Development of an Online Korean Language Education Program Prototype for Onboarding Low-Skilled Foreign Workers

This study aims to develop a prototype of an online Korean language education program for onboarding low-skilled foreign workers employed in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises(SMEs). A survey on online Korean language education was conducted targeting SMEs in Gyeonggi-do, specifically in the city of H., where foreign workers are predominantly employed. Following this, In-depth Interviews(IDI) with Korean managers were conducted to derive an onboarding scenario that could enhance the productivity of foreign workers upon their arrival. The survey results revealed that, first, while the willingness to adopt online Korean language education services in SMEs was moderate, expectations for the effectiveness of online education compared to in-person training were above average. Second, it was anticipated that providing online Korean language education would enable foreign workers to engage in self-paced, repetitive, multimedia-based learning without time and space constraints. Third, the preferred frequency and duration of online sessions were 2-3 times a week (1-2 h/session) for synchronous learning and 3 times a week (31-50 m/session) for asynchronous learning. Through individual interviews, it was determined that the focus of the Korean language education content for onboarding would be on terminology related to manufacturing tools used in the workplace. After analyzing existing Korean language education websites and apps, five key design principles were established to create the prototype. Using the Scrum methodology, the onboarding process was designed to enable workers to learn tool terminology in Korean. This prototype is expected to evolve into a comprehensive online Korean language education program that could be used for pre-arrival training for foreign workers in manufacturing and ongoing onboarding support after their arrival. The program's effectiveness can be verified, providing a flexible, on-demand educational resource for improving foreign workers' integration into the workforce.