Korean Language Studies: Motivation And Attrition Julie .
Korean Language Studies: Motivation and AttritionJulie DamronBrigham Young UniversityJustin ForsythUniversity of British ColumbiaAbstractThe purposes of this study were to determine attritionrates of students learning Korean in university courses, theirmotivations to study the target language, why many drop out, andwhat educators can do to address and decrease high rates of attrition.A survey was administered to 129 students enrolled in lower-level(101–202) Korean language classes during the years 2005–2010 at alarge, private university in the Rocky Mountain region of the UnitedStates. Self-identifying heritage students comprised 45.7% of thosewho completed the survey. Surveys were administered to studentsvia email and returned in the same manner; as such, they represent aresponse and convenience sample. Five of the 12 survey questionsutilized a 5-point Likert scale. The overall attrition rate from class toclass during this time period was 85%. Students identified that themost motivating factors in their decision to take Korean were “It’s animportant language,” “Future career benefits,” and “I have Koreanheritage.” More students desired to learn only basic words andphrases than any one other proficiency category. The most commonreason for quitting Korean was that it didn’t fit students’ schedules.Likewise, students indicated that had a following course been offeredat a different time or if a language lab offering tutoring were madeavailable, they might have been influenced to continue takingKorean. Surveys also addressed language-learning anxiety. Based onthe results gathered, this study makes suggestions for improvingKorean language instruction in order to reduce student attrition.
162Damron & ForsythIntroductionKorean is one of many Less Commonly Taught Languages(LCTLs) in America, distinguishing it from Spanish, French, andGerman. Since the start of the Korean War and the related diasporaof Koreans to the United States and elsewhere, it has become morecommon for major universities to offer Korean classes to theirstudents. However, Korean is difficult for most native Englishspeakers to learn—perhaps more so than Germanic or Romancelanguages. This is due in part to a very different sentence structureand a non-cognate vocabulary base. The United States’ DefenseLanguage Institute, for example, puts Korean in the Category IVlanguage class with Arabic and Chinese; at the Institute, 64 weeks ofinstruction are expected to bring a native English speaker to limitedworking proficiency in these languages, compared to the 26 weeksrequired for the same proficiency in Spanish, French, Portuguese, orItalian.1The difficulty of Korean versus other languages is clearlyevident as the attrition rate for Korean language classes is very high,even among the over 80% of students who are heritage languagelearners in Korean programs throughout the United States (You,2001, as cited by Lee and Han, 2007, p. 35). For example, betweenthe years of 2005 and 2010 at Brigham Young University, languageattrition in the first four semesters of the Korean language coursewas 85% compared to attrition rates in languages such as Spanish,French and German, that range from about 12% to about 24%depending on the university and the source. In order to betterunderstand these trends, this study sets out to determine the attritionrates of students learning Korean in university courses, theirmotivations to study the target language, why many drop out, andwhat educators can do to address and minimize relatively high ratesof attrition.1Campbell, C. (Associate Provost) (2010, January 29). DefenseLanguage Institute overview. Language proficiency: Common questions,common goals. Lecture conducted from Flagship Zero to Two Projectand the Texas Language Center, Austin.
Korean Language Studies163Literature ReviewInitial Motivations for EnrollingThere are many reasons why students decide to enroll inlanguage courses. These motivating factors often include thefollowing2 (in no particular order):1. To connect with their heritage2. To communicate with family members (grandparents, etc.) ora significant other3. To fulfill general education or graduation requirements4. To satisfy an interest (inspired by pop culture, the media,other academic disciplines, etc.) in the language of choice5. To follow the suggestion of a friend or acquaintance6. To learn a language for the sake of language study itself7. To enhance future career opportunities8. To prepare for future study and academic work (e.g.,comparative literature, history, linguistics, or Asian studies)9. Because the language seems important and/or to obtaincommunication skills in that language10. To enhance “one’s own personal culture though the study ofthe literature and philosophy of another people” and/or “toincrease one’s understanding and appreciation of anotherculture” (Zelson 1973, p. 79)Certainly, students will experience and express various motivatingfactors for enrolling in language study courses, and these students willeach be motivated by different factors.A current trend in second-language research is to studyheritage language learners (HLLs)3 and non-heritage language learners(non-HLLs) separately because their experiences and motivationsbefore entering the classroom (as well as in the classroom) are2This list is derived from professional literature, including Zelson(1973), as well as the authors’ thoughts and experiences teaching andlearning Korean.3According to Valdés (2000), an HLL is a “student of the languageraised in a home where a non-English language is spoken, whospeaks or merely understands the heritage language, and who is tosome degree bilingual in English and the heritage language” (p. 375).
164Damron & Forsythdifferent. Reynolds et al. (2009) suggested that heritage is “awidespread motivator for choice of language study” (p. 107).Certainly this is true in Korean language courses across the UnitedStates, where, as was mentioned, over 80% of students are HLLs(You, 2001, as cited by Lee and Han, 2007, p. 35). Of theparticipants in our survey, however, only 45.7% indicated having atleast one Korean parent.Many studies have addressed the experiences of KoreanHLLs in the language classroom (Jo, 2001; Kim, 2006; Kim, 2001;Kim, 2002; Lee & Kim, 2008; Yang, 2003, to name a few). KoreanHLLs enter “the heritage language classroom with high levels ofintegrational (i.e., to communicate with family and friends)motivation” (p. 122) and cultural connectedness (Damron & Forsyth,2010; Reynolds et al., 2009). Non-HLLs experience lower levels ofcultural connectivity and integrational motivation (and alternatively,higher levels of instrumental motivation, which refers to motivationssuch as career benefits) (Kim, 2006; Yang, 2003; Kim, 2002). Whilethis comparison provides valid insight into the experiences ofstudents in the second-language classroom, the primary purpose ofthe present study does not seek to address distinctions between thesetwo types of learners.Reasons for Dropping OutHorwitz (1988) boldly states, “large scale attrition in foreignlanguage programs is a well-known phenomenon” (p. 292). Just asstudents enroll in second-language classes for a variety of reasons, acombination of factors likely contributes to many students droppingout -85% of students in the case of Korean in the present study.These reasons include the following (in no particular order):1. Anxiety or stress related to language learning2. Loss of interest in the target language or more interest in theart, culture, and/or history of countries where the language isspoken than in the language itself43. Satisfaction with what has already been learned and acorresponding lack of desire to learn more4. Graduation from the university or program4Aida (1994) listed interest in other aspects of the country besideslanguage as a possible cause for student attrition (p. 165).
Korean Language Studies1655. Choice of an alternative way to complete general education orgraduation requirements6. Perception of the course or the language as too difficult ortoo easy7. Dissatisfaction with what was being learned compared towhat students expected or hoped to learn58. Lack of confidence in the target language ability(uncomfortable moving up to the next class)9. Friend or significant other who spoke the target language nolonger available10. Coursework was too time consuming or the next level of thecourse didn't fit into the student's schedule11. Incompatibility with the teacher12. Unavailability of resources for extra help, such as a learninglab offering tutoring13. Dislike for classroom environment or learning activitiesOne of the factors that likely contributes to a student’sdecision to drop out is language-learning based anxiety. Bailey (2003)found that “students who dropped out of their foreign languageclasses tended to report statistically significant higher levels ofanxiety”; their data “suggest moderate to large relationships betweencomponents of foreign language anxiety and student attrition”(Cohen, 1988, p. 189).As cited by Aida (1994, p. 156), Horwitz et al. (1991) notedthree types of anxiety in the second-language classroom: (1)communication apprehension, (2) test anxiety, and (3) fear ofnegative feedback. However, Aida cited another study (Macintyreand Gardner, 1989) that found that the second of these, test anxiety,was “a general anxiety problem; it was not significant to foreignlanguage learning” (p. 162). Identifying the real sources of studentanxiety that contribute to attrition help the educator address thespecific concerns of the anxious language-learner.In a study of students in the Japanese language classroom,Saito and Samimy (1996) found anxiety to be a more significant5For example, see Horwitz (1998), p. 291 for a discussion of attritionresulting from discrepancies in expected and actual proficiency andeffort expended.
166Damron & Forsythfactor in intermediate and advanced courses than it was in beginningcourses. (In Saito and Samimy’s study, in the beginning-levelJapanese classes, a student’s year in college was a better predictor ofperformance than was language anxiety.) This difference is attributedto less pressure to perform in a beginning class than in intermediateor advanced classes. Thus, heightened anxiety may accompanyheightened expectations. Saito and Samimy even found increasedlevels of anxiety during different seasons: “students became moreanxious and/or felt more embarrassed and awkward about speakingJapanese in class in the spring quarter than in the autumn” (p. 241).Students who experience communication apprehension or fear ofnegative feedback, it appears, are more apt to choose not to have thelanguage learning experience over the anxiety or embarrassmentassociated with those aspects of our classrooms.A student’s year in college, and not anxiety, was the primarypredicting factor for success in beginning levels of Japanese. Saitoand Samimy cite Macintyre and Gardner (1989), who found that “atthe earliest stages of language learning, motivation and languageaptitude are the dominant factors in determining success. During thefirst few experiences in the foreign language, anxiety plays a negligiblerole in proficiency” (p. 245).However, language anxiety leads to less risk taking inlanguage-learning activities, lower grades, and “negative attitudestoward the class” (p. 246). In fact, Aida (1994) explored therelationship between performance (indicated by student grades) andanxiety, and found that “while students having a high anxiety levelwere more likely to receive a grade of B or lower, those with a lowlevel of anxiety were more likely to get an A” (p. 162). Many studiesin addition to this have found and addressed the relationship betweenanxiety and performance; Bailey (2003) cited some of these (Horwitzel al., 1986; Macintyre & Gardner, 1989, 1991b, 1991c; Onwuegbuzieet al., 2000). In these studies, anxiety was found to relate to severalfactors, including whether students had experience in Japan (thecountry of the language being studied), whether the class was anelective or was required, and whether the students were satisfied withtheir grades in the courses of the language of study. Students whowere taking the course as an elective, had been to Japan, and/or weresatisfied with their grades in Japanese courses were shown toexperience less anxiety (p. 163). This is notable because of the
Korean Language Studies167established correlations between anxiety and both performance andattrition mentioned earlier.Unrealistic expectations of teacher and student also have arole in student attrition (Lemke, 1993, pp. 14–15). Students whoenter the foreign language classroom expecting to become fluent inan unreasonable amount of time and without expending thenecessary effort will be disappointed when they do not reach the levelthey desire. Horwitz (1988), in a study of first-semester languagestudents, found that her subjects generally believed that some peoplehave a greater aptitude for foreign languages; many also hadunrealistic expectations about the amount of time it would take themto reach their desired or anticipated level of proficiency (pp. 286–87).This discrepancy may lead to frustration in students who perceiveearly on that fluency will require much more time and effort thanthey expected when they enrolled in the class. When this occurs,Horwitz writes, “the majority will probably quit language study assoon as permitted” (p. 291). This frustration may be related to theaforementioned anxiety associated with language learning.Furthermore, teachers who expect all students to perform atthe same high levels and who fail to make accommodations forstudents whose natural abilities make language learning a slower butperhaps deeper process than that of their peers also likely contributeto the high attrition rates associated with second language learning.Lemke (1993) writes that some high school second language teachers“cope with slower, l
Korean language instruction in order to reduce student attrition. 162 Damron & Forsyth Introduction . Korean is one of many Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) in America, distinguishing it from Spanish, French, and German. Since the start of the Korean War and the related diaspora of Koreans to the United States and elsewhere, it has become more common for major universities to offer .
to intermediate and advanced Korean lessons. Before you go, here is a bit of history of 한글 (Hangeul, the Korean alphabet): Korean is the official language of Korea, both North and South. There are around 78 million people who speak Korean around the world. [1] 한글 (the Korean alphabet) was invented by Sejong the Great in the 15th century.File Size: 903KB
The Korean language in historical perspective (6 credits) KORE3032. Directed readings in Korean Studies (6 credits) KORE3034. Korean Studies internship (6 credits) KORE3035. Korean Studies field trip (6 credits) KORE3036. Crime, passion, love: Korean popular culture before K-pop (6 credits) Fine Arts FINE2097. Arts of Korea (6 credits) FINE2098. History of Korean paintings (6 credits) Japanese .
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1.2.2 Korean Language Institute courses (Course code: KLI) Intensive Korean language courses are offered by the Korean Language Institute. A placement test to determine Korean language proficiency is required. Taking Korean language
KOREAN 204 Intermediate Korean Eunyoung Kim KOREAN 306S Advanced Korean Eunyoung Kim KOREAN 408S Issues in Korean Lang/Soc II Hae-Young Kim LINGUISTICS Course # Title Instructor Cross-listing **LINGUIST 2
2 Korean Language Korean is an agglutinative language in which “words typically contain a linear sequence of MORPHS ” (Crystal, 2008). Words in Korean (eojeols), there-fore, can be formed by joining content and func-tional morphemes to indicate such meaning. These eojeols can be interpreted as the basic segmenta-tion unit and they are separated by a blank space in the Korean sentence. Let .
23 KOREAN 101: ELEMENTARY KOREAN I 9/5/2012 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Sino- Korean 십 이십 삼십 사십 오십 육십 칠십 팔십 구십 백 Native- Korean 열 스물 서른 마흔 쉰 예순 일흔 여든 아흔 (온) Number practice 따라 .
