M.A Middlebury College

Doctoral Candidate in Education 

Areas of Interest

Second language acquisition, proficiency-oriented instruction, task-based and content-based approaches, Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA), curriculum design, professional development in higher education, integrating language and culture, soft power and cultural exchange in East Asia.

Bio

She is an Assistant Instructional Professor of Korean in the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures at the University of Florida. She began her academic career in South Korea, earning a B.A. in English Language and Literature and an M.A. in International Cooperation Development with a focus on Korea’s economic development and policy. Building on this foundation, she earned an M.A. in Korean Language from Middlebury College and an M.A. in Global Leadership with a specialization in cross-cultural studies and cultural intelligence. She is currently finalizing her dissertation for a doctoral degree in education.

She has extensive experience teaching Korean and English in South Korea, as well as teaching Korean language and culture at University of Oregon. Her teaching emphasizes proficiency-oriented, content-based, and task-based approaches that integrate language and culture, linking second language acquisition to Korea’s economy, politics, history, and contemporary culture. Guided by ACTFL proficiency standards, she focuses on developing communicative competence through the integration of authentic cultural materials, including K-dramas and K-pop.

Her research interests include integrating language and culture, second language acquisition, curriculum design, and the role of soft power in East Asian cultural exchange.