This study is to find the composing factors of identity and to inquire into the characteristics of language identity existent within the identities of Korean School learners in the US. Survey data were collected from 205 Korean school learners residin... This study is to find the composing factors of identity and to inquire into the characteristics of language identity existent within the identities of Korean School learners in the US. Survey data were collected from 205 Korean school learners residing in the US. Data analysis focused on drawing the composing factors of learners’ identity, examining specific features within the factors, and finding correlations within them. Subsequently, the quantitative data were supported by follow-up questions and in-depth interviews to inquire about issues that were not made clear through the quantitative data. Primarily, exploratory factor analysis was employed using SPSS 20.0, and Amos 18 was also utilized to conduct confirmatory factor analysis on the factors drawn from the exploratory factor analysis. Correlation, regression, and moderating effect analyses were also implemented and correlation within the factors were drawn from factor analysis. The characteristics of applicable variables were also exhaustively investigated. This study is composed as follows: In Chapter I, the necessity and purpose of this research are first outlined, and regarding preceding studies pertaining to it, the identity of the next generation Korean Americans, Korean education and learner’s identity in the US are reviewed. The chapter concludes with a listing of terminology definitions. The research questions that this study aspired to answer were as follow: 1) What are the factors composing the identities of Korean school learners in the US, and the characteristics of their language identities?, 2) How do the composing factors correlate and what are the features of language-specific factors? With these questions, hypotheses and rationale were established. The theoretical background of the study is reviewed in chapter two. The first part of the chapter looks at the concept of identity, how it is formed, and how it is specifically classified. The second part deals with the relationship of identity and language, notably perspectives on the relationship between language usage of immigrant groups, identity, and language status, and scholarly discussions on the bilingual culture of Korean school learners in the US and their identity. Chapter Ⅲ explains the methodology that was employed for the present research. As an exploratory study, the study is described to begin with an exploration of the factors that comprise identity through a continuous process of inductive inference and verification. Subsequently the design and procedures of the research, the research participants and tools, and data analysis are described. In Chapter Ⅳ, the research findings drawn from exploratory and the confirmative factor analysis are presented. Unlike previous research in which identity factors were analyzed from the levels of nation, ethnicity, culture and language, the present study found the composing factors of identity to consist of pride, community affection and participation, language cognition, affection and language behavior, and cultural behavior. This finding is significant in that, compared to previous research that focuses on a macro and theoretical approach, it makes possible a realistic examination into the human mind and appearances with the three factors of cognition, affection and behavior in mind. The following factors and their level of influence were identified as follow: pride(16.47%), community affection and participation(14.31%), language cognition(13.83%), affection and language behavior(13.38%), cultural behavior(9.30%). Among the five factors, pride was found to be the most influential. In terms of the correlation between variables within the drawn factors, as the variables within the language cognition factors showed a lower correlation, they were found to have a lower interactional effect in terms of cognitive variables compared to variables pertaining to affection and behavior. The confirmative factor analysis that followed found that all factors, with the exception of two variables within language cognition, were appropriate. An exploration of the determined factors reveals a new perspective into looking at the features of identity through the dissimilar combination aspects of ‘cognition, affection, and behavior,’ centering around a process of separation and unity of the three elements of attitude. In Chapter Ⅴ, findings found from the exploration on the correlation between composing factors of identity and language identity are presented. Since the correlation viewed by scatter plot was drawn by three patterns centered on affection, cognition, and behavior, the correlation of attitude factors within factors became the basic frame. It was found that, as most correlations between factors were measured to be highly correlated at higher than .6, the composing factors of identity were found to be mutually influential. In the analysis centered on correlation coefficient, the correlation coefficient related to the pride factor was found to be the highest and the language cognition factor the lowest. Although language affection and behavior was hypothesized as an adjusting variable which amplifies the low correlation of language cognition, this hypothesis was denied because language identity was found to be divided into two factors and the influence was found to be relatively scattered. Therefore, educational measures about uniting them are strongly called for. The qualitative part of this study on the separation of language identity was conducted in three ways: first, an inquiry concerning knowledge, affection, and behavior of Korean classes, second, the application of the concept of ‘imagined communities’, cited in Norton (2000)), and third, moderating effect analysis. In the Korean classes, the understanding is high in respect of knowledge, but in respect of affection and behavior, the negative inclination is slightly high, and in the theory of imagined communities, the separation of affection and cognition or behavior is displayed in view of learning Korean language based on instrumental motivation. These findings can be understood in terms of the higher language status of English, and the sociocultural environment in which Korean is used in lower frequency. Lastly, in the analysis of the moderating effect analysis for the conformity of language identity, the “pride” factor was found to serve as a variable for improving the level of influence of language cognition, affection, and behavior. These findings reveal that, along with the influence of learners’ parents or caregivers, the influence of Korean language education is also significant. Consequently there is a need for more research and an educational effort for helping students develop a language identity that unifies the three elements of language cognition, affection and behavior, in order to instill a sense of pride in Korean school learners. Therefore, an effort to accomplish a meticulous educational design that focuses on the affective domain is strongly called for, such as affective education in learning Korean, the enhancement of heightening interest and sense of accomplishment in learning Korean. In Chapter Ⅵ, as a conclusion, arranging the results of the study so far, I reveal the limit and significance of this study and make some suggestions of a succeeding researches. The fruition of this study can be recapitulated in two standpoints. Firstly, in the approach of Korean education for the practical application of identity education, the practical frame that is based on cognition, affection, and behavior, which are basic standpoints, was discovered. Secondly, It is proved that a meticulously educational project is necessitated for the enhancement of pride, value education, and emotional attachment regarding the action of learning Korean, since language identity that is divided into cognition and affection and behavior has a low influence on identity. Such the attainments and significance have a lot of meanings for providing an on-spot education with a basic and practical foothold in implementing efficiently a system and contents of identity education proper to the essence of it for the future.
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