Beyond Fandom: Academic Support, Achievement Motivation, and Informal Learning in an Indonesian K-Pop Dance-Cover Community

Abstract

K-Pop fandom is often discussed as entertainment consumption, yet fan communities can also become spaces of peer support, informal learning, and identity development. This qualitative intrinsic case study examines five high-school students who were members of JT Entertainment, a K-Pop dance-cover community in Padang, Indonesia. The 27 informants included students, teachers, parents, siblings, community members, the founder, and a mentor. Data were collected through active participant observation, repeated in-depth interviews, and documentation, then interpreted through interactive thematic analysis. The findings identify four interconnected support domains: community-based subject mentoring and study groups; school participation and tutoring; family monitoring and encouragement; and individual confidence, competition, and achievement motivation. The community allowed temporary withdrawal from dance during examinations, indicating negotiated boundaries between fandom and schooling. Rather than claiming that K-Pop participation caused higher achievement, the study argues that fandom can provide social capital and learning routines that participants perceive as supporting academic motivation.