Sessions /
Why Do(n’t) Foreign English Teachers Learn Korean? A Narrative Study #1052

Ask around, and you will find many foreign English teachers in Korea who think their Korean “should be better.” But what does this mean? Better for what? What motivates foreign teachers to learn Korean? And why do some teachers end up going much further with Korean than others? This presentation will provide some answers to these questions. The presenter, a (formerly) committed learner of Korean, will outline the results of a narrative study on the Korean learning experiences of foreign teachers. He will show how these teachers narrated their Korean learning motivations, and he will relate their narratives to several current motivational theories. At issue in this presentation is the influence of identity, social/romantic connections, beliefs about language learning/teaching, and formal and informal Korean learning experiences on motivation. This presentation will be of interest to those who wonder why some language learners ultimately achieve greater competence than others.