Cultivating Students’ Understanding of a Target Culture and Society Through Digital Ethnography in KFL (Korean as a Foreign Language) Courses

Abstract

This study presents the implementation of a digital ethnographic project in college-level online Korean language and content courses, inspired by Berti’s (2020) approach to cultural teaching through digital ethnography. The primary aim of this project was to foster critical perspectives among Korean as a Foreign Language (KFL) learners regarding contemporary Korean society, culture, and its people. As part of this initiative, students engaged in the collection and analysis of digital images and photographs. The outcomes of these student projects demonstrated the effectiveness and challenges of digital ethnography as a pedagogical tool. Students from both language and content courses demonstrated varying levels of cultural sensitivity and criticality. Furthermore, this approach encouraged students to develop richer intercultural perspectives encompassing their own culture and that of Korea. This study underscores the potential of digital ethnography as an innovative pedagogical approach in foreign language education, facilitating critical thinking and intercultural competence.