• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.368-379
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• 2022

This study aims to understand the characteristics of Korean language learners and propose appropriate teaching plans for them through a focus group interview with Korean language instructors who had experience in teaching Korean at university-attached institutions in Hong Kong. For this purpose, the investigator interviewed ten instructors who taught Korean for at least five years. Korean language learners in Hong Kong who were in their twenties, but there were diverse age groups, including those in their fifties or older. Their motivations for learning Korean included the Korean Wave and the influence of support from the Continuing Education Fund by the Hong Kong government. Korean language learners in Hong Kong were characterized by active learning desire and effort, continuous learning intention, passive performance in speaking, and sensitivity to the disclosure of private information. Based on these findings, the study proposes to devise teaching and learning methods based on various age groups in a class and teaching methods for speaking that reflect the characteristics of Korean language learners in Hong Kong to teach Korean more effectively. The study is significant as a field study that examines the learning motivations, learning attitudes, and difficulties with Korean study of Korean language learners based on an unprecedented survey of the characteristics of common local Korean learners in Hong Kong.