CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN ADULT LEARNERS OF KOREAN AND THEIR NATIVE KOREAN-SPEAKING CONVERSATION PARTNERS: MOTIVATION OF HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND NON-HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS by JEONGYI LEE (Under the Direction of Don Rubin) ABSTRACT The growth of immigrant groups in the United States has affected the teaching and learning of additional languages in several ways. The demand for classes in less frequently taught languages, such as Korean, is increasing. In addition, large numbers of learners are now seeking to acquire or improve their competence in their heritage languages (HLs), that is, languages identified with their families’ ethnic or national backgrounds. In spite of growing recognition of the special status of HL learners with respect to motivation for learning and prior cultural competence in the target language, little research on learning HLs has been conducted, and few models for HL instruction have been tested, especially for less frequently taught languages at the postsecondary level. The present study is attuned to issues of learner motivation and identity is rooted in a sociocognitve perspective that highlights the role of interaction in language learning. Accordingly, this study examined how the complex linguistic, ethnic and social backgrounds of HL and non-HL learners were associated with their motivations and interactions with native Korean speaking conversation partners. Demographic and motivational questionnaires were collected from 141 college students studying Korean at three class levels. Ten dimensions of language learning motivation were derived from previous research. In addition, conversations of 16 Korean language learners with their native Korean-speaking conversation partners (CPs) were both quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed to distinguish HL learners’ conversational patterns from those of non-HL learners. In addition, elements of CP interactions were linked to both learner background variables and to motivational factors. Findings revealed that learners of Korean as a HL exceeded non-HL learners in all dimensions of learner motivation with the single exception of value motivation. Moreover, in the analysis of learner conversations with CPs, HL learners exceeded non- HL learners on the total number of Korean words produced as well as on Korean code- switching initiatives, whereas non-HL learners exceeded HL learners on English code- switching initiatives. The associations of heritage-oriented motivation and identity motivation with the conversational features were predictive of learner’s production of words and code-switching initiatives. The qualitative analyses of conversational discourse and learner diary entries complemented the findings from the quantitative analyses, suggesting that to HL learners, code-switching played a role in the development of shared norms and the establishment of solidarity with their CPs. To non-HL learners, code-switching functioned more as a conversational management resource. This study supports a conception of heritage language status as a continuum rather than as a dichotomy. By the same token, learner motivation and conversational activity are show to be linked in a multidimensional fashion. INDEX WORDS: Code-switching, Conversation partner, Conversational discourse analysis, Foreign language education, Heritage language, Korean language teaching and learning, Motivation, Turn-taking CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN ADULT LEARNERS OF KOREAN AND THEIR NATIVE KOREAN-SPEAKING CONVERSATION PARTNERS: MOTIVATION OF HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND NON-HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS by JEONGYI LEE B.A., Seoul National University of Education, South Korea, 1990 M.A., The University of Texas at Arlington, 2000 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2005 © 2005 Jeongyi Lee All Rights Reserved CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN ADULT LEARNERS OF KOREAN AND THEIR NATIVE KOREAN-SPEAKING CONVERSATION PARTNERS: MOTIVATION OF HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND NON-HERITAGE LANGUAGE LEARNERS by JEONGYI LEE Major Professor: Don Rubin Committee: Linda Harklau William Kretzschmar Hyangsoon Yi Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2005 iv DEDICATION In gratitude for their love and in apology for my selfishness, this dissertation is especially dedicated to my family: mom and sisters living with me on earth and, in memoriam, to dad, brother and sister watching over me in heaven. I hope this dissertation unites my family in heaven and earth as one again. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In this dissertation I studied motivation and I have thought about what motivated me to complete my dissertation. I had two major motivational individuals for this endeavor: My mom and Dr. Rubin. I might sound too emotional and rude to many individuals who deserve acknowledgements in this first place, but I would like to begin to acknowledge my mom’s sacrificial love, never-ending support, tear-filled prayers, and never-faltering faith in me. She has always been with me throughout the years of this journey, going through all the hardship that I have been through. She brought her old, tiring body all the way from Korea cross the Pacific ocean to cook and do house chores for me, take my assistantship duties, wait and pray for me, and take care of me. I do not know how I could pay her back for what I have received from her. This dissertation would not have been completed without her time, efforts and tears. Although she does not understand what I have done in this book at all, I nonetheless hope this book can give her some comforts and peace in her. The other motivational individual, Dr. Rubin, is my major professor, mentor, advisor, and supporter. I am much blessed and thankful to God for giving me the chance to meet him and have his inspiration, guidance and expertise. This dissertation would not have been completed without his generous being, unceasing patience, immense support, kind words, warm heart, as well as his challenging and provoking questions. I am so emotional that I burst into tears in front of him several times and must have embarrassed him. Nonetheless, he did not give up on me and my study. He is such a man of tolerance and the greatest teacher I have ever had. These two individuals, vi one familial care-giver and the other academic inspiration-giver, indeed made this accomplishment happen. Special thanks also go to my committee, Dr. Harklau, Dr. Kretzschmar, and Dr. Yi. I especially would like to thank Dr. Harklau for her invaluable comments, feedback and input from the prospectus till the final revision. I want to thank the Korean language learners at UGA and Georgia Tech who participated in this study. I am especially grateful to the 16 students and 15 conversation partners who agreed to record their conversation meetings and provided invaluable data for this study. I also want to thank the teachers who kindly took time out of their busy class schedules to help me conduct the survey. Although it is not possible to mention all the names of those individuals who have unceasingly inspired and willingly helped me throughout the years of UGA, I am nonetheless grateful for their contributions. Among those, I would especially like to thank the Korean Catholic Community and staff and choir members of the Catholic Center at UGA who have spiritually cared for and inspired me and my friends at the International Student Life Office at UGA who have showed me much love and caring. To my friends in Korea and all over the world, I would also like to extend my special thanks for their love. I continued and accomplished this long journey to be a pride to them. Finally, I would like to thank my family who has supported out of unconditional, unceasingly much love for me. My late father who loved writing and passed away when I was in college gave me intellectual ability and a fine sense of language. My mom gave me sensibilities and refined manner. Despite their efforts, I never excel my parents in their sense and sensibility. I feel blessed to be their child. I want to gratefully recognize vii the influence of my late sister, Kumyi (금이), on who I am now that resulted in this dissertation. She received so much jealousy and hatred from me, simply because she was the smartest and nicest girl and called everybody’s attentions. She shaped my adolescence, motivating me to try to be a good girl out of jealousy, and her sudden death while pursuing her doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin at Madison served as a reason to finish this dissertation. I had to compensate my family for her unfinished studies. In numerous ways, she was, and still is, my hero. Most of the statistics knowledge I used in this study was from her teaching and I try to help people in need as best as I can to follow her humanitarian spirit. I hope she can hear my voice of deep gratitude and sincere apologies in heaven. My other sisters, Hyunyi (현이), Myungyi (명이) and Seungyi (승이), have been showing me greatest love and encouragements that were essential for me to finish this journey. I am grateful to Hyunyi for her academic interests in my field of study and taking care of mom as a first child, Myungyi for her caring spirit to come all the way from Sydney, Australia and stay with me at the last stage of my dissertation, and Seungyi for her sacrifice to send her adorable daughter to the US to entertain mom and myself. Not to mention, their husbands’ supports also made this journey possible. Last, but not least, I would like to thank the newest family member, my husband, for the role he has played in maintaining my mental stability since I met him at UGA. He has been sharpening wits and gentle wisdom to use them whenever needed: When I suffered from the loss of my sister; when I suffered from critical illness; and when I underwent hardships of writing this dissertation.