A Study on Learner Achievement in Tourism Content-Based Listening Tasks in Elementary Korean Classes: Focusing on Final Assessment Results of Foreign Language Learners

This study investigates the impact of tourism content-based tasks on the listening achievement of beginner-level Korean learners. The participants were 131 international students enrolled in the Department of Tourism at D University in Busan. Over 15 weeks, classes used Kyung Hee University Korean Beginner 1, followed by a 50-point listening test with 20 items, six of which (30%) reflected authentic tourism contexts. The overall average score was 26.21, with significant differences by class and nationality. Learners from Nepal and Uzbekistan scored higher than those from Bangladesh on tourism-related items. The findings indicate that background knowledge and cultural experience affect comprehension. While such tasks enhance engagement, they may also burden learners with limited exposure. The study highlights the need to consider cultural and cognitive factors in designing content-based listening assessments.