Abstract:
Previous studies have stressed the importance of taking students’ learning needs into account when teaching a second/foreign language (L2) to prevent or reduce negative outcomes, such as demotivation (e.g., Banno, 2003; Canagarajah, 2002; Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011; Falout, Elwood, & Hood, 2009; Long, 2005b; Richards & Rodgers, 2001, 2014). However, research on Korean language teaching and learning has been noticeably absent in New Zealand. It is therefore difficult to determine what students need and expect in learning Korean and whether the language learning needs that students bring with them are actually informing pedagogical decisions. With a view to strengthening tertiary Korean language programmes in New Zealand, the main purpose of this research project was to explore students’ perceived needs in and beliefs about learning the Korean language as an L2 in a New Zealand tertiary programme. Teachers’ perspectives about teaching Korean effectively, and their expectations of students to make learning in class more productive and help the students successfully achieve their goals, were also gauged to attain a more complete picture of the state of tertiary Korean language acquisition programmes in the country. This investigation adopted a mixed methods approach: focus group interviews, a survey, and in-depth interviews, with the aim of examining students’ learning needs and their perspectives on effective language acquisition and instruction. Additionally, in order to obtain information about teachers’ points of view, individual interviews with teachers were conducted. The findings indicate that there may be a mismatch between students’ and teachers’ perspectives on learning and teaching Korean. On the basis of the findings, this research suggests that in order to better meet students’ learning needs, teachers should teach grammar deductively and explicitly before moving to an activity and provide focused, direct, explicit feedback in a supportive encouraging environment. Furthermore, the findings suggest that it is helpful to provide more opportunities for meaningful interaction and collaboration within a small class and to integrate cultural aspects into the courses, as such methods would stimulate students’ interest in learning Korean. Finally, students should actively take the initiative to assume personal responsibility for their own learning, although they may need the teacher’s guidance and support to become more ready for self-directed learning.