Generative AI Literacy and Use Competence in Korean Language Education

This study examines Korean language teachers generative AI literacy and competence development within a technology acceptance framework. Drawing on survey data from 156 teachers, the study analyzes usage patterns and the perceptual structure underlying AI integration. Although 75.6% reported monthly use, engagement remained largely introductory, centered on text-based material production. Exploratory factor analysis identified three latent dimensions: perceived instrumental utility, perceived educational effectiveness, and usage self-efficacy (cumulative variance: 74.4%). One-way ANOVA revealed that perceived instrumental utility and self-efficacy varied significantly by proficiency level, while perceived educational effectiveness remained stable across groups, functioning as a pre-formed normative belief independent of experience. Multiple regression analysis indicated that perceived instrumental utility most strongly predicted teachers intention to develop AI competence (β=.494, p<.001, R²=.303). These findings suggest that sustainable AI integration in Korean language education depends less on cultivating abstract educational value beliefs than on enabling teachers to experience immediate, practical utility—making hands-on, context-specific training the most effective entry point for competence development.