.
 Results: As a result of the study, it was confirmed that the writing attitude and well-being of elementary school students decreased from the lower grades to the higher grades. In addition, it was discerned that elementary school students' writing attitudes influence their well-being.
 Conclusion: The promotion of the well-being of elementary school students can be achieved in terms of school literacy education, and in Korean language education, students should be educated equally so that they can grow as subjects of meaning who actively read, write, and communicate at the same time.

국어과 학습부진에 대한 국어 교사 인식 연구

Purpose: This research aimed to investigate the perceptions of Korean language teachers, who are practitioners of Korean language education, regarding the learning difficulties in the Korean language subject. By doing so, it sought to identify the specific patterns of perception regarding learning difficulties in the field and explore possible improvement measures to address these difficulties.
 Methods: In this study, a total of twenty-eight survey questions (including three open-ended questions) were developed through a two-step review process. The survey was conducted over a period of approximately two weeks, targeting 105 current Korean language teachers. The collected data were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis, including response frequencies, means, and standard deviations. Additionally, a verification of perception differences across schools of employment was conducted.
 Results: According to the analysis results, the levels of policy awareness and perception of the suitability of selection methods were relatively low. In terms of factor-specific perception, the perception index for factors related to the definition domain was high. Among the language subjects, the writing area had the highest level of reported learning difficulties, particularly in terms of vocabulary proficiency among the learning factors within each subject area. Teachers considered the low motivation and lack of learning willingness in their students to be the biggest challenges in instruction. They also had a slightly lower perception of the adequacy of the current remedial education program. As improvement measures, teachers perceived the following factors positively: selective measures based on teacher interviews and observations, implementation of remedial education for lower-grade middle school students, vocabulary enhancement, and appropriate content for teacher training.
 Conclusion: In order to effectively implement policies related to academic underachievement, it is necessary to increase teachers' level of policy awareness and diversify methods for selecting underperforming students. It is necessary to carefully consider the level and pattern of underachievement, synchronize defining factors, strengthen writing and vocabulary learning, focus on corrective education in the lower grades to prevent underachievement, and specialize the contents of teacher training considering the school level.

Investigating Syntactic Transfer from English to Korean in Neural L2 Language Models

This paper investigates how the grammatical knowledge obtained in the initial language (English) of neural language models (LMs) influences the learning of grammatical structures in their second language (Korean). To achieve this objective, we conduct the now well- established experimental procedure, including (i) pre-training transformer-based GPT-2 LMs with Korean and English datasets, (ii) further fine-tuning them with a specific set of Korean data as L1 or L2, and (iii) evaluating them with the test data of KBLiMP while analyzing their linguistic generalization in L1 or L2. We have found negative transfer effects in the comparison between English as L1 and Korean as L2. Furthermore, in the trajectory analysis, the second language-learning LM has captured linguistic features of Korean including syntax, syntax-semantics interface, and morphology during the progressive training step. Our study of second language learning in LMs contributes to predicting potential syntactic challenges arising from the interference by the L1 language during the learning of Korean as a foreign language.

한국어 교육을 위한 온라인 수업만족이 학업성취도에 미치는 영향

This study explored the characteristics of Korean language education at universities in China as well as strategies to overcome the limitations of online education. According to the research findings, satisfaction with online classes positively influences learners’ academic achievement. Therefore, it is important to establish and support online education environments and to explore blended learning methods and educational strategies utilizing AI technology. Additionally, learners’ self-regulated learning strategies were found to moderate the relationship between satisfaction with online classes and academic achievement. Consequently, enhancing monitoring functions related to learning and providing tailored teaching designs and learning checks by educational professionals or instructors are crucial. Through these efforts, it is expected that solutions to overcome the limitations of online education and improve academic achievement can be explored.

Institutions and Countercultures: Christianity’s Impact on South Korean Modernization

The relationship between modernization and religion is contested, with the literature differing in how and in what ways religion helps or hinders countries’ social, economic, and political development. This paper draws upon the history of Christianity in South Korea to critically explore the links between religion and modernization. It makes two arguments. First, discussions of the link between religion and modernization frequently employ static definitions of religion, but Christianity is characterized by oscillations between worldly (institutionalizing) and unworldly (countercultural) impulses that theoretically make very different contributions to social, economic, and political development. Second, in the case of South Korea, it is shown that both impulses have made vital contributions to the country’s modernization at different times. This suggests that the dynamic tug-of-war between the institutional and countercultural facets of Korean Christianity, although problematic for individual believers and religious leaders, helped it become an important contributor to the country’s success story. However, this paper concludes on a cautionary note by warning that extreme instances of these impulses have caused cleavages between Christianity and the Korean state and society and could undermine its future contributions. This suggests that diversity and toleration—a hallmark of Korean Christianity—will continue to be the best pathway forward.

I am a Part of China, and China is Always in My Heart: Korean Huaqiao in Abeojiwa Tanghuru

Abeojiwa Tanghuru is a pioneer work in the history of ethnic groups’ literature in Korea. The publication of this book not only signifies that the views of the ethnic groups have been accepted by modern Korean society, but also suggests the important role played by the literature of the Chinese in diversifying Korean literature. This paper, taking Yu Meling and her book Abeojiwa Tanghuru as the object of study, reviews the history of Chinese immigration into Korea and their cultural memories and discusses the identity of Chinese in Korea, providing more literary perspectives and materials for historical and social studies.

쓰기 활동을 어려워하는 학생에 대한 국어교사의 인식적 특성 분석

Purpose This study aims to explore improvement in teaching and learning of writing by analysing Korean language teachers’ perception on students with writing difficulties.
 Method For the study, individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 Korean language teachers evenly balanced in terms of gender, teaching experience, region, and school level. The interview consisted of 20 questions organized into five sections: perception of writing, writing class, students with writing difficulties and writing underachievement, the most challenging stage and type of writing, and writing instruction and information channel for writing instruction.
 Result The results of the study are as follows. First, teachers’ perception shows that writing class is taught less than classes in other areas. Especially, high school teachers believe that actual writing activities are rarely carried out. Second, in terms of affective aspects, students with writing difficulties are seen to have low motivation, interest, and confidence in writing along with a fear of expressing their own ideas. Third, they are also perceived to lack awareness of the writing process and face difficulties, especially in the stages before expression. Fourth, there is a need for the improvement in the diagnosis of writing underachievement, the development of instructional programs, and the establishment of teacher training and learning programs to address issues related to writing underachievement.
 Conclusion The perception of Korean language teachers reveals that students with writing difficulties manifest diverse causes and characteristics. Nevertheless, proper educational instructions are not provided due to various environmental factors associated with writing classes. To meet the needs of Korean language teachers, there is a requirement to develop diagnostic programs and teacher learning programs for addressing writing underachievement, and to improve the educational environment for writing classes.

Analysis ofTeaching Methods in Korean Language Education

With the global spread of Korean culture, Korean language education has received unprecedented attention. However, there are still some teaching loopholes and methodological challenges in the teaching practice of the Korean language, and the innovation and optimisation of Korean language teaching methods are particularly important, which is not only related to the effciency of language knowledge transfer, but also to the cultivation of intercultural communication skills. In this paper, we will take the Korean language teaching methods as the re-search object, analyse the defciencies in university Korean language teaching, and meticulously analyse the teaching methods inside and out-side the classroom, with the aim of providing feasible suggestions for teaching practice.

AI 리터러시의 개념과 학습에 대한 고찰 : 리터러시의 재개념화와 국어 교육적 접근을 중심으로

AI 리터러시의 개념과 학습에 대한 고찰 : 리터러시의 재개념화와 국어 교육적 접근을 중심으로

한국어 문법에 의한 톨카피얌 해독의 가능성 검토

Tolkāpiyam, the oldest known book written in Old Tamil, is believed to have been authored around 100 B.C. Although Tolkāpiyam deals with the grammar of Tamil, a language still spoken by Tamils today, this ancient text, along with other Old Tamil books, has remained largely undeciphered. The reason for this lies in the fact that the grammar of Old Tamil has not been fully comprehended. Previous attempts to decipher Tolkāpiyam have mostly involved making educated guesses about the meaning of a paragraph based on the meanings of individual words.
 In this paper, I reveal the grammatical system of Old Tamil, drawing from the grammar theory presented in Part 2 of Tolkāpiyam. Old Tamil, much like pre-medieval Korean, employs predicates as nouns. It features elements such as chosa (조사), verb endings, honorifics, and causative verb suffixes. Remarkably, Tolkāpiyam is structured following the Korean word order. The grammar of Old Tamil closely resembles that of modern Korean. As a demonstration that Koreans can decipher Tolkāpiyam without prior knowledge of ancient Tamil, relying on word meanings alone, I also provide a correct interpretation for several paragraphs in Part I (Phonology). These interpretations challenge previous misconceptions and affirm the validity of my paper's argument, highlighting the limitations of prior research.

A Study on the use of Boosters of International Students’ Persuasive Writing

The purpose of this study is to examine the aspects of boosters in Korean persuasive writing written by international students and to identify how these expressions function in discourse. To achieve this goal, existing domestic and foreign studies were reviewed to establish the conceptual framework, scope, and research criteria for booster expressions to be used in this study. Test writing data, which serve as evidence of international students' internalized linguistic expressions, were collected. The composition data were gathered from 40 international students representing China, Japan, Cambodia, Mongolia, and Kyrgyzstan. The research criteria were categorized into adverbs, adjectives/verbs, nouns, periphrastic constructions, endings, cleft sentences, and others. As a result of the study, we found that international students used boosters in the following order of frequency: ‘adverbs > periphrastic constructions > endings > cleft sentences > nouns,’ and that they preferred a strategy that strongly emphasized their thesis using adverbs and syntactic-level periphrastic constructions. Additionally, this study showed that international students attempted to use hedges in conjunction with boosters to moderate the intensity of their opinions as an active strategy within the text. This study is significant because it addresses boosters—a topic that has not been extensively explored in Korean language education research. Furthermore, it examines the actual inter-language proficiency of international students who are not using texts written by Korean authors or texts in controlled situations.

초기불교 문헌에 나타난 자살

Suicide is a serious social problem in modern Korean society. In early Buddhism, including suicide, teachings about death are frequently offered. The agony of death is a typical existential distress, and meditation on death is an important practice. Various suicide cases appear in the scriptures and chapters of early Buddhist literature. Suicide, a type of murder, is seen as an evil act that intentionally cuts the chance of being born as a human being, and the background of suicide is the desire to die, which is the love of non-existence. Usually, humans choose to kill themselves by means of indulgence. However, saints do not commit murder intentionally, nor do they commit suicide. However, there are cases where a monk who suffers from severe illness accidentally commits suicide because he thinks that he has become Arahan, or during the selection process, he commits suicide to be born in heaven as a result of selection. The Buddha only died as Arahan when his life was cut off after committing suicide, and he did not pay for the wrongdoings of suicide. However, various examples of early Buddhist literature show that suicide is prohibited as an evil act because it is a method of murder.