A Study of the Learning Goals of University Students of Korean as a Foreign Language

Research has shown that motivation is a major determinant of success in second and foreign language learning. This article focuses on Singapore students’ learning motivation: Why do university students in Singapore decide to learn the Korean language? There is anecdotal evidence that Hallyu or the Korean Wave might have promoted a keen interest in Korea and its culture, and encouraged many to learn the Korean language. This same enthusiasm inspired by the Korean Wave might also have a bearing on the learning motivation of Korean as a foreign language (KFL) students at the university level. However, till date, there have been no research studies that investigated the motivation of Korean language learners in Singapore and provided insightful empirical data. This study was designed to fill this void and examined the learning goals of university KFL students in Singapore. The study involved a total of 80 students who responded to a questionnaire on their learning goals. Factor analyses conducted on the data collected revealed five factors among students’ learning goals, namely “pop culture,” “career,” “achievement,” “academic exchange,” and “foreign languages and cultures.” The presence of the major factor “pop culture,” which accounted for the largest percentage of the total variance, indicates that the Korean Wave had indeed provided the motivation for many to learn Korean. The article will also discuss the implications of the study’s findings for the teaching practice and curriculum development at the NUS and beyond, e.g. with regard to how teachers can sustain and increase students’ learning motivation as well as better align their learning goals with the teaching objectives of academic institutions. In addition, suggestions for further research will be presented.