KOREAN LANGUAGE STUDIES MOTIVATION AND ATTRITION Julie Damron

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KOREAN LANGUAGE STUDIES: MOTIVATION AND ATTRITION Julie Damron, BYU Justin Forsyth, UBC

KOREAN LANGUAGE STUDIES: MOTIVATION AND ATTRITION Julie Damron, BYU Justin Forsyth, UBC

INTRODUCTION The attrition rate for Korean language classes at BYU from beginning (101) through

INTRODUCTION The attrition rate for Korean language classes at BYU from beginning (101) through intermediate (202) is high.

WHAT AND WHY? What is the attrition rate among Korean classes at BYU? What

WHAT AND WHY? What is the attrition rate among Korean classes at BYU? What motivates students to take Korean at the university level? Why do students drop out?

A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Why do students take a language? � Heritage �

A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE Why do students take a language? � Heritage � Significant other � Education requirements � Interest � Sake of learning � Career opportunities � Increase cultural understanding

LITERATURE REVIEW (CONTINUED) Why do students drop out? � Anxiety/stress � Loss of interest

LITERATURE REVIEW (CONTINUED) Why do students drop out? � Anxiety/stress � Loss of interest � Course too difficult or easy � Dislike of classroom environment � Unavailability of resources � Lack of confidence � Loss of native speaking friend

METHODOLOGY (PART ONE) Tracked 131 student enrollments from Korean 101 to 202 starting from

METHODOLOGY (PART ONE) Tracked 131 student enrollments from Korean 101 to 202 starting from 2005 to 2010. Who enrolled in 101? -84 women, 47 men -33 freshman, 32 sophomores, 32 juniors, 29 seniors, 5 masters students

METHODOLOGY (PART TWO) Surveyed 129 students from Brigham Young University who took any Korean

METHODOLOGY (PART TWO) Surveyed 129 students from Brigham Young University who took any Korean 101 -202 class (92 responded) � Students ranged from beginning to high-intermediate learners � Majors included: economics, management, biology, business, and undeclared � Surveys were sent and returned via email to students who had taken a Korean language course between 2005 and 2010

METHODOLOGY (CONTINUED) � The survey asked 12 questions, with 5 of the questions utilizing

METHODOLOGY (CONTINUED) � The survey asked 12 questions, with 5 of the questions utilizing a 5 -point Likert scale � 54. 3% of students had no Korean parents, 28. 3% had one Korean parent, 17. 4% had two Korean parents. None were adopted from Korea.

Student Attrition Rate from Class to Class from 2005 -2010 16 Students starting in

Student Attrition Rate from Class to Class from 2005 -2010 16 Students starting in Fall 2005 20 Ss, Fall 2006 20 Ss, Fall 2007 26 Ss, Fall 2008 21 Ss, Fall 2009 28 Ss, Fall 2010 Attrition from 101 102 Attrition from 102 201 Attrition from 201 202 *Overall attrition from 101 – 202 57% 72% O% 88% 50% 40% 17% 75% 50% 40% 50% 85% 31% 50% 67% 89% 58% 45% 20% 81% 43% 75% 97%

RESULTS Overall attrition rate from first semester to the beginning of the fourth semester

RESULTS Overall attrition rate from first semester to the beginning of the fourth semester Korean classes averaged 85% (compared with Spanish, French and German at 12 -24% at various institutions) Why?

MOTIVATION FOR TAKING 101 Biggest motivators 1 st It looked interesting (54 students listed

MOTIVATION FOR TAKING 101 Biggest motivators 1 st It looked interesting (54 students listed as high) 2 nd It’s an important language (40) 3 rd Future career benefits (39) 4 th I have Korean heritage (38) Smallest motivators 1 st I have Korean heritage (46 students listed as low) 2 nd It fulfills an academic requirement (42) 3 rd I have a Korean friend/significant other (42)

Number of Student Responses INITIAL MOTIVATORS 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 It

Number of Student Responses INITIAL MOTIVATORS 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 It looked It's an interesting important language Future career benefits I have Korean Heritage I heard it It fulfills an I like was academic Korean pop interesting requirement culture Motivating Factor high mid low I have a Korean friend / significant other

INITIAL DESIRED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY a. Like a native b. Fluent c. somewhat conversational

INITIAL DESIRED LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY a. Like a native b. Fluent c. somewhat conversational d. only basic words and phrases e. no expectations about proficiency # of Respondents 12 28 34 50 % of Total 9. 38 21. 88 26. 56 39. 06 4 3. 13

REASONS FOR QUITTING KOREAN CLASSES Most influential reasons for quitting 1 st It didn’t

REASONS FOR QUITTING KOREAN CLASSES Most influential reasons for quitting 1 st It didn’t fit my schedule (45 students listed as high) 2 nd It was too time consuming (21 students) 3 rd I wasn’t comfortable moving up (20 students) 4 th I fulfilled my requirement (19 students) Least influential reasons for quitting 1 st I no longer had a Korean friend/significant 2 nd I lost interest in Korean 3 rd It wasn’t challenging enough

of a la d re ffe O Number of Student Responses at ng ad

of a la d re ffe O Number of Student Responses at ng ad ua iff ge er Le l en a ss b tt D str of im iff f e L e e s er es rin sf en s ul g tim tc tu a tm la to e ss. . . os co ro p n he om su r m e en in / cu vi g ro r r ic nm Le ul ss en um rig t/ ac or M ou tiv or sc ite er s o i Ta go ur se ug ro w us ht or by co k ur ad se iff w or er en k tt ea ch er n tio dd i ea Th WOULD-BE MOTIVATORS 70 60 50 high 40 30 mid 20 10 low 0 Factor

PERCEIVED SKILL IN LEARNING LANGUAGES Number of Student Respondents 25 20 15 10 5

PERCEIVED SKILL IN LEARNING LANGUAGES Number of Student Respondents 25 20 15 10 5 0 high mid Skill Level low

STRESS LEVELS FOR CLASS ACTIVITIES

STRESS LEVELS FOR CLASS ACTIVITIES

CONCLUSION In this study, students took Korean for these reasons: because they heard it

CONCLUSION In this study, students took Korean for these reasons: because they heard it was interesting, for future career benefits, and/or because they had Korean heritage.

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED) Student expectations were reasonable Average attrition rate from 1 st class to

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED) Student expectations were reasonable Average attrition rate from 1 st class to 4 th class of 85% Timing was the biggest issue Anxiety did not appear to be a major factor

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED) If the primary goal is to reduce attrition, potential effective changes can

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED) If the primary goal is to reduce attrition, potential effective changes can be Establishing a language learning lab Offering a greater variety of class times Giving less time-consuming assignments Addressing anxiety associated with evaluation

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED)

CONCLUSION (CONTINUED)