외국 학생들의 언어 문제로 인한 학습 문제 실태 및 해결 방안에 관한 연구

Abstract

The rapid growth of the Korean economy and the global influence of the Korean Wave have attracted a rising number of international students to Korean universities. In the context of Korea’s labor shortage and demographic decline, these students represent a potential human resource whose integration could contribute to sustainable economic development. However, limited Korean language proficiency often hinders their academic achievement and social adaptation. This study examined whether students’ advanced English training could serve as an alternative resource to mitigate learning difficulties. A structured questionnaire consisting of 15 items was administered to 51 international students enrolled in Korean universities. The findings indicate a significant correlation between both Korean and English proficiency and the length of academic study, whereas duration of residence in Korea showed no association with Korean ability. Furthermore, learning goals and reported areas of difficulty were not significantly linked to language proficiency. Korean ability was strongly related to self-assessed overall academic performance, though not to specific domains. Divergent opinions emerged between students confident in English and those less proficient regarding the use of English as a learning aid. These results suggest the potential of providing differentiated English-based support aligned with learners’ linguistic profiles.