Korean teachers’ perceptions of embedding pop culture into classrooms

Young A Jung, George Mason University (VA)

Sungshim Choi, George Mason University (VA)
Hye Young Shin, American University (DC)
Sherry Steeley, Georgetown University (DC)
Marjorie Hall Haley, George Mason University (VA)

Abstract
This study examines the perceptions of Korean language teachers on the classroom practice
of embedding contemporary Korean pop culture into classrooms for effective world language
instruction. While integrating culture in language classrooms has been practiced for decades,
Korean teachers in this study expressed a lack of confidence in designing activities with a wide
array of samples of Korean culture in their instruction. In this article, we explore how 14 pre-and
in-service Korean teachers who attended a 2019 professional development summer program
engaged in a learner-centered classroom that utilized various forms of Korean culture, such as
K-pop, as an instructional tool. Data were gathered during this teacher training program using
online surveys, small group interviews, daily reflections, online discussion, and final projects
based on a mixed-methods research design. The results of the study highlight the importance of
thoughtful use of Korean culture and the appropriate use of technology to support and enhance
culture-integrated language instruction. Finally, implications for future research and practice
with world language teachers and teacher educators are discussed.
Introduction
Since Korean singer, Psy, hit YouTube with Gangnam Style, Korean popular music
(K-pop) has become more popular than ever and has contributed to the now-global Korean
Wave. Recently, a Korean boy band, BTS: Bangtan Boys or Bulletproof Boy Scouts [Bang-tan-
so-nyeon-dan in Korean] has gained worldwide attention among teenagers (Cruz, 2019). This
recent trend has spread beyond Asian countries (Jin, 2016) and especially, this Korean Wave has
inspired many students to enroll in Korean classes in colleges and universities whereas many
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 License.

NECTFL Review, Number 88, March 2022, pp. 37 – 53. © 2022 by Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

March 2022 37
NECTFL Review Number 88
other world languages are experiencing enrollment decreases (Looney [The new Korean
& Lusin, 2019). Accordingly, many schools and institutions are seeking wave of K-pop]
high-quality Korean language teachers to accommodate students who has inspired
want to learn Korean. In addition, the United States federal government many students to
has referred to Korean as one of the critical need languages which are enroll in Korean
crucial for economic growth and national security (National Security classes in colleges
and universities
Education Program, 2019).
whereas many
Considering the national standards for world language education other world
(The National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015) and the popularity languages are
of Korean media, Korean world language teachers are seeking ways to experiencing
incorporate Korean popular music and culture into their classroom enrollment
activities (Lee, 2018). However, it should be noted that there have been decreases
limited teacher-training opportunities for Korean teachers to improve
their instructional repertoire (Kim & Kim, 2016). In addition, many Korean language teachers
were educated outside of the United States and were not familiar with American school systems
or classroom activities. Therefore, teachers wanted to adapt themselves to American classrooms
(Kim & Kim, 2016; Lee & Bang, 2011). Shin and Wong (2017) reported that professional
development opportunities offered by national and regional associations of Korean teachers do
not satisfy the needs of many Korean language teachers. To fill this gap, the federal government
provided StarTalk grants for professional development programs for critical need languages
teachers and world language learning programs (Koning, 2009; StarTalk, 2021).
This article addresses how one public four-year university met the challenges to enhance
the professional development needs of Korean teachers. This university offered a carefully
designed three-week sequence of synchronous face-to-face workshops and asynchronous
online learning modules (two weeks in June and one week in July 2019). The teacher participants
are mostly first-generation Korean immigrants educated in Korea and reported that they grew
up and had been trained in teacher-centered instructional styles. Throughout these workshops,
the teacher participants were required to shift their traditional ways of teaching from a
teacher-centered to a student-centered approach. At the same time, we instructed teachers
to align their instruction with the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (The
National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015) while incorporating Korean pop culture as an
instructional tool effectively.
The current study focuses on how teachers learned and applied The current study
planning and instructional practices using Korean culture, including focuses on how
children’s songs and K-pop, in their instruction. By reporting on how teachers learned
Korean language teachers engaged in this professional training and and applied
implemented this learning into their microteaching and lesson plan planning and
design, this article highlights how world language teachers incorporated instructional
practices using
Korean culture into their language instruction as an innovative approach
Korean culture,
for learner-centered and standards-based lessons. The two main including
research questions are: (1) What are teacher participants’ perspectives children’s songs
on incorporating cultural artifacts into their teaching? and (2) How do and K-pop, in their
teacher participants incorporate cultural artifacts as a means of learner- instruction.
centered instruction?
Culture and World Language Classrooms
The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages/ Council for the
Accreditation of Educator Preparation (ACTFL/CAEP) program standards for foreign

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EMBEDDING POP CULTURE INTO CLASSROOMS
language teachers suggests that the ‘Five Cs’—Communication, Cultures, Connections,
Comparisons, and Communities—should be incorporated in the training of world language
teachers and the implementation of their instruction (ACTFL/CAEP, 2013). Accordingly,
world language teachers need to consider diverse factors in their instruction such as the
amount of the target language use, standards-based lesson planning, learner-centered
instruction, and appropriate assessments bridging oral and written discourse (Grahn &
McAlpine, 2017; Haley & Austin, 2014). World language teachers encourage students to
interact with other cultures while learning the target language. Learners use the target
language to investigate the relationship between the practices, products, and perspectives
of the cultures studied and develop insights about those cultures (The National Standards
Collaborative Board, 2015, p. 68). Approaches to teaching culture in world language classes
have been developed from a knowledge-based approach to an intercultural communicative
competence approach (Piątkowska, 2015; Skopinskaja, 2005). The current trend of teaching
intercultural competence in a foreign language classroom focuses on developing cross-
cultural comparison, communicative tasks, and experiential learning with effective use of
technologies (Meyer 1990; Perry & Southwell, 2011; Penz 2001).
As a way to build cultural competence, many language teachers draw contemporary
culture into their language classrooms in addition to the traditional. Popular music is one
of the most prevalent aspects of modern culture from which language learners can benefit
while learning their target language.
The influence of Korean pop culture on language learning
Korean popular music (K-pop), a new genre of music that has gained
Korean popular
music (K-pop), international popularity since the 1990s, originated in South Korea.
a new genre K-pop has developed as a mainstream subculture on a worldwide level.
of music that Many American students enjoy listening to K-pop and engaging with
has gained other popular cultural productions such as Korean TV dramas, films, and
international webtoons. Even if students never travel to Korea, they may be interested in
popularity these shows and musical productions and experience them through social
since the 1990s, media such as YouTube (Oh & Park, 2012; Ono & Kwon, 2013). Similarly,
originated in
Lee (2018) argues that the growing interest in Korean pop culture is
South Korea.
positively correlated with the intent to learn the Korean language. This
K-pop has
developed as phenomenon parallels the increase in Japanese language courses in the US
a mainstream when Japanese culture became popular around the world in the 1980s and
subculture on a 1990s (Fukunaga, 2006; Matsumoto, 2007).
worldwide level. Interest in Korean culture is broadening from specialized media
markets to the mainstream media market (Gibson, 2018; Ryoo, 2009)
Additionally, there is evidence that some US college students intend to seek jobs or attend
graduate schools based on their Korean language skills and cultural knowledge. The number of
study-abroad students in Korea is also increasing every year (prior to the COVID-19 period).
Finally, the competition for the Korean government-supported English teacher programs
such as Teach and Learn in Korea (TALK) and English Program in Korea (EPIK) is quite
high (Jeon, 2020). The recent increase in Korean studies majors and minors at US universities
reflects this increase in demand (American Association of Teachers of Korean, 2021). As
a result of these trends, the number of candidates hoping to teach the Korean language is
increasing, and current teachers at heritage Korean schools are also eager to participate in
workshops or acquire certifications to further their careers.

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NECTFL Review Number 88
The US college Korean teachers also recently started to adopt a cross-cultural approach
rather than to deliver stereotypical and essential images (Byon, 2007). For instance,
diverse learner-centered projects such as a culture portfolio project or a short film-making
project, increase students’ interest in learning a target language and understanding the
distinctiveness of a target culture. However, according to Shin and Wong (2017), many
of those teachers at heritage Korean schools were unsure of how to make the transition to
American education standards and teaching styles. They reported that when their Korean
teacher participants were introduced to learner-centered teaching methods during the
professional workshops, teachers were confused with the concept and the application of the
learner-centered approach in language instruction (p.134).
Learner-centered Instruction
Learner-centered approaches to meet various learners’ needs have been widely adopted
in general K-16 contexts (e.g., social studies, math, science, and language education)
(Phyllis, 2009; Nunan, 2012; Terry, 2008, 2011; Trigwell, 2010; Weimer, 2013). Weimer
(2013) also stated the importance of differentiated instruction by emphasizing that
students’ developmental issues influence effective learner-centered teaching. He suggested
a transformative experience that learner-centered teaching not only transforms students’
learning experiences but also teachers’ perceptions and attitudes about ways of teaching and
their role as teachers (Weimer, 2013, p. 26). According to Terry (2011), teachers experience
a transformative role change from a lecturer delivering knowledge to a facilitator helping
students become independent learners in learner-centered class settings (p. 52). Arguing
that learner-centered education can be linked to teachers’ perceptions and practices,
Badjadi (2020) considers the learner-centered approach as a globally applicable method
to second language education settings. However, many studies have focused on theoretical
assumptions and practices for English language education (i.e., English as a Second/Foreign
Language), but not in world language contexts (Nunan, 2012; Stockwell, 2011). Few research
findings show if the learner-centered approach can be similarly adopted for world language
education (Haley et al., 2013).
Not only in the world language field in general but the context of Korean language
instruction a learner-centered approach has also been introduced very recently (Kim et al.,
2017; Yoon & Choe, 2011). Yoon and Choe (2011) note that the field of Korean language
education as a foreign language was introduced in the late 1990s and established as an
academic field in South Korea in the early 2000s and inevitably, foreign language teaching
methods including a learner-centered approach were introduced later. Further, historically,
there is a preference for a teacher-centered approach that is related to Confucius’ beliefs;
with this teaching philosophy, the teacher should be a role model for students and lead
students along the right path (Bhang & Kwak, 2019). Teachers are expected to guide students
to find educational value according to Confucian learning (Park, 2016). Confucian culture
emphasizes teachers’ authority in the classroom, and teaching courses in public schools in
Korea is generally centered on teachers across all subject matters (Feng, 2002).
To introduce the learner-centered approach to Korean language teachers, we planned
to provide multiple opportunities for teachers to be immersed themselves as students
throughout the three-week summer StarTalk professional development program. In
addition, throughout two different microteaching sessions at the end of the second week,
they were encouraged to consider diverse students’ backgrounds, learning styles, interests,
and proficiency levels in Korean as they begin to design their lesson plans. As program
providers, we believe that knowing and learning about their students can inform teacher

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EMBEDDING POP CULTURE INTO CLASSROOMS
participants as they plan learner-centered instruction, which will finally lead them to
successful teaching.
Methods
This study took place in the context of a professional development program composed
of three weeks of a carefully designed sequence of online and face-to-face workshops for
Korean teachers in need of transitioning from traditional teacher-centered to student-
centered teaching. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) application was approved in May
2019 to study teacher participants’ learning experiences from the planned professional
development program. This program provided Korean teacher participants with multiple
opportunities to explore and examine learner-centered instruction and national standards
for foreign language education while incorporating Korean culture as an instructional tool.
Figure 1 illustrates how we collected data based on the program schedule. Teacher
participants completed individual readings, online discussions, and a pre-survey in the first
week of the program, and in the second week, they participated in hands-on workshops and
microteaching demonstrations based on information they learned during the first two weeks.
During the microteaching demonstrations, teacher participants conducted two different
hour-long classes for elementary and middle-school students in a heritage Korean language
summer camp. The four teams of three or four teachers collaboratively prepared lesson
plans for differentiated instruction in a co-teaching setting, created teaching materials, and
practiced their teaching. During the third week, teacher participants synthesized what they
had learned about using culture for effective differentiated planning during the previous
two weeks of the program. Week three was entirely online, and teacher participants were
asked to create final lesson plans that cumulatively reflected their new knowledge and
experiences through online discussion threads and to complete a post-survey on their
learning experiences.
Figure 1.
Data Collection Sequence with Program Contents

Fourteen teacher participants completed the program and agreed to take part in this
research. Teacher participants were recruited from five different states and varied in age
(30s to 50s), years of teaching experience (zero to ten years), and teaching contexts (eight
heritage schools, four public middle or high schools, one community college, and one

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NECTFL Review Number 88
university). At the time of this study, two teachers were teaching at public high schools with
provisional licensure. Among eight heritage schoolteachers, three held teaching licenses
issued by the Korean government.
Our research framework relied on the analysis of diverse data including online surveys,
participants’ reflections, participants’ work products, online discussion over the three-
week workshops, and focus group interviews with teacher participants (Appendix). The
authors, who served as the program instructors and research coordinators, collected data
and engaged in data analysis with constant comparison methods (Glaser & Strauss, 2017).
The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with three focus groups of teacher
participants on the fifth day of the second week of the workshop when they returned
from their microteaching demonstrations to debrief their experiences. All interviews were
conducted in Korean and audio-recorded with participants’ written consent according to
the IRB protocol. Subsequently, researchers reviewed the audio recordings and selectively
transcribed and translated relevant portions into English. All participant-identifiable data
sources were marked with pseudonyms.
Researchers analyzed the interviews, the online discussions, and the participants’
projects to identify participants’ views and the incorporation of these views in the form
of their final lesson plans. Using a constant comparative approach (Glaser & Strauss, 2017;
Merriam, 2009; Strauss & Corbin, 1998), authors examined all data for emergent themes
and patterns. We analyzed changes in perspectives throughout the program by answering
the first question (What are teacher participants’ perspectives on incorporating cultural
artifacts into their teaching?) to determine teachers’ evolving views on incorporating
cultural dimensions into their teaching. Responding to the second question (How
do teacher participants incorporate cultural artifacts as a means of learner-centered
instruction?) involved analysis of how teachers conducted learner-centered instruction in
their microteaching demonstrations and their final online lesson plans.
Findings and Discussions
Most of the teacher participants indicated that the summer program was an innovative
educational experience because they were able to overcome misunderstandings they had
previously held about language teaching. For example, teachers had previously believed
that in classrooms, they should be the sole source of instruction to learners. Another
example of a misconception was that only adults listened to K-pop music and that popular
culture should not be used in K-12 classrooms. These ideas changed through interactions
with other teacher participants and the program instructors. One of the most significant
transformations that the teacher participants reported was their perception of the teacher-
student relationship. As illustrated below from the interviews, many teacher participants
used to believe that teachers need to have authority over students and give all directions
to control and manage effective learning. They were even surprised to discover that the
teacher-student relationship does not have to be vertical or one-way (i.e., a teacher imparts
knowledge down to students) but rather can be horizontal and two-way (i.e., a teacher
shares knowledge, and students share concerns/questions) during their microteaching
demonstrations.
Three teacher participants were former public-school teachers in South Korea, and
four teachers were teaching in local middle schools and high schools in the US. All other
teacher participants did not have any teaching experience before they immigrated to the
United States. In the pre-institute survey, many teachers answered that they were not
familiar with teaching methods in American schools. When teacher participants shared

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their experiential backgrounds and professional training program experiences after
microteaching demonstrations, they described their perceptual changes about teaching,
students, and their new views on teaching world languages with embedded culture. This shift
was particularly noteworthy as evidenced by the teachers’ daily reflections and interviews.
The following statements highlight two teacher participants’ perceptual transformation
during the in-depth interviews after the microteaching demonstrations.
I think I am the only one who can teach my students in my classroom. I even
didn’t try to get to know my students. I was the only one who prepared a lot for
the class and taught hard. However, I had wondered why the students were not
concentrating in my class, and there were no learning effects. The contents of the
workshop were shocking that the subject of the classroom should be students, not
a teacher. (Teacher KM)
I realized the need for a shift from teacher-oriented classes to student-oriented
classes is an urgent and important issue. I did not know that children can learn while
they play games. What an amazing fact that kids can learn with lots of fun! Why
should learning experiences be painful? Shouldn’t it be fun to learn? (Teacher PK)
As the teacher participants reported in interviews, the professional development
program offered an opportunity to reflect on their traditional teaching styles and their
preconceived beliefs that an authoritarian (Terry, 2011, p.4) class design and practices
would benefit learners. Many participants expressed that they could understand the
importance of being aware of their students’ interests and needs. They even mentioned
that the one-way authoritarian approach would not work as they expected. While sharing
and comparing their ideas and thoughts, the teachers added that they could reorient their
instruction toward a more learner-centered model, modify their teaching practices, and,
finally, transform their instruction from teacher-centered class into learner-centered.
Korean Cultural Artifacts for Learner-centered Instruction
Understanding culture or incorporating cultural artifacts in
Understanding
culture or language instruction is one of the best ways to immerse students in
incorporating the world language classrooms (Grahn & McAlpine, 2017; Haley &
cultural artifacts Austin, 2014). Although many participants continued to believe that
in language incorporating culture into their language teaching would be very
instruction is challenging, data analysis indicated that the teacher participants’
one of the best transformative perceptual experience was positive about how to
ways to immerse approach learner-centered instruction with Korean cultural artifacts.
students in the
In addressing the question, “How do teacher participants incorporate
world language
cultural artifacts as a means of learner-centered instruction?”, most
classrooms
teacher participants looked back on their past teaching. The teachers
responded that lessons on culture are usually introduced after linguistic components such
as grammar or dictation and only if time allows. One teacher responded. Understanding
culture or incorporating cultural artifacts in language instruction is one of the best ways to
immerse students in the world language classrooms
Teachers must follow the school curriculum and cover all contents of given textbooks
each year. In many cases, the content of cultural classes is far from the theme of
that given chapter. For instance, when we learn about family, the cultural content
of that chapter is King Sejong [the inventor of the Korean alphabet]. (Teacher SN)

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NECTFL Review Number 88
As teacher SN described, many Korean language textbooks mainly focus on
grammatical forms according to a chapter sequence without relevant cultural lessons. In
addition, these textbooks rarely mention how to differentiate or accommodate a variety of
learners, such as different ages, grades, or language proficiency levels. Notably, teachers felt
some degree of trepidation when asked about learner-centered instruction in the survey
before the program started. By the end of the program, teachers started to understand
learner-centered instruction although this concept was new to them. While the teacher
participants began to realize that cultural learning is a crucial part of language acquisition,
they also realized that Korean cultural artifacts could be used as effective tools for learner-
centered instruction. In the second week of the program, all teacher participants conducted
microteaching demonstrations in a local heritage Korean school where teacher participants
actively used Korean songs and K-pop as effective learner-centered teaching tools. One
participant shared her new experience of incorporating this tool:
I only used to use children’s songs before this teacher workshop, but it was really
good to learn how to use K-pop for a Korean language class. I had a preconceived
notion that K-pop is only for adults, but it was surprising that there were many ways
to use K-pop for younger learners. (….) I realized that culture goes together with
language through this teacher training workshop. (Teacher CH)
Although teacher CH shared that she started to change her perspective on using K-pop
in her classroom, it was still challenging for teachers of primary school students to adopt
K-pop. This is because most heritage Korean schools do not include contemporary pop
culture content in their curricula. While teacher participants were planning their learning
activities during the second-week teaching demonstrations, they spent a considerable
amount of time realigning course content with K-pop by analyzing their target students’
profiles, selecting the appropriate K-pop, and adapting it to their lessons. One teacher
commented that during the teaching demonstrations, they could observe even young
students also liked the rhythm of K-pop and learned the target words with a song. This
attempt was difficult, but worth it. This team changed the lyrics of the original song and
replaced them with the target grammatical structure. The melody was easy to follow, so
young students liked to sing without realizing they were studying grammar; they even sang
the song after the class.
Throughout the three-week summer program, teacher participants worked step-by-
step toward the preparation of a lesson plan that used learner-centered instruction while
incorporating cultural artifacts into classroom instruction based on students’ needs and
curricular standards. For the third week’s final project, participants first explored students’
cultural and linguistic knowledge, learning styles, and motivation as factors impacting the
approaches that they should take toward developing learning activities. After describing
learners and their interests and needs, teachers made initial selections of cultural artifacts
and activities that they thought would be most appropriate for their students.
Teachers were grouped by level—primary, secondary, and post-secondary—and
they collaborated in analyzing learner needs and developing appropriate connections to
learning activities and materials. Among primary school teachers, the most popular activity
choice was singing Korean children’s songs and nursery rhymes in the classroom, followed
closely by hands-on activities such as traditional musical instruments and playing Korean
traditional games (Jeki Chagi or Konggi Nori) or Korean board games (Yutnori). Among
secondary and post-secondary teachers, K-pop, Korean TV dramas, and food were the
leading topics. Interestingly, food was a crossover category—the only selection present

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EMBEDDING POP CULTURE INTO CLASSROOMS
across all educational levels. The most common types of cultural artifacts and activities are
summarized in Table 1 (next page).
It is also interesting that five primary teachers suggested using Korean musical
instruments in their lesson plans. These teachers considered that Korean musical
instruments would work better for engaging primary school students, especially visual
and auditory learners, and help fit for short a sentence structure like a chant. Teachers
learned ways of using the Korean cultural products and the benefits of using the musical
instruments as authentic artifacts for various learning activities. Finally, the teachers agreed
that music can fit into language classrooms.
Table 1.
Cultural Artifacts Identified in Discussions

Cultural Artifact / Activities Primary Secondary Post-Secondary

Korean songs 7 - -
Korean musical instruments 5 - -
Korean games 5 - -
Poems 3 - -
Books /stories 3 - -
Food 3 3 4
K-Pop - 5 4
K-Drama - 5 3
Other TV and commercials - 3 -
Other: Crafts, cartoons, clothing 4 - -
(traditional)
Other: K-Fashion, K-Beauty, Video - 3 2
games

However, there was also a return to more traditional topics, particularly among
primary-level teachers. While some primary level teachers incorporated food and others
incorporated K-pop, the majority of primary level teachers still focused on the common
themes of family, hobbies, travel, and everyday objects. The teachers who worked with
young students may have felt that Korean pop culture was not always appropriate for young
learners. Among secondary teachers, a similar pattern was reflected, with two participants
focusing on popular music, and others shifting to the traditional cultural topics involving
jobs, holidays, and basic informational exchanges. Whereas primary/secondary teachers
made versatile choices, postsecondary teachers made somewhat narrow, but consistent
choices. Their choices converge into K-pop, food, cultural norms, TV commercials, and
K-dramas. For instance, this choice was driven by teachers’ perception that K-pop is more
age-appropriate and attractive to their post-secondary students rather than songs and
poems. Overall, we observed slight changes, but teachers—regardless of level—tended to
stick to the topics with which they were familiar when designing lesson plans for their final
project of the third week of the workshop. As evidenced in their topic choices for lesson
plans, it will take time for Korean teachers to become confident in incorporating diverse
Korean cultural artifacts in their language instruction.
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NECTFL Review Number 88
Technology for Culture Education
Although there was limited time for teachers to navigate thoroughly through
every aspect of culture in language instruction, this professional development learning
experience also contributed to teacher participants’ understanding of culture instruction
using technology. For example, teachers linked technology and culture to learner-centered
instruction based on students’ interests, learning styles, ages, and proficiency levels in
Korean. The statement below illustrates how a teacher participant’s perception of using
technology changed throughout the workshop:
I came to like technology, Quizlet, and Kahoot [online games]. Children love bringing
iPads. Korean schoolteachers need a workshop for educational technology tools.
To accommodate students’ needs who are educated in American schools, teacher
educators must train their teachers, and principals must attend those workshops
first. (Teacher participant BG)
Understanding that their students were experienced at using technology and media
platforms led teachers to attempt to use diverse educational technology applications as
a strategy for learner-centered instruction in the classroom environment. When Kahoot
was played, most students expressed excitement, saying “I used to play that in my school!”
Similarly, the literature suggests that small group competitions using online applications
such as Kahoot or Quizlet were shown to be very effective in engaging students’ attention
as well as providing formative assessments (Ryder & Machajewski, 2017; Wolff, 2016).
Teacher participants also learned to utilize diverse Quizlet games and Padlet boards to help
individualized instruction during the workshop.
As their motivation for incorporating technology into culture-related instruction
increased, many teacher participants mentioned the need to shift to more learner-centered
instruction in Korean classrooms. During the program, teacher participants realized that
young learners participated more actively in classes with various activities such as listening
to music, singing, playing games, and using technology. Teacher participants who are
currently teaching at local heritage Korean schools shared their experiences that the level of
young learners’ concentration and motivation increased more when they used technology
such as YouTube and diverse educational applications than when they used worksheets and
textbook materials. They admitted that even elementary-school-age learners with beginner
proficiency levels preferred visual and sensory materials offered by teachers’ careful
selection of numerous Internet resources.
Incorporating technology into culture-related instruction would Incorporating
be a good way for enriching world language instruction while fostering technology into
students’ collaborative skills. For example, various projects such as culture-related
online blog making, mock online K-pop singing contests, Instagram instruction would
postings for favorite K-pop stars for various learner levels could be be a good way
utilized based on ACTFL Can-Do statements (ACTFL, 2017). This for enriching
would allow teachers to incorporate project-based classroom activities world language
instruction while
based on K-pop into their classes, enabling them to switch to learner-
fostering students’
centered classes, and would promote students’ twenty-first-century collaborative skills.
skills such as technology, collaboration, and creativity.
In summary, the teachers found that introducing K-pop or Korean culture is enhanced
via technology, which is helpful in learner-centered world language classrooms. The teachers
learned how to use authentic Korean cultural products and practices in differentiated ways
that incorporated photos, interviews, and advertisements of K-pop singers, depending

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EMBEDDING POP CULTURE INTO CLASSROOMS
on the proficiency level and/or age of learners in their classes. Teachers often sang K-pop
by themselves, but mostly they relied on YouTube, blogs, or Instagram, and searched the
Internet for the lyrics and melodies. Due to the concurrent use of other instructional
technology tools such as Quizlet, Kahoot, or Padlet, teachers were able to incorporate
culture into learner-centered instruction in Korean language classes.
Conclusions and Implications
While many world language teachers are well-versed in the World-Readiness Standards
for Learning Languages (The National Standards Collaborative Board, 2015), the Korean
language teachers in this study, for incorporating culture into language instruction represent
a significant shift in instructional practices. The program participants all agreed that
Korean cultural artifacts can be teaching tools and sources for learner-centered instruction
in Korean classrooms and that diverse technological tools can be useful instruments for
incorporating K-pop and culture in Korean classrooms. Teacher participants showed that
Korean cultural artifacts, especially K-pop, can be implemented according to different
topics, themes, and proficiency levels.
During the microteaching demonstrations in a local heritage Korean school, teacher
participants implemented effective instruction while incorporating diverse cultural artifacts.
Teachers used authentic materials such as songs and K-pop, adapted cross-cultural (US/
Korean) teaching approaches, and used technological resources. The teacher participants,
however, seemed unsure as to whether these activities would be well-suited to their given
curriculum, learning goals, and whether they would improve student performance.
Even though teacher participants expressed that this training helped them improve their
teaching repertoire, they also hoped to have more professional development opportunities
to improve their teaching competence. They were also concerned that it would be time-
consuming to identify, select, and tailor Korean cultural artifacts or authentic materials for
classroom use even though many of these resources could be easily accessed through social
media or online sources.
During the program, teachers created a unified virtual storage
Along with the site (Google Drive) for sharing their teaching materials. Teacher
shared virtual participants shared their videos, photos, and website lists by students’
collection of grades and language levels. We realized that this effort was timely and
materials and
helpful for those teachers given the current shift to online teaching and
resources, it would
be beneficial if
learning because of COVID-19. We hope this also can be expanded
the government and shared with other Korean language teachers.
or teacher- This effort is not only propitious given the current prevalent online
educators provide teaching circumstances, but it is also useful for other Korean language
funding and teachers. Along with the shared virtual collection of materials and
more professional resources, it would be beneficial if the government or teacher-educators
development provide funding and more professional development workshops
workshops designed to address and meet the needs of world language teachers
designed to
who are committed to learner-centered instruction. In addition,
address and meet
the needs of
as evidenced by our data, using technology is one of the challenges
world language these teacher participants encountered during the summer program
teachers who are and at their teaching sites. The teachers readily acknowledged that
committed to their students were true millennial learners and therefore responded
learner-centered favorably as visual learners (i.e., digital natives). However, the teachers
instruction. felt they were lacking knowledge and skills to utilize educational

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technology to maximize the effectiveness of learning activities, to incorporate technology
into language-culture education, and to differentiate (their teaching styles and classroom
activities) appropriately. In their daily written reflections, the teachers expressed the desire
to incorporate Korean cultural content and technology in long-term (semester-long) group
projects. They indicated that learning culture could not be simply done in one unit or one
class.
Incorporating cultural artifacts into world language teaching as a tool for learner-
centered instruction has been introduced to many other world language teachers. However,
many teacher participants in this study needed time to accept, adjust, and apply these new
ideas to their instruction. During this process, teacher participants learned that world
language classrooms should be learner-centered based on learners’ interests, motivation,
ages, and proficiency levels. We are keenly aware of the need for integrating culture in world
language classrooms, and we hope the current research encourages other world language
teachers to find diverse ways of incorporating culture into their classes. Integrating culture
in world language instruction to respond to diverse students’ needs has been a research
focus for a long time but remains a valid and urgent task (Haley & Austin, 2014; Weimer,
2013). Our work with 14 Korean teachers demonstrates that teacher participants can
incorporate Korean culture, including K-pop, in their teaching practice for effective learner-
centered instruction despite challenges that may arise. Further professional development
or workshops on how to implement culture-integrated language instruction should be
monitored across various settings and languages.
Even though we proudly report that Korean language teacher participants in this study
started to transition to learner-centered world language instruction while incorporating
culture into language instruction, there are a few notable limitations when considering the
results and implications of this study. While Korean language teachers and students are
growing in number, our data is based only on 14 teachers. The small sample size may not be
representative of the larger population of Korean language teachers. Further investigation
with larger groups of Korean language teachers may clarify and extend our understanding
of the relationships that emerged from the data in this small-scale study.
Further, whereas eight of fourteen participants are Korean heritage schoolteachers,
four are public school and the remaining two are post-secondary school teachers. Even in
this small participant group, teacher participants’ teaching experiences, current teaching
levels, their students’ ages, and proficiency levels in Korean are diverse, which indicated
mixed results (i.e., some teachers were still hesitant to fully adopt more student-centered
activities or topics whereas others enjoy integrating diverse cultural aspects into language
instruction). These results suggest that further study to compare heritage schoolteachers
to public-school teachers or post-secondary school teachers may show differences in
perception of using Korean cultural artifacts more clearly.
We also would like to extend our research by collecting more data such as teachers’
syllabi and course materials along with conducting further classroom observations to
examine how heritage schoolteachers apply and implement the learner-centered approach
to their instruction and how much the current teacher training workshop influences Korean
language teachers. Further research on teachers’ needs and practices from diverse teaching
contexts will suggest new agendas for the development of teacher training programs and
related studies.

48 March 2022
EMBEDDING POP CULTURE INTO CLASSROOMS
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Appendix
Focus Groups Interview Protocol (Korean and English)

1. 스타톡 연수를 통해 무엇을 배우셨습니까? 혹은 경험하셨습니까? What

have you learned or experienced from the Star Talk summer institute?

2. 스타톡 연수를 통해 배운 교육활동 중에 어떤 것들을 수업 현장에서 쓰고

싶으십니까? 이유는 무엇입니까? What are some teaching activities/ strategies
you learned from the summer institute that you would like to use for your class
and why?

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3. 스타톡 연수를 통해 배운 교육활동 중에 수업 현장에서 쓰기 어려운 것이
있다면 무엇입니까? 왜 그렇습니까? What are some teaching activities/
strategies you learned from the summer institute you think might be hard to
implement in your class and why?

4. (평소 또는 이번 마이크로 티칭에서) 어떤 방식으로 수업을 계획하고 이끌어

나가셨는지요? Can you tell me about how you plan for and structure your class?

5. 효과적인 한국어 개별화, 학생 중심의 맞춤형 수업을 계획하실 때

어떤 것을 주로 고려하십니까? 그 이유는 무엇입니까? What are your
considerations used when planning instruction for effective differentiated
teaching and why?

6. 교육안을 토대로 실제 수업을 했을 때 수업은 어땠습니까? 잘 되었거나

되지 않았다면 왜 그렇다고 생각하는지 이유를 말씀해 주십시오. How did
the learning plan (lesson plan) you prepared work in your micro-teaching? Did it
work well? If so or not, how and why?

7. 선생님의 전반적인 수업방법이나 티칭전략(기술) 혹은 수업에 관해 신경을

쓰거나, 걱정되는 사항에 대해 말해주십시오. Could you describe your
teaching tactics, strategies or concerns?

8. 한국어 가르치시기 어떠신지요? 어떤 방식이나 방향으로 한국어를

가르치시는지요? 한국어 교육에 대한 선생님만의 접근법/철학이 있으시면
말씀해 주십시오. How do you like to teach Korean? What is your approach?

9. 한국어 교실에서 무엇을 하시나요? 선생님 교실은 대강 어떠한가요?

(겉모습 뿐 아니라, 감성적인 분위기 포함)
What do you do in your classroom? Or what does your class look like, including
physical circumstances and emotional atmosphere?

10. 어떤 방식으로 문화(음악, 음식 외에 가치관, 전통, 관습 등 모두 포함)와

관련한 수업을 하시나요? How do you incorporate Korean culture (music, food,
ways of thinking, opinions, teen culture, holidays, customs, greetings, TV/Drama)
in your classroom?

11. 그 밖에 더 하고 싶으신 말씀, 학교나 교육, 학부모, 학생 등등에 대해

말해주십시오. Is there anything else you would like to share with me about STSI,
schools, students/parents, other teachers and/or teaching related persons?

12. 앞으로 스타톡 연수같은 교사연수 기회가 또 온다면 어떤 내용을 더 배우고

싶으십니까? What else (topics or themes) would you like to learn in the future if
you could attend a workshop like StarTalk to strengthen your teaching? (e.g. new
concepts or terminology or strategies or activities)

13. 다른 한국어 선생님들에게 스타톡 프로그램을 추천하시겠습니까? 왜

그런가요? Do you recommend this STSI to other Korean teachers? Please
describe the reasons.

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Young A Jung (PhD, George Mason University) is Assistant Professor of Korean at George Mason
University. She teaches Korean pop culture, Korean literature, and Korean cultural studies courses.
Her current research projects are ‘The Diffusion and Reception of Korean Popular Culture in the
United States’, ‘Migration and Belonging among Korean Kirogi Families’, and ‘Canons and Parodies
in Korean Literature’.
Sung Shim Choi is a doctoral candidate at George Mason University. She taught in elementary
schools in Korea and at a high school in the US. Her research interests include language teacher
education and teaching students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds and their impact
on pedagogy.
Hye Young Shin (PhD, George Mason University) is Professorial Lecturer of Korean at American
University. She teaches Korean languages and cultures as well as Asian studies courses. Her
current research interests include retaining heritage language, identity and culture among Korean
immigrants, heritage language teacher education, and various teaching modalities of Korean
language pedagogy.
Sherry L. Steeley (PhD, George Mason University) is Associate Teaching Professor at Georgetown
University. She teaches TEFL/TESL certificate courses in pedagogy and second language acquisition,
as well as curriculum and instructional design for international teacher education and training
programs. Her recent research has focused on equity issues, including a recent book Voices from
Around the IEP Table.
Marjorie Hall Haley (PhD, University of Maryland, College Park) is Professor of Education at
George Mason University. She teaches world language and ESL methods courses as well as doctoral
courses on Second Language Acquisition and Multicultural Education. Her research presently
focuses on critical need languages and dual identified learners. She has been a program director for
12 consecutive StarTalk grants.

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