Philippine E-Journals

Understanding the Fascination of Teenagers to Koreanovelas: A Letran Calamba Senior High School Experience

Jerilyn Dimaano | Kirsten Mariel De Guzman | Ryan James Singayan

 

Abstract:

The study focused on understanding why selected Filipino teenagers were fascinated in watching Koreanovelas (or also known as K-dramas). Based on the selected teenagers’ reasons why they watch Koreanovelas, the study identified the factors that they considered in watching Koreanovelas; discovered their level of fascination towards those factors; determined the frequency and length of time they had been watching Koreanovelas and the influences of Koreanovelas on the senior high school students in terms of fashion, preferences on food, beauty products, music, movie and television series, and learning the Korean language. Employing descriptive research design, the researchers used a survey questionnaire in Likert scale and FGD interview guide. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics in terms of frequency, percentage, and simple mean while the qualitative data were analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings of the study revealed that most of the teenagers had started watching K- dramas at a young age, had spent five and more years watching them for more than five hours monthly during free time. The top three influences, on initial motivation, included their own curiosity, the influence of friends, and the influence of family. Their continuous patronage of Koreanovelas emerged from their high level of fascination with the storylines, themes, and the looks of the casts. These factors successfully satisfied their needs for entertainment, personal identity, integration and social interaction, and information. Through these influences, the teenagers had developed the desire to visit Korea. For future studies, the researchers suggested studying how Koreanovelas were advertised to explain their popularity, and the differences in the perspectives of male and female audiences toward K-dramas. It was also suggested that researchers further study the different types of media that teenagers use in watching K-dramas. Since most of the respondents prefer Korean movies and telenovelas over Filipino movies and telenovelas, it was highly recommended for future researchers to explore and determine the difference between the former and the latter in terms of context, cinematography, themes, and storylines.