A Study on the Context Variables of the Speaking Section in Korean Language Textbooks

This study aims to analyze the context variables of the speaking section in Korean language textbooks for foreign learners. The target was the context variables of the speaking section in thirty-six textbooks of three types. The four variables of distance, power, imposition, and formality were deductively coded and analyzed using the chi-square test by IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0. The results shows that they were mostly biased toward specific variables, and the differences by proficiency were not statistically significant or the effect size was mostly small. Since the texts were not contextualized in various ways and were not differentiated by level, the development of pragmatic competence was hardly expected. Two improvement plans were proposed as a method of textbook adaptation. When the target grammar’s pragmatic information was the teaching content, a single variable manipulation exercise was assigned, and when the speech act was the task, a multiple variable manipulation exercise was presented. As these were a method that prioritized practicality, in the future, an independent and systematic pragmatics education plan should be established and reflected in textbooks.