A Foundational Study for the Development of a TOPIK Preparation Curriculum: A Needs Analysis of KAIST Students and Instructors

This study was conducted to provide a roadmap for a TOPIK preparation course curriculum for international students at KAIST by analyzing the needs of both learners and instructors. A survey was conducted of 172 international students enrolled at KAIST and 8 Korean language instructors. The collected data were analyzed using quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, as well as qualitative content analysis. The results indicated that most learners and instructors agreed that a TOPIK preparation course, particularly a Level 3 preparation course, was necessary. Respondents preferred an integrated approach but emphasized the need for a separate intensive writing course. Most participants responded that they would prefer a four-month course with 2-3 classes per week, each lasting 2-3 hours, for a total of 100 instructional hours. Both students and teachers favored flexible operation with both in-person and online classes. The majority of respondents expressed a preference for specialized TOPIK textbooks. Learners showed the strongest preference for instructors with previous experience teaching TOPIK courses. This study is meaningful in that it presents concrete criteria necessary for designing a TOPIK preparation course curriculum based on the actual needs of both international learners and instructors.