Analyzing the Manifestation Patterns of Core Competencies among University Students in a Place-Based Extracurricular Writing Program : A Qualitative Content Analysis of an 8-Year Text Archive

This study aims to qualitatively analyze the manifestation patterns of core competencies among university students in a place-based extracurricular writing program. A qualitative content analysis was conducted on an archive of student anthology texts from the ‘Writing Mentoring’ program implemented at W University from 2018 to 2025, comprising 15 teams, 61 students, and 847 meaning units. The analytical framework was constructed around three core competencies: problem-solving, empathetic communication, and self-directed learning. The findings indicate that all three competencies showed increased frequency and qualitative depth from the introductory to the advanced phase. Problem-solving competency manifested through the progression of ‘phenomenon observation → analytical interpretation → evidence-based alternatives’; empathetic communication through ‘awareness of others → feedback acceptance → reader-oriented communication’; and self-directed learning through ‘writing anxiety → efficacy formation → sustained growth intention.’ Rather than manifesting independently, the three competencies functioned in a mutually facilitative and cyclical manner, with the rate of integrated manifestation—where two or more competencies co-occurred within a single meaning unit—increasing from 12.5% in the introductory phase to 52.4% in the advanced phase. The cyclical structure of ‘regional exploration-draft writing-feedback-revision and reflection’ and the public recognition system of anthology publication were identified as key conditions promoting the integrated manifestation of competencies. This study is significant in approaching core competencies not as objects of measurement but as a process of manifestation traceable through texts, and in providing empirical evidence for the educational effectiveness of place-based extracurricular writing programs through naturally occurring textual data accumulated over eight years.