Participatory Culture Through Zootopia: A Cultural Literacy Approach for Korean Pre-Service Teachers

This study investigates the application of Jenkins’ (2006) participatory culture theory within an English as a foreign language (EFL) instructional context through student-created narratives extending the <i>Zootopia</i> (Moore & Howard, 2016) universe. Employing a qualitative case study methodology, the research analyzes collaborative scriptwriting, cultural research integration, and performance-based language production among Korean pre-service teachers. Data collection involved script analysis, structured observations, and reflective interviews with sophomore students from a Korean university of education. Findings demonstrate how media-based collaborative projects facilitate cultural literacy acquisition and critical engagement with sociocultural themes. The findings indicate that participatory culture frameworks provide strong support for language development while also cultivating multimodal literacy and collaborative learning skills vital for prospective language educators. Specifically, the study reveals syntactic complexity development through collaborative negotiation processes. Furthermore, transmedia storytelling activities enriched students’ cultural literacy by incorporating authentic cultural research into their extended narratives, while their critical exploration of <i>Zootopia</i>’s sociopolitical themes contributed to the development of critical language awareness. An unexpected finding emerged regarding the development of teaching personas, with 19 of 22 participants articulating connections between scriptwriting experiences and emerging pedagogical philosophies. These findings underscore the potential for participatory culture frameworks to address persistent gaps in Korean English teacher education programs.