Nurturing Resilience During A Pandemic: Challenges And Strategies Of Filipino Students In Korean Language Online Learning

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to both disruptions and innovations in the educational sector, notably the shift to online learning. caused notable repercussions in the educational sector. Achieving a nuanced understanding of the online learning experiences of students is vital to developing comprehensive courses of action for the future.  This paper was an attempt to dissect the challenges encountered by Filipino students learning Korean as a foreign language and shed light on the strategies they employed to ease their learning process during the pandemic. This study employed an explanatory-sequential research design. It involved a two-phase process: an online survey via Google Forms and semi-structured one-on-one interviews. The survey respondents were 112 college students from Bataan Peninsula State University who completed six-unit Korean subjects and participated in online learning for two semesters. The sample was calculated using G-Power Analysis Software. Six of these respondents were selected through quota sampling to participate in the interview. The survey questionnaire was adopted, and it was validated and piloted along with interview questions. Results showed that the greatest challenge encountered by students was their learning environment, specifically distractions they encountered at home. Difficulties concerning technological sufficiency also arose, especially with regard to gadgets and internet limitations. Challenges concerning the novelty of the Korean language were also mentioned. The unfamiliarity of the Korean sound inventory and writing system were major difficulties. To overcome these, students employed strategies like watching educational videos and K-dramas, reading books, memorizing and/or jotting down unfamiliar words and relearning them, and conversing with others using the language.