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A Geolocative Linguistic Landscape Project in Korean as Foreign Language Education

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Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape

Part of the book series: Educational Linguistics ((EDUL,volume 49))

Abstract

This study explores the employment of Linguistic Landscape (LL) as a pedagogical tool in Korean as a Foreign Language classroom. Despite the noticeable growth in LL scholarship focused on Korean, there are few studies to date that have investigated Korean language learning. By illustrating how LL is applied to Korean language classes in combination with other pedagogical tools, including digital storytelling and geolocative applications, this study aims to fill this gap. Fifty-two students in university-level Korean classes participated in this project. The students explored local areas fully embraced by the growing Korean community, produced digital stories, and shared their videos on a Google map. The collaboratively created map was a space for sharing complexity of the multilingual environment, offering linguistic exploration, and creating dynamic discussion. The findings show that LL benefits the students by engaging them with displayed texts and promoting the students’ development in broad learning goals. Students used their linguistic knowledge as well as regional knowledge to understand different signs and evaluate whether the environment was an authentic source of the target culture. This study discusses how the inquiry-based, student-led, and community-focused project impacted the students’ understandings of the target language and culture as well as local multilingualism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish, meaning “mixed rice” in Korean.

  2. 2.

    Here our use of the terms “interpretational,” “presentational,” and “interpersonal” modes borrows from performance descriptors commonly employed by ACTFL to differentiate between types of communicative activity in a foreign language.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of World Languages and Cultures, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Hakyoon Lee

  2. Department of Russian and East Asian Languages and Cultures, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Bumyong Choi

Authors
  1. Hakyoon Lee
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  2. Bumyong Choi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hakyoon Lee .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. San José State University, San José, CA, USA

    David Malinowski

  2. Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Hiram H. Maxim

  3. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    SĂ©bastien Dubreil

Appendices

Appendices

1.1 Appendix 1: A Summary of the Project Procedure

Steps

Formats

Emphases

1. Introduction

Lecture

Definition/Goals/Possible Topics/Examples

2. Students’ research

Group work (3–4 students)

Identify geolocative point of interest that is related to target culture

Visit the places and collect data

Analyze the data and write a script

Obtain feedbacks on the script from the instructor

Creating Digital Story Telling and Posting it on Google Maps

3. Presentation

Digital Story Telling (DST), Presentation, board

Present DST videos on Google Maps in class

Peer feedbacks and interactions to the DST through Google maps

4. Reflection

Individual Writing

What did you learn from the project?

5. Grading

 

Script (10%)

Materials Contents (70%): Information, analysis, & creativity

Interaction and Reflection (20%)

1.2 Appendix 2: Student Survey Questions

This project enhanced my communication skills to interact with local speakers of the target language.*

Communication_Interpersonal

This project enhanced my ability to read and understand signage, menu, or other text written in the target language.

Communication_Interpretational

This project enhanced my ability to organize concepts and ideas to inform, explain, and narrate in the target language.

Communication_Presentational

This project enhanced my understanding of the target culture in the local context.

Culture_Understanding

Creating the digital story increased my interest in the target culture.

Culture_Motivation

Watching other students’ digital stories helped me learn the target culture.

Culture_Learning through others’

This project increased my awareness of the similarities and differences between the target language and English.

Comparison_Language (target language-English)

This project increased my awareness of the similarities and differences between the target culture and the local culture.

Comparison_Korean (target culture-local culture)

This project furthered my understanding of local Chinese/Japanese/Korean communities beyond the language classroom.

Community_Schoosl and communities (beyond classroom)

This project increased my motivation for continuing learning the target language.

Community_Lifelong learning (motivation)

The technology required for the project was easy to learn.

Technology

I would recommend using this project for future language classes.

Overall preference

  1. *The target language and culture used in this survey refer to Korean language and culture since this survey was conducted in Korean as a foreign language classroom

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Lee, H., Choi, B. (2020). A Geolocative Linguistic Landscape Project in Korean as Foreign Language Education. In: Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (eds) Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape. Educational Linguistics, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55761-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55761-4_9

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-55760-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-55761-4

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