This study examines aspects of the collections of literary works in Korean teaching materials for foreign learners. We collected and analyzed 130 textbooks of Korean language education issued by 14 universities in Seoul. Among these, 66 volumes of literary works were set apart and scrutinized.
We classified the works in the textbooks into different genres. They were first divided into classical literature and modern literature, and then subdivided into genres (lyric, narrative, drama, and lecture). We found 12 classical poems, 6 classical novels, 39 old stories, 44 contemporary poems, 34 modern novels, 22 contemporary essays, and 11 works of other genres.
Literary works in Korean teaching textbooks are sometimes used as reading material and sometimes as materials for introducing and organizing activities. The following characteristics of these works were confirmed through analysis. First, they are the mainstay of Korean language education. Second, literacy education is perceived to be suitable for advanced-level learners and readability of a text is determined by its length. Third, when considering the kind of literary works used, we found that the universities tend to use works that represent Korean culture or to base activities around Korean functions.
This study provides basic data that can be used to review the appropriateness of genre classification and selection of literary works in Korean teaching materials.