Analysis of trends and implications of Korean language education research using learner corpora

This study aims to propose implications for future research by examining trends in corpus-based studies related to Korean language learners. To achieve this, the study analyzed previous research based on major categories and criteria established through a review of the literature. The findings are as follows. First, regarding chronological trends, while research on learner corpora began in 2002, a notable surge in publications began in 2015. In terms of research type, since the establishment of the first large-scale corpus by the National Institute of the Korean Language in 2020, there has been a noticeable surge in the number of theses and dissertations, particularly at the doctoral level, rather than journal articles utilizing corpora developed by individuals or specific universities. Moreover, a diversification of research topics was particularly evident in doctoral dissertations. Second, in terms of corpus construction methods, most studies from 2016 to 2023―regardless of type (i.e., dissertations or journal articles)―focused on written language using large-scale, general-purpose corpora. This indicates a relative lack of research utilizing individually constructed spoken corpora. Third, when analyzing trends related to learner variables such as native language and a learner variable, i.e. Korean language proficiency, many studies―across both theses and journal articles―did not differentiate according to learner groups or language proficiency but collectively analyzed learners of all language backgrounds and proficiency levels. It is particularly noteworthy that journal articles lacked studies targeting specific language groups such as Japanese or Vietnamese speakers. Lastly, regarding the utilization and content focus of corpus analysis, research across all types was most commonly categorized as “error analysis,” followed by “usage patterns,” “interlanguage,” and “other.” The proportion of studies on interlanguage was especially low. In terms of linguistic features analyzed, studies most frequently focused on grammar, followed by expressions and vocabulary, whereas pronunciation and other features received relatively little attention. This study significantly contributes tso the field by identifying trends in corpus-based research on Korean language learners and offering insights that may inform future educational practices and scholarly inquiries.