Abstract

Purpose: This study explores the educational potential of culture-text-based English learning by using coffee culture and advertising language as core instructional materials in a university liberal arts English course. It examines how such instruction shapes learners’ motivation, participation, emotional engagement, and identity formation. Research design, data and methodology: A qualitatively driven mixed-methods design was implemented over a 15-week semester with 78 Korean EFL learners. Data were collected through pre- and post-course questionnaires, reflective journals, project artefacts, and semi-structured interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to examine motivational trends, and thematic analysis was applied to the qualitative data. Results: Learners reported increased motivation, confidence, and willingness to participate. They came to reinterpret English not as a test-oriented subject but as a resource for expressing personal meaning. Coffee culture and advertising discourse functioned as symbolic resources for reflecting on lifestyle, values, and identity, while positive emotions such as enjoyment and familiarity supported sustained engagement. Conclusions: The findings suggest that culture-text-based English learning can meaningfully connect language study with learners’ everyday lives and self-narratives. Incorporating culturally grounded and identity-relevant content into liberal arts English education may therefore promote more active, confident, and emotionally engaged English use.