Does the attractiveness of K-culture shape the enjoyment of foreign language learners of Korean?

Abstract

Attraction to the target culture can be a reason to study the language, especially in the case of languages other than English (LOTEs). Recently, the number of Korean language learners has surged alongside the growing popularity of Korean pop culture (K-pop). However, it is unknown whether the initial attraction to the culture and the first steps in that direction shape foreign language (FL) emotions in the longer term. To fill this gap, this mixed-methods study examined to what extent the attractiveness of the Korean Culture (K-culture) predicts foreign language enjoyment (FLE) after controlling for other established learner variables (i.e., the length of FL study, FL proficiency, frequency of FL use outside of class, and attitudes toward the teacher and FL) through sequential regression analysis. The quantitative findings are complemented by the open-ended responses to the sources of FLE using the American Council on Teaching of Foreign Languages 3Ps framework (products, practices, and perspectives) through NVivo. A total of 782 university students studying Korean as FL completed an online survey on the attractiveness of K-culture and FLE. The results showed that the attitude toward the teacher and attractiveness of K-culture are the strongest predictors of FLE.