코로나19 상황 한국어문화교육에서의 비대면 문화체험교육에 관한 전통공예기능인들의 인식과 대응 연구

Traditional Korean Craftsmen’s Perceptions of and Responses to the Shift to Online Cultural Experiential Education in the Pandemic Era

In recent years, with the growing global interest in Korean culture, Korean language institutes have integrated experiential education with classes in Korean crafts taught by authentic traditional craftsmen. These classes were previously taught in person but with the arrival of COVID-19, the classes have shifted to online instruction. This study aims to examine the perceptions and responses of these traditional craftsmen in reaction to this shift. The study begins with in-depth interviews of four traditional Korean craftsmen and analyzes them using qualitative case study methods. In the beginning of the pandemic, these craftsmen quickly lost most of their business. While it was clear that moving to online classes was a viable solution, for some the loss of quality in the teaching experience significantly decreased motivation to make the shift. Their attitudes toward online education were somewhat correlated with their level of strict adherence to traditional methods in producing their crafts. Their attitudes were also correlated with the degree to which these craftsmen saw themselves as teachers of craft technique versus simply offering a cultural experience for their students. The demand for online cultural experience education is expected to increase steadily regardless of the situation with COVID-19. Based on the results of this study and the apparent scarcity of craftsmen who fully embody the role of cultural instructor, it seems necessary to further research ways to augment these classes with more introduction and cultural instruction by the participating language institutes to put them in context and bring out their full value.