earticle

영어

This study examined the relationship between the level of interest in maintaining heritage language/culture education and academic achievements of some 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean American high school students in Eugene, Springfield, Beaverton, and Portland, Oregon. Previous literature suggests that ethnic culture/heritage language acquisition and academic achievements are related. Through self-completion questionnaires, quantitative surveys, this study attempted to answer the following main research question: Is there a relationship in the sample group between exposure to Korean language/cultural education and academic achievement for 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean American students? The analysis of the survey data from this study revealed several ways in which ethnic identity and heritage language/culture influenced academic achievement for the Korean American students. The findings of this study could inform on aspects of multilingual and cultural education policies for school systems, providing some suggestions for vitalizing foreign language and culture education and expanding language immersion programs.