This study aims to collect and analyze Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)-related research in Korean language education to identify emerging trends. It examines 28 academic articles published in Korea from 2020 to 2024, using text mining and language network analysis methods. Term Frequency (TF) and Term Frequency-Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF) analyses revealed that studies on curriculum design and application in Korean language education appeared with high frequency. Semantic network analysis identified key research directions, such as comparing proficiency level systems in Korean curricula, proposing “mediation” activities based on CEFR, and evaluating CEFR as an assessment tool. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling categorized the studies into three groups: (1) research directly analyzing CEFR, (2) research applying CEFR to overseas Korean language curriculum design, and (3) research comparing existing Korean curricula with CEFR. This study is significant as the first to analyze CEFR-related research trends in Korean language education. By employing objective data analysis tools such as text mining, it enhances the reliability of findings and provides valuable insights into recent research trends.

This research investigated consistency of achievement levels stated in the 2015 revised national curriculum of English, high school English textbooks, and the Korean College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) according to CEFR Levels. Based on CEFR levels, this study compared levels of targeted achievement standards in the national curriculum, focusing on reading passages in High School EnglishⅡ and CSAT implemented for three consecutive years (2021-2023). Results indicated that the reading section of textbooks and CSAT included a considerable portion of passages whose text difficulty levels were higher than CEFR B2, exceeding the achievement standards required for high school graduates. These results suggest that difficulty levels in the national curriculum, textbooks, and CSAT should be adjusted according to target levels of language proficiency based on CEFR levels so that learning burden of students can be lessened and competency-based English teaching and learning finally can be performed.

This study aims to examine whether CEFR-based CELA can be presented as a placement test for TOEIC. Data collected from 1,142 college freshmen who participated in both tests were analyzed to determine: 1) how hypothetical levels of a CELA score differed from existing TOEIC levels; 2) if there was any significant correlation between test scores and final grades; and 3) how native English professors viewed CELA as a placement test. The analysis revealed that CELA did not perform better a placement test than TOEIC. It did not have a higher correlation with the final grade either. However, the fact that CELA is more aligned with the content and objective of the English course and that most native English professors consider CELA more suitable as a placement test can be seen as positive factors supporting it to replace the existing placement test. Results of this study if curriculum and student levels are different.