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This paper focuses on Korean as a heritage language (KHL) education, particularly highlighting Korean alphabet instruction as the foundation of Korean language learning. Korean as a heritage language distinguishes itself from the local community's language, serving as a bridge for specific individuals, groups, families, and communities. KHL learners differ significantly from the traditionally targeted learners, necessitating tailored educational approaches and customized learning materials. Despite preschool and elementary students comprising over 63% of global Korean language school enrollment in 2019, research on education for this demographic lags behind that for adults. Additionally, existing textbooks often overlook the unique characteristics of young learners. This paper pursues the following objectives: 1) Identifying KHL education characteristics and methods to integrate them into Korean alphabet instructional materials. 2) Examining domestic and international Korean language textbooks for crucial insights in introductory-level textbook development. 3) Establishing a foundation for ongoing research on Korean alphabet education for KHL learners. Against this backdrop, Chapter 2 explores heritage language Korean education, Korean alphabet instruction for child learners, and features specific to Korean language schools. Chapter 3 analyzes 10 selected textbooks, drawing on established criteria to identify and discuss their unique features. This analysis provides implications for future research and development in KHL education.
Lee et al. (2024) studied this question.