Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students: Based on the Cases of Saudi Arabian Students

Journal of Korean Language Education 27 English Edition: 3778. The paper investigates the cause of Saudi Arabian students (among Arabic students) academic underachievement and attempts to provide students with successful studyabroad life in South Korea through suggesting efficient learning methods. Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea conducted a survey on Korean language education centers in each university where Saudi Arabian students are currently taking their studyabroad language courses. The survey collected data on important factors to explain academic failure which includes education curriculum and schedule necessary for Saudi Arabian students, necessary class hours per week, classroom capacity, challenges facing students, and sections in which students lack comprehension. Based on the survey, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission endeavored to come up with Korean language education reform for Saudi Arabian students: customized supplementary class, active student management support, systemized management structure, and provision of culture and education exchange platform.

Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students: Based on the Cases of Saudi Arabian Students Hesham A Khadawardi (Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea) Abstract Hesham Khadawardi 2016 Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students: Based on the Cases of Saudi Arabian Students Journal of Korean Language Education 27 English Edition: 37-78 The paper investigates the cause of Saudi Arabian students (among Arabic students) academic under-achievement and attempts to provide students with successful study-abroad life in South Korea through suggesting efficient learning methods Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea conducted a survey on Korean language education centers in each university where Saudi Arabian students are currently taking their study-abroad language courses The survey collected data on important factors to explain academic failure which includes education curriculum and schedule necessary for Saudi Arabian students, necessary class hours per week, classroom capacity, challenges facing students, and sections in which students lack comprehension Based on the survey, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission endeavored to come up with Korean language education reform for Saudi Arabian students: customized supplementary class, active student management support, systemized management structure, and provision of culture and education exchange platform Achievement of the education reform is evaluated in the light of the statistics of TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean)1) scores and the changes in attitude 1) Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK), a standardized Korean language proficiency test, is administered and supervised by the Korean ministry of education, and hosted by Korean National Institute for International Education The exam has been taking place since 1997 in order to guide Korean language study directions to overseas 38 Hesham A Khadawardi and attendance of Saudi Arabian students before and after the implementation of the customized program Becoming alert to Saudi students’ deficiencies particularly in the reading and writing section, the cultural mission came up with a learning curriculum focused on these skills Moreover, supplementing the examination of the cultural mission education reform, the paper discusses the success of the cultural mission's customized language program designed in particular for Saudi dentists who had to achieve higher levels of Korean language command in order to begin dentist residency programs in Korean hospitals Keywords: Arabic students, customized supplementary class, student management support, systemized management structure, learning curriculum focused on academic reading and writing, Korean language assistant 변: 히샴 카다와르디 상필 2016 아랍어권 학습자를 위한 한국어 교육 방안에 대한 고찰 : 사우디아라비아 학습자의 사례를 바탕으로 한국어교 육 제27권 영문호: 37-78 본 논문은 아랍어권 학습자인 사우디아라비아 학습자들의 학습 부진의 원인을 규명하고, 그들에게 효과적인 학습방안 을 제시함으로써 성공적인 유학생활을 제공하고자 하였다 학습부진의 원인 규명을 위해 국내에서 유학 중인 사우디아라비아학습자들이 공부 하고 있는 각 대학의 한국어 교육센터에 설문을 실시하여 사우디학습자 에게 필요한 교육과정 일정과 교육과정 중 필요한 주당 수업시수, 학급 의 적정한 학습자 수와 학습자의 문제점, 부족한 학습 기능영역 등을 표 시하도록 하였다 이 조사를 바탕으로 맞춤형 보충수업, 적극적인 학생 관리지원, 시스템화된 관리체계, 문화/교육 교류 플렛폼 제공 등 사우디 아라비아 학습자를 위한 한국어교육의 개선 방안을 마련하였다 맞춤형 프로그램 시행 전과 후를 비교한 개선 방안에 따른 성과는 토픽의 성과 와 학습자들의 태도 및 출석률의 변동 추이를 통해 분석하였고, 결과에 서 나타난 사우디아라비아 학습자의 읽기와 쓰기 기능 부진 문제점의 해 결을 위해 읽기와 쓰기 능력을 함양하도록 하는데 목적을 둔 ‘학문 목적 Koreans and foreigners who not use Korean as their first language, and to extend the proliferation of Korean language worldwide [9] To be more specific, the exam is specifically targeted for those learning Korean language with intentions to apply for local universities, to join/work for domestic/overseas Korean companies and public organizations, and for Koreans who are studying or have graduated from overseas Below is how the exam level is evaluated by results [8] Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 39 읽기와 쓰기 교육’ 방안을 제시하였다 또한 본 논문이 사우디아라비아 유학생에게 뿐만 아니라 아랍어권 유학생 전체에 적용할 수 있는 일반화 방안을 위해 사우디아라비아 치과연수생 한국어 교육 프로그램을 소개 하고 그들에게 효과적이었던 도우미와 과제 진행하기 등을 소개하였다 주제어: 아랍어권 학습자, 맞춤형 보충수업, 학생관리지원, 시스템화된 관리체계, 학문목적 읽기와 쓰기 중심 학습 방안, 한국어 도우미 Introduction A significant element of globalization, higher education sector has become a key element to states’ plans for development where universities are adopting enforcement policies to promote their international competitiveness and outstanding human resource allocation to a wider global audience of students Data from OECD and UNESCO Statistics Committee reflect a rapid and sophisticated increase in the internationalization of the field of higher education The number of students attracted to higher education institutions in foreign countries has witnessed a consistent rise from 1.7 million in the year 1990, million in 2005, and up to 4.5 million in 2012 (OECD, Education at a Glance, 2012) After the launch of Study Korea Project in 2004, the number of international students in South Korea has risen steeply The students’ nationalities, however, were largely lopsided; students from Asian regions took up 87% of the total international students Chinese students alone, for example, constituted 60% Total number of international students went up to 91,332 in total by 2015, according to the Ministry of Education (Chart 1) Accordingly, South Korea is expanding its efforts to enhance 40 Hesham A Khadawardi competence of universities and nation through allocation of outstanding international human resources Number of Foreign Students in South Korea by their Nationality1) and Degree of Course (2015) Nationality Asia Africa Oceania North America South America Europe Total Percentage by Degree of Course Degree of Course Language Other Total Course Bachelor Master Doctor Programs 19,961 339 74 504 237 1,063 22,178 30,584 367 119 1,193 218 491 32,972 24.3% 36.1% 13,775 949 88 943 218 468 16,441 5,549 275 26 314 32 130 6,326 24.9% 9,388 75 79 1,159 158 2,556 13,415 79,257 2,005 386 4,113 863 4,708 91,332 Percentage by Nationality 86.8% 2.2% 0.4% 4.5% 0.9% 5.2% 100% 14.7% Source: Ministry of Education, 2015 International Students in South Korea Open Statistics on Status Quo 1) Number of students by the nationality: Chinese (59.4%), Vietnamese (4.9%), Japanese (3.8%), Mongolian (3.4%), American (3.2%), Taiwanese (2.2%) are in order Chart indicates that domestic number of foreign students is on the consistent increase Nationality, purpose of study, and study courses are becoming more diversified Thus, there is a significant need to prepare customized study policies for international students in order to enhance their college experience in South Korea To so, a number of measures appear significant including the importance of advancing Korean language education whose demand is also on the rise To cope with such an increase of foreign students from diverse linguistic, social, and cultural backgrounds to learn Korean language, efficient and systematic strategies as well as ongoing research in diverse aspects of Korean language education2) are pivotal Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 41 The number of study-abroad students from Saudi Arabia, in particular, has started from less than 100 in 2010 The number increased significantly in 2013, currently reaching up to about 600 (Figure 1: Data released by Korean Ministry of Education in 2015) This number from Saudi Arabia occupies an overwhelmingly large proportion compared to other Arab countries Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, a government institution whose function includes managing students from Saudi Arabian government scholarship program, has not only been constantly aware of Saudi students’ struggles in Korean language courses, but has been also devising diverse ways to improve their Korean language acquisition, for Korean language is a necessary condition to obtain academic degrees in South Korean universities The paper introduces the Korean language education program support project for enhancing Korean language learning efficiency mainly subjected to Saudi Arabian students; the project has been planned and operated since the middle of 2013 by Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in collaboration with Korean universities Entailed by the project’s success record, the paper proposes a number of methods for enhancing the efficiency of Korean language education on the basis of the Saudi Arabian student 2) This paper focuses on the university-run regular Korean language learning courses for Saudi Arabian students Korean language education institutions affiliated with universities normally operate their regular course 20 hours a week, hours a day, 10 weeks per semester, semesters in a year Classes are usually composed of levels: beginner (1~2 level), intermediate (3~4 level), and high (5~6 level) Textbooks are self-developed by respective universities, including Seoul National University, Korea University, Yonsei University, Kyunghee University, Seogang University, and others Other universities of smaller scale select and use textbooks from other institutions Integrated textbooks tend to be preferred, but wide selection of Korean language textbooks are also available in different function, purpose, linguistic background, category classification, level, and subjects Each institute chooses their own textbooks which suit their own respective course curriculum 42 Hesham A Khadawardi cases as well as the experience of Saudi Arabia Cultural Mission experience with the academia, administration and management of Korean universities The composition of this paper goes as follows Part reveals the status quo and current data regarding Arabic students conducting their studies in South Korea Part follows with data about Saudi Arabian students and challenges pertaining to their Korean language education Support programs devised to amend such difficulties, and resultant successful influence is covered in Part Part discusses proposals pertaining to how Korean language education could be developed further, followed by Part closing up with the summary of the overall findings Distinct differences exist between the kind of education Saudi Arabian students have been receiving back in their own country and that of South Korea Analysts of Saudi pedagogy comments that the education system of Saudi Arabia relies upon professors passing uncontested knowledge on to students, particularly that students must memorize without imparting analytical thinking skills There also has been criticism that Saudi education is faculty-centered rather than student-centered Saudi students are also taught 'stream of consciousness' writing (Susan&Bilal, 2015), as opposed to the systematic method of Korean writing education system involving organization of ideas and content Such a gap in education method between South Korea and Saudi Arabia poses difficult barriers which Saudi Arabian students need to overcome for successful engagement with Korean education pedagogy This paper is expected to contribute as a base material to the development of customized education programs for Arab learners in a way to overcome their socio-cultural and linguistic difference in background, Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 43 leading to the most efficient learning of Korean language Status Quo of Arab Students Studying in South Korea In 2015, a total of 1,140 Arab students are studying in South Korea If analyzed by country, among 22 countries using Arabic as their common tongue, Saudi Arabia takes up the biggest percentage (51%), followed by Egypt(10.3%) and Morocco(9.2%) Arab1) Students Studying-abroad in South Korea 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 1.25% 200 0.27% 33 Number of Arab Students Percentage of Arab Students Source: Ministry of Education, 2015 International Students in South Korea Open Statistics on Status Quo 1) Arab Nations refers to 22 countries which use Arabic as the common language, including Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia, Bahrain, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Oman, Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Algeria, Djibouti, Jordan, Mauritania, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Qatar, and Comoros 44 Hesham A Khadawardi Among the international students studying in South Korea in 2015, study course distribution of Arab students (Figure 1, footnote1 ) is as follows (Chart 2): Language training 351 people (30.8%), university/technical college 398 people (34.9%), graduate course 331 people (29%), and etc training 59 people (5.2%) Arabic Students Studying in South Korea Study Course Distribution (2015) Study Course Region Arab Nations (number of people) Language Training University/ Technical College 351 398 Masters Doctors Degree Degree 216 115 ETC Training Total 60 1,140 Source: Ministry of Education, 2015 International Students in South Korea Open Statistics on Status Quo Korean Language Education for Saudi Arabian Students 3-1 Status Quo of Saudi Arabian Students As mentioned in Part 2, the number of Arab students in South Korea is on the rise, which is interlinked with the number of Saudi Arabian students in that Saudi Arabian students constitute the largest proportion As Figure shows, the number of Saudi Arabian students has been steadily increasing from 17 people in 2003 to a huge leap of 581 people in 2015 The data which is the total statistics conducted by the Ministry of education includes all types of study-abroad students from Saudi Arabia: Self-supported students, Saudi Arabian institution-supported students, Saudi Arabian government scholarship students, etc Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 45 Number of Saudi Arabian Study-Abroad Students in South Korea Source: Kwon Hyun Sook, Development/Research of Korean Language Education Course for Arabic Learners, Doctorate Degree Paper, February 2016 (Recomposed with reference to the source) If analyzed by study courses, Saudi Arabian students are mostly engaged in university/technical college and language training In 2015, 52% out of the total of 581 Saudi Arabian students was enrolled in undergraduate, 35% in language program, and 12% in graduate course (Figure 3) 2015 Proportion of Saudi Arabian Study-Abroad Students1) by their Academic Study Course Source: Ministry of Education, 2015 International Students in South Korea Open Statistics on Status Quo 1) Number of Saudi Arabian students studying in South Korea, statistics conducted by the ministry of education in 2015 was in total 581 people 46 Hesham A Khadawardi Administered by Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabian government scholarship students to South Korea can largely be classified as two: The King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship Program and TVTC (Technical and Vocational Training Corporation) program In 2016 spring semester, approximately 30% of the total scholarship students managed by Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission were TVTC students and the rest 70% is the King Abdullah Scholarship students The King Abdullah Scholarship students generally come to South Korea to proceed their studies in undergraduate or graduate degree after finishing their high school or university in their home country Passing a maximum of years of Korean language training course, they move on to a degree course TVTC Scholarship students have already finished two years at a technical college in Saudi Arabia They proceed on to university 3rd year in Korean universities which is in agreement with TVTC TVTC students take Korean language training course of around 12~18months In 2007, when Saudi Arabian students first started their study-abroad journey to South Korea, Saudi government established the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea in 2009 for efficient management of Saudi scholarship students and to promote cultural and academic exchange between Saudi Arabia and South Korea According to the data collected on November 2015 by the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission, the total number of Saudi students enrolled in Korean language course and undergraduate/graduate university degree course is 483 (Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission conducts statistical research in number of students based only on Saudi Arabian government scholarship programs It may therefore be different from that of the Korean ministry of education which includes Individually-supported students, other institution-supported students, or Aramco scholarship students on top of the Saudi government scholarship students.) All 64 Hesham A Khadawardi with the different rounds, the number of overall successful Saudi Arabian applicants in the same exam (Beginner’s level) is extremely high It is specifically notable that quite a lot of students who have studied Korean language for less than months have passed TOPIK beginner’s level, implying that basic Korean language learning is on the right track, not to mention that the efficiency of language learning is getting higher Saudi Arabian Government Scholarship Student 35th TOPIK Beginner level Pass Study Period: 3~5 months (21people) Level Pass (37people) Study Period: 6~7 months (6people) Study Period: more than months (10people) Study Period: 3~5 months (6people) Level Pass (34people) Study Period: 6~7 months (2people) Study Period: more than months (26people) Total number of examinees : 71, Number of Pass: 71 (ALL PASS) ② Attitude and Attendance In accordance with the education reform initiative starting in September 2013, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission cooperated with universities in order to thoroughly manage Saudi Arabian Korean language students’ class behavior and achievement results Through daily attendance administration and warning policies, the percentage of Saudi Arabian students’ attendance and level pass rose significantly on 2013 fall semester Figure shows the comparison of data between 2013 summer and fall semester (before and after the application of Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission’s active student management) with regard to the rate of attendance and level pass of Saudi Arabian Korean language course students Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 65 Attendance (Top) and Passing rate (Below) of Saudi Arabian Students in Korean사우디아Language Course (All universities) ③ Feedback The new Korean language education program devised for Saudi Arabian students resulted in a great positive change in terms of students’ TOPIK achievement and class attitude Participation in events like Korean language speech contest for Arabic speakers went up, and those who now speak fluent Korean could easily be spotted around Throughout the university degree preparation course, students were able to alleviate the vague fear they had about Korean language and majors Students were highly satisfied in that the preparation course helped them minimize the difficulties that they had to face in university life beforehand, not to mention having been able to decrease the number of students who had hard time keeping up with course work 66 Hesham A Khadawardi On September 16th, 2015, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission conducted a survey on customized afternoon supplementary classes for Saudi Arabian students and its effect Subjects of the survey were students and teachers It was conducted after years since the supplementary class policy was first implemented, with the purpose to examine whether the original intention was properly being kept and to come up with better reform policies in case of any new problems arising Chart below is the survey questionnaire for teachers and students respectively Survey on Customized Afternoon Supplementary Classes for Saudi Students For teacher’s use 1) Do you think hours of class every day is enough? (15 hours a week) 2) Do you think small class size of 3~4 students is enough? 3) Do you believe that students’ grades are getting higher through afternoon classes? 4) How important did you regard the following categories when teaching in class? (Preview, review, assignment, progress in class materials, TOPIK) 5) How did you divide the portion of class materials in the below four sections in the afternoon classes? (Grammar/Vocabulary, Reading/Listening, Writing, Speaking, TOPIK) 6) According to your experience, in which section of the language you think should be covered more? 7) What kind of teaching method did you usually use in afternoon classes? (Explaining, Questioning, Activities, Discussion, Presentation) 8) Among the teaching method you used in number 7, which you think is the most effective? 9) The purpose of afternoon classes is to pass TOPIK level and above What you think are the problems and solutions to achieve this goal? (Please write.) For student’s use 1) Are you satisfied with class materials in the afternoon class? 2) Do you think small class size of 3~4 students is enough? 3) Do you believe that students’ grades are getting higher through afternoon classes? Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 67 4) How important did the teacher regard the following categories when teaching in class? (Preview, review, assignment, progress in class materials, TOPIK) 5) How did the teacher divide the portion of class materials in the below four sections in the afternoon classes? (Grammar/Vocabulary, Reading/Listening, Writing, Speaking, TOPIK) 6) Which section of language you think should be covered more in class for improving your grade? 7) What kind of teaching method did the teacher usually use in afternoon classes? (multiple answer is fine) (Explaining, Questioning, Activities, Discussion, Presentation) 8) Which teaching method that the teacher used you think is the most effective? (Explaining,Questioning,Activities,Discussion,Presentation) 9) Do you think the current afternoon class system is helpful for achieving TOPIK level and over? What you think can be done to make it even more efficient? (Please write.) Total of 55 teachers (20 teachers from Hanyang University, 11 teachers from Kyunghee University, 10 teachers from Kookmin University, teachers from Seoul National University of Science and Technology, teachers from Korea Polytechnic University, teachers from Inha University) and 48 students (21 students from Kyunghee University, students from Korea Polytechnic University, students from Kookmin University, 18 students from other universities) replied to the survey in Chart Figure below summarizes the result of the survey For the afternoon class hours and class size, more than half of both teachers and students replied positive or neutral To the question of whether the afternoon class was helpful in higher academic achievement, the degree of response varied from teachers to students; more teachers answered that the afternoon classes contributed to students’ Korean learning improvement, more than students themselves It is assumed that such difference in answers derived from the fact that students’ perspective was 68 Hesham A Khadawardi heavily influenced by the failure in class and TOPIK despite the introduction of afternoon classes, while teachers had a positive understanding in that they believed more students would have failed if not for the afternoon classes For the content and composition of afternoon classes, teachers and students had a similar answer that the classes were focused on review/preview and grammar/vocabulary Both teachers and students answered that writing should be covered more in class As in Figure 5, writing section was not only the lowest in TOPIK results, but also the section which Saudi Arabian students experience most difficulty in, having relatively less achievement For the question about the frequently used teaching method, teachers answered that they themselves usually use direct method of “question-and-answer exchange” and “instructor-led lecture” method of teaching, while on the other hand, students felt that direct method of “question-and-answer exchange” and discussion(seminar) style has been used.It is assumed that the reason for such an answer from the students was that they regarded “answering to the teachers’ questions” as “discussing” in class As a result of the afternoon class survey, most students felt burdened for too much daily class hours, but at the same time recognized the need for afternoon classes Likewise, teachers felt burdened in that they need to plan and prepare class methodology different from the line of regular classes, but they did admit the effectiveness Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 69 Result of the Survey on Customized Afternoon Supplementary Classes for Saudi Arabian Students – Teachers (left), Students (right) 4-4 Special Korean Language Program for Saudi Arabian Medical Doctors and its Achievement This part of the paper briefly introduces the Korean language education program which is currently being operated, not for students, but for Saudi Arabian dentists Following the agreement between Saudi Arabian and Korea Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabian dentists received the opportunity to participate in resident program in major Korean dentistry hospitals One of the major requirements for participation in this program is Korean language TOPIK level is the minimum qualification, but they should, in fact, be able to communicate fluently with co-doctors and patients Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea, having abundant in-depth experience in the 70 Hesham A Khadawardi field of Korean language education as mentioned in the previous chapters, took the responsibility of advisory and consultation in terms of composing Korean language education program for Saudi Arabian dentists Kyunghee University is the major operating institution of the Korean language program In the case of Saudi Arabian dentistry trainees, their purpose is to be able to equip themselves with the ability to communicate with co-doctors and patients within 17 months of preparation period Accordingly, their goal for Korean Proficiency exam level achievement is set high on level 4, and the whole language course schedule is divided into “concentrated course” and “medical Korean language learning.” During the concentrated course period, trainees take hours of classwork a day (4 hours of regular class in the morning, hours of supplementary/intensive class in the afternoon) Integrated textbooks and functional textbooks made by Kyunghee University is being used, and the total of 14 trainees have been organized into small group classes (3~4 people in each) The program also runs mentoring and study-helper session besides classes, so that the trainees can have the opportunity to practice what they learned with Korean people outside class One semester is composed of weeks, with no vacation in between semesters which total up to semesters However, the period in which they can actually focus intensively on learning Korean language is only up to semesters; the rest should be attended by pre-training sessions from Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) and hospitals Moreover, the cultural mission decided that “Korean language for special purpose: medical use,” which is differentiated from the general Korean language class, be implemented from the 4th semester They are currently running 4th semesters in total by June 2016 Chart below shows the achievement of Korean language education Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 71 course for dentistry trainees for months from October 19th, 2015 to April 17th, 2016 Achievement of Korean Language Education Course for Dentistry Trainees Semester Attendance Pass TOPIK result 44th TOPIK (January 17th, 2016, Korean language education period: months Level 1: people / Level 2: 11 people 99.2% 14trainees 98.7% 45th TOPIKⅡ (March 20th, 2016, Korean language 13 pass / fail education period: Level : people / Level : people 95.9% 46th TOPIKⅡ (April 17th, 2016, Korean language education period: months) 12 pass / fail Level : people / Level : people The superior learning capability of Saudi Arabian dental trainees is well acknowledged; the fact alone that they have completed six years in their medical university program and achieved their dental license is enough to prove their high potentials in basic academic learning Moreover, their clear ambition and goal make them highly motivated to learn the Korean language; in fact, their sincere attitude can be seen through their attendance rate in Chart 10 that ranges over 98% and achievement in TOPIK (in the first three months of living in Korea, 11 people have got level 2, people got level 1, and in six months, people got level and also people got level 4) While it is true that there are limits to assessing one’s mastery of Korean language through exam scores, the facts are that the achievement level of general Saudi students is comparatively lower than that of students of other cultures The radical disparity of Saudi students’ cultural background as well as their native Arabic language seem to create challenges for Saudi students 72 Hesham A Khadawardi trying to excel in learning Korean language Taking this into consideration, the achievement level of Saudi Arabian dental students indeed serves as an opportunity to change such previous thoughts and conventions While their individual potentials and strong motivations take credit for such positive academic achievements, the curriculum itself was also very helpful; making the evening classes into mandatory subjects, in which they would their assignments with the help of an assistant and mentor, enabled them to fully utilize and understand what they had learned in class This was an important choice since Saudi Arabian academics focus more on speech, unlike South Korea, which emphasizes reading and writing Now on, whether or not they will succeed in mastering Korean depends on how naturally and appropriately they will use their quickly learned grammar and vocabulary, effectively communicating with actual Koreans How they will effectively compose their study of particular medical Korean language inside the curriculum will also be an important task Recommendations For the past years, Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea has earnestly contributed to the development of Korean language programs directed towards Saudi students in particular and Arab students in general These efforts being in such domains as methods of teaching by section, planning class hours, and choosing textbooks were designed only for changes within the learning process package while remaining in the same overall curriculum frame As mentioned before, the number of people taking TOPIK has increased along with its passing rate; while this is an encouraging fact, there are still much to be done and improved For example, despite both Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 73 students’ and teachers’ opinion that afternoon class should encompass more writing sessions, the classes still focused mostly on grammar and vocabulary Such failure to satisfy the demands of both sides led to a negative consequence in which Saudi Arabian students scored merely 10-20 points in TOPIK Therefore, this paper proposes a number of recommendations First, since Saudi Arabian students show weakness in the skill of writing and reading, the afternoon classes should process a “reading and writing education for academic purpose” that focuses on these skills For the success of this education, instructors themselves need to develop new and interesting class material that differentiates itself from current methods Choosing discussion topics from reading materials or areas that the students themselves have chosen, the proposed personalized curriculum suggests that: show students the reading text according to the topic (grammar, vocabulary included) > make mind-map text bubbles to find the materials for the topic > organize thoughts through brainstorming about the material > show them an example of a writing about the topic and make students write > presenting with feedback, doing activities related to the topic, such as commercial making, reporting, and making powerpoint presentation materials > presenting (introduction) > giving feedback on fellow students’ presentations (hearing activity) > writing (only looking at mind-map trees) and so on Topic selection is critical for the curriculum’s success, and plenty of time is required to make the steps leading to the writing actively as smooth as possible Thus, teaching methodology need to get away from the standardized supplementary class form; by operating a class that repetitively deals with one or two topics, with different focuses, the students will be able to completely understand the text material and, as an out-put, will naturally be more confident when writing about the topic 74 Hesham A Khadawardi However, this customized education seems applicable to students over the middle level, and thus a different method should be used for students in the primary and early middle level Second, Arab students’ difficulty in distinguishing Korean language vowels and consonants is partially due to Korean language programs’ lack of advanced listening skill learning methodology Students’ acquisition of Korean sounds is solely dependent upon direct attention to the instructors’ pronunciation and textbooks accompanying recorded materials that lack sophistication in dealing with the students’ listening skill let alone taking into consideration the unique linguistic background of Arab students Furthermore, Korean language institutes clearly lack specialized listening labs that play a major role improving the students’ listening skill Third, while language learning has been taking advantage of online supplementary material that provide a new dimension to teaching the language which has proven quite practical with many students, Korean language learning packages lack digital and online versions that should enhance Korean language learning not only to Arab students but rather to the masses of Korean language learners Fourth, there should be an engaging, up-to-date method of teaching for the -hour-straight evening classes that tend to be physically challenging Several effective class materials extracted from various surveys and data from universities were proposed; however, these proposals were not used in actual classrooms due to students’ lack of grammar and busy exam preparations for level-ups Admittedly it will be stressful for the teacher as well, but better Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 75 results will be guaranteed if the teachers also try various methods and improvements Fifth, despite the efforts of cultural mission and Korean language programs providers, students who lack sufficient motivation for learning Korean language proved to be difficult to lead into higher achievement of language acquisition The students were encouraged to study through the carrot and stick approach, but being lenient with many students' irresponsible excuses not to attend classes or not working hard, decreased the level of authenticity and discipline for the students Thus, being vigorous reviewing and accepting such students' excuses, appear effective in encouraging and taunting the students to work hard Accordingly, the cultural mission sees the importance of developing a more realistic study-abroad student administration program which encompasses such management of students' behavior This kind of management however cannot be a decisive solution since there are not a lot of Arabic countries that can process this kind of discipline Thus, this research paper, taking into consideration a general applicable solution to study-abroad students from other Arabic countries as well, presents the Korean language academic process of Saudi Arabian dental trainees and their results The dentists had superior intellectual capabilities, discipline and most importantly, distinct academic motivations to study The same case applies for students who come to study in Korea from other Arab nations If they are also given a chance to utilize the language they have learned in class outside with Korean people through mentoring and study-supporter programs besides the regular session, we expect the Arabic students’ academic achievement to rise 76 Hesham A Khadawardi While admittedly there are less Arab students than those from other cultures, Arab students’ education will become more effective if more basic information and education about their culture and traits are implemented in each university’s Korean institution More importantly is that Korean departments of linguistic carries out research studying and discovering relations between Korean and Arabic language in a way that facilitates the learning of Korean language to Arab students as well as overcome learning hurdles that are facing both students and teachers Also, it will be effective for the influx of Arabic students into Korea if the Korean government, which pursues diversity of study-abroad students through policies regarding foreign students’ invitation and administration, fortify the liberal arts education about non-Asian countries when granting the Korean teacher license What’s encouraging is that the National Institute for International Education has developed a “customized Korean-Arab” textbook and is shipping abroad only to Arabic students who are learning Korean in foreign Korean institutions All curriculum material from 1-6 level is explained in Arabic language, and the included teacher guidelines also serve to help Arabic students particularly those still in the primary level However, this book has the limitation that it is not accessible to Arabic students living in Korea Making this book accessible to Arabic students in Korea as well will help them with their primary education Closing This research paper endeavored to explain some of the causes behind Saudi Arabian students’ lack of academic achievement, as well as to present effective learning methods that should enable students to successfully complete their Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 77 study-abroad program Through various surveys and investigation, the paper finds out that students’ lack of academic achievement can be explained by the lack of academic motivation, discrepancies between the Saudi Arabian and Korean language, lack of Korean language learning curriculum that take into accounts the unique linguistic background of Arab students, teachers’ lack of knowledge about the students and their Arabic culture, and cultural features that makes it hard for students to blend with the competitive Korean society To overcome these obstacles for a successful education and study-abroad life, together with Korean universities, Saudi Cultural Mission has provided customized supplementary classes, an active student support system, a systemized administration program, and diverse cultural/academic exchange platforms Also, for the academic solutions involving not only Saudi Arabian students but also other Arab students, the paper has strived to search for effective education methods by taking a look at the Korean learning process and achievements of Saudi Arabian dental students Accordingly, the cultural mission has taken one small, but meaningful step towards improvement of Korean language learning programs References Cho Wee Soo & Yoon Nam Joo, (2013) Study of Learning Strategy Characteristics of Arabic People Learning Korean Language - Based on Saudi Arabian Students, the 40th National Symposium (Fall), International Korean Language Education Conference p.78 Susan Unruh & Bilal Fayiz Obeidat (2015) Adjusting to Learning in the US: Saudi Students Speak Out, Jounal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Vol 15 (4) p.45-54 Yoon Bo Eun & Jung Joo Hee & Jung Yeon Hee & Lee Dong Eun, (2014) Reformation 78 Hesham A Khadawardi of Korean language education reading ability for Saudi Arabian students, The 33rd Language and Literature collection of treatises, Language and literature study research center, Kookmin University, p 73-74 Korean Ministry of Education: http://www.moe.go.kr TOPIK, National Institute for International Education: http://www.korean.go.kr Hesham A Khadawardi Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of Korea (04400) 37, Daesagwan-ro 11-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea TEL: 02)744 6471(ext.123) E-mail: hkhadawardi@gmail.com Submitted: April 30th, 2016 Evaluated: June 10th, 2016 Accepted: August 10th, 2016 ... Ministry of Education, 2015 International Students in South Korea Open Statistics on Status Quo Korean Language Education for Saudi Arabian Students 3-1 Status Quo of Saudi Arabian Students As mentioned... students, other institution-supported students, or Aramco scholarship students on top of the Saudi government scholarship students. ) All Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 47 students. .. National Institute for International Education (NIIED) TOPIK support team Study of Korean Language Education for Arabic Students 49 ② Analysis Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission in the Republic of