Korean language learners’ motivation, remotivation, and demotivation: the Australian and New Zealand contexts

Despite the growing number of university students learning Korean as a foreign language (KFL), only a relatively small number of studies on motivation internationally have been conducted with KFL students. Drawing on survey and interview data, this mixed-methods study explores the motivation, remotivation, and demotivation of KFL students (n = 191) in Australia and New Zealand universities. KFL learners in this study reported a higher level of integrative and intrinsic motivation compared to instrumental and extrinsic motivation, with the influence of Korean popular culture being a prominent feature in students’ engagement in KFL. Such intrinsic and integrative motivations led some students to continue their studies to intermediate and advanced levels. However, this interest was not always sustained beyond initial engagement, with students’ discontinuation of KFL learning most often attributed to perceptions of irrelevance to academic and professional goals. This lack of instrumental motivations reflects the wider English-dominant monolingual contexts in Australia and New Zealand. The study’s findings also highlight the need to support students with intrinsic and integrative interest in Korean by aligning their studies with personal goals and using pedagogical strategies that sustain their motivation over time.