Earticle

본 연구는 한국어교육에서의 비형식 언어 학습(informal language learning) 활용 방안을 연구하는 데에 그 목적이 있으며, 국내 대학에서 수학 중인 초급 단계의 교환학 생을 그 연구 대상으로 삼는다. 교실 환경에서 비형식 학습과 형식 학습의 접목을 기하 는 방안을 모색하여 그 구체적인 교수-학습 방안을 설계, 2024년 2학기에 설계된 교수- 학습 방안을 적용하였다. 학기 초 설문조사를 통해 학습자들에 대해 파악하고, 연구자 가 설계한 교수-학습 방안 적용이 적절한지 확인하였다. 이에 본고에서는 Chik(2020) 이 제시한 비형식 학습의 다섯 가지 요소인 장소(location), 형식성(formality) 교수법 (pedagogy), 통제 소재(locus of control), 궤적(trajectory)을 적용해 수업을 구성하였 다. 학기 말에 설문조사를 통해 학습자의 피드백을 받아 수업 운용의 효용을 점검한 결 과, 학습자들은 학습 일지, 복습 퀴즈, 팀 프로젝트 등의 학습 활동이 한국어와 한국문 화 학습에 실질적인 도움이 되었고, 협력학습을 통해 한국어 사용에 성취감을 얻었다 고 응답하였다. 특히, 교실에서 배운 표현을 교실 밖에서 사용하려는 의식적 노력이 증 가하였고, 한국에서의 한국어 학습 경험이 향후 지속적인 학습 동기로 작용할 것이라 는 응답이 많았다.

This study explores the application of informal language learning in Korean language education, focusing on beginner-level exchange students at a university in Korea. It examines methods for integrating informal and formal learning in the classroom and develops specific teaching-learning strategies which were implemented during the second semester of 2024. At the beginning of the semester, a survey was conducted to understand learners’ backgrounds and assess the suitability of the instructional design. The study incorporated Chik’s (2020) five elements of informal learning—location, formality, pedagogy, locus of control, and trajectory—into lesson planning. A follow-up survey at the end of the semester gathered student feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach. Findings indicate that activities such as learning journals, review quizzes, and team projects were particularly beneficial for Korean language and cultural learning. Collaborative learning also boosted students’ confidence in using Korean. Notably, learners made more conscious efforts to apply classroom expressions in real-life contexts and viewed their Korean learning experience as a lasting motivation for continued study.

본 연구는 한국어교육에서의 비형식 언어 학습(informal language learning) 활용 방안을 연구하는 데에 그 목적이 있으며, 국내 대학에서 수학 중인 초급 단계의 교환학 생을 그 연구 대상으로 삼는다. 교실 환경에서 비형식 학습과 형식 학습의 접목을 기하 는 방안을 모색하여 그 구체적인 교수-학습 방안을 설계, 2024년 2학기에 설계된 교수- 학습 방안을 적용하였다. 학기 초 설문조사를 통해 학습자들에 대해 파악하고, 연구자 가 설계한 교수-학습 방안 적용이 적절한지 확인하였다. 이에 본고에서는 Chik(2020) 이 제시한 비형식 학습의 다섯 가지 요소인 장소(location), 형식성(formality) 교수법 (pedagogy), 통제 소재(locus of control), 궤적(trajectory)을 적용해 수업을 구성하였 다. 학기 말에 설문조사를 통해 학습자의 피드백을 받아 수업 운용의 효용을 점검한 결 과, 학습자들은 학습 일지, 복습 퀴즈, 팀 프로젝트 등의 학습 활동이 한국어와 한국문 화 학습에 실질적인 도움이 되었고, 협력학습을 통해 한국어 사용에 성취감을 얻었다 고 응답하였다. 특히, 교실에서 배운 표현을 교실 밖에서 사용하려는 의식적 노력이 증 가하였고, 한국에서의 한국어 학습 경험이 향후 지속적인 학습 동기로 작용할 것이라 는 응답이 많았다.

This study explores the application of informal language learning in Korean language education, focusing on beginner-level exchange students at a university in Korea. It examines methods for integrating informal and formal learning in the classroom and develops specific teaching-learning strategies which were implemented during the second semester of 2024. At the beginning of the semester, a survey was conducted to understand learners’ backgrounds and assess the suitability of the instructional design. The study incorporated Chik’s (2020) five elements of informal learning—location, formality, pedagogy, locus of control, and trajectory—into lesson planning. A follow-up survey at the end of the semester gathered student feedback to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach. Findings indicate that activities such as learning journals, review quizzes, and team projects were particularly beneficial for Korean language and cultural learning. Collaborative learning also boosted students’ confidence in using Korean. Notably, learners made more conscious efforts to apply classroom expressions in real-life contexts and viewed their Korean learning experience as a lasting motivation for continued study.

Despite the abundance of studies on EFL students’ online informal learning of English (OILE), EFL teachers’ OILE practice has been left largely unexplored. Considering that EFL teachers are instrumental in providing support and guidance for students’ OILE, the present study attempted to provide holistic and updated empirical evidence of EFL teachers’ OILE, addressing these research questions: (1) What OILE activities do EFL teachers know and practice? and (2) How do EFL teachers perceive OILE benefits to their language skills? The study was conducted based on explanatory sequential mixed method design involving 219 EFL teachers teaching at junior and senior high schools. The data were collected using an online questionnaire and semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 selected teachers and analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. The study revealed that despite their unfamiliarity with the OILE concept, EFL teachers practiced OILE and perceived OILE positively and considered OILE to be beneficial in maintaining and improving their English. However, most of the EFL teachers have practiced OILE in low frequency. They reported that their low OILE practice level was attributed to lack of time, struggle for English, unfamiliarity with OILE activities, fear of making mistakes, and fear of judgment.

Meskipun penelitian tentang praktik pembelajaran bahasa Inggris informal online (OILE) yang dilakukan oleh pembelajar bahasa Inggris telah banyak dilakukan, namun praktik OILE oleh guru bahasa Inggris masih sangat jarang diteliti. Dengan mempertimbangkan pentingnya peran guru bahasa Inggris dalam mendukung dan membimbing praktik OILE para siswa, maka penelitian ini berusaha untuk memberikan bukti empiris mutakhir yang lebih holistik mengenai praktik OILE yang dilakukan oleh para guru bahasa Inggris melalui dua pertanyaan penelitian: (1) Kegiatan OILE apa yang diketahui dan dipraktikkan guru? serta (2) Bagaimana persepsi guru terhadap manfaat OILE bagi pengembangan bahasa Inggris mereka? Penelitian ini menggunakan rancangan explanatory sequential mixed method dan melibatkan 219 guru bahasa Inggris yang mengajar di SMP dan SMA. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan menggunakan kuesioner secara daring dan wawancara mendalam semi terstruktur dengan 15 orang guru terpilih, serta dianalisis dengan statistik deskriptif dan analisis tematik. Penelitian ini mengungkapkan bahwa meskipun para guru bahasa Inggris tidak mengenal istilah dan konsep OILE, namun sejatinya para guru bahasa Inggris telah mempraktikkan OILE, memiliki persepsi positif terhadap OILE, dan memiliki persepsi bahwa OILE bermanfaat dalam mempertahankan dan meningkatkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris mereka. Namun, sebagian besar guru bahasa Inggris baru mempraktikkan OILE dalam frekuensi yang rendah. Para guru menyatakan bahwa rendahnya frekuensi praktik OILE mereka disebabkan oleh terbatasnya waktu senggang mereka, kurangnya pemahaman bahasa Inggris, ketidaksukaan akan kegiatan OILE tertentu, rasa takut membuat kesalahan, dan rasa takut dihakimi.

The forms and demands of language learning are changing in the pandemic era. Learners no longer rely solely on a formal language curriculum. Instead, they are using various informal language learning (ILL) channels. Although informal language learning has been in the spotlight and is growing, more research on ILL is needed. In this study, ILL taking place through an online community was analyzed. Articles from the Korean learning community (r/Korean in Reddit) were collected, and the topic modeling technique, Latent Dirichlet Allocation, was conducted on the collected data. As a result, seven major topics were selected. The most common topics in all posts were issues faced by beginner learners, followed by vocabulary and sentence meanings, interest in Chinese characters and applications of Korean language skills, culture and daily life, translation, online learning materials, and Korean phonics. Through this, the interests of ILL learners and the characteristics of learners could be identified. Due to the nature of ILL, in which a formal curriculum does not exist, it was found that questions about general strategies for learning and questions that could not be solved in formal language education were most prominent. In addition, the characteristics of ILL learners who actively sought learning content and materials were also found.

본 연구는 생성형 인공지능(generative AI)을 매개로 한 비공식 학습 환경 에 참여한 고급 한국어 학습자들의 동기적 전환 과정을 탐구하였다. 내 러티브 탐구 방법론을 적용하여, 학습자들이 AI와의 지속적인 상호작용 을 통해 자기조절 학습 전략, 학습자 정체성, 언어적 인식이 어떻게 변화 하는지를 심층적으로 분석하였다. 참여자들은 개인의 목표나 AI 활용 방 식에는 차이를 보였으나, 공통적으로 외재적 동기에 의해 수동적으로 학 습하던 단계에서 내재적 동기를 기반으로 자율적 언어 사용자로 전환되 는 양상을 나타냈다. 생성형 AI는 단순한 오류 수정 도구를 넘어, 학습자 의 자기평가 능력, 표현 역량, 정서적 안정감을 증진시키는 인지적·정서 적 매개체로 기능하였다. 이러한 결과는 생성형 AI가 언어 숙달도 향상 뿐 아니라, 학습자의 동기 체계와 정체성 구조의 재구성에까지 기여할 수 있는 교육적 잠재력을 지님을 시사한다.

This study investigates motivational transformations among advanced Korean-language learners engaged in informal learning mediated by generative artificial intelligence (AI). Employing a narrative inquiry approach, it analyzes how learners' self-regulated strategies, identity, and linguistic awareness evolve through sustained interaction with AI. Despite differences in personal goals and usage patterns, all participants showed a common shift from passive, extrinsically motivated learners to autonomous, intrinsically driven language users. Generative AI functioned not merely as a corrective tool, but as a cognitive and affective mediator that enhanced learners’ self-evaluation, expressive capacity, and emotional security. These findings suggest that generative AI can contribute to restructuring learners' motivational systems and identities beyond improving linguistic proficiency.

Informal Digital Learning of English (IDLE) is often associated with Willingness to Communicate in a second language (L2 WTC). This study aims to examine whether English as an International Language (EIL) perceptions mediate the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC of learners. Survey data was collected from 206 secondary school students in Korea. The questionnaire of IDLE activities asked whether they watch videos in English (Receptive IDLE) and communicate with others in English (Productive IDLE) through social media like YouTube and Instagram. L2 WTC survey asked how participants were willing to speak in English in the classroom. EIL perception scale examined the perception of the status of English, the variety of English speakers’ accents, and communication strategies. The results found that EIL perception partially mediated the relationship between IDLE and L2 WTC. The findings suggest that learners who participate in IDLE activities have more positive EIL perceptions, which leads to a higher level of WTC. The present study has pedagogical implications for teachers to encourage secondary school students to engage more frequently in IDLE activities autonomously which may enhance positive attitudes toward the varieties of English and the level of L2 WTC in the classroom.