cultura adaptation of 2014 ewha-koica students

8/9/2019 Cultura Adaptation of 2014 Ewha-KOICA Students

1/21


2/21

I. Introduction

What is Ewha-KOICA?

Since 1**'+ ,orea International Coo-eration ."ency (,/IC.) in0ites -artici-ants

from de0elo-in" countries to -artici-ate in 0arious courses includin" !asters de"ree

-ro"rams# ,/IC. has been o-eratin" !asters de"ree -ro"rams 2ith leadin" ,orean

uni0ersities in the fields of economics+ trade+ 2omens em-o2erment+ rural de0elo-ment and

the li3e# ,/IC. co0ers all costs of studyin"+ li0in" and tra0elin" for all students# 4he

,/IC. students+ in turn+ are e5-ected to "ain -rofessional and systematic 3no2led"e that

2ill -lay a 3ey role in their home countries de0elo-ment# .ccordin" to the ,/IC. Pro"ram

Information boo3let (&1%:8)+ a total of 1+8% students ha0e -artici-ated in the -ro"rams of

,/IC. from 1**' to &1# In &1%+ &* -artici-ants are -artici-atin" in 16 !asters de"ree

-ro"rams in 16 ,orean uni0ersities# Partici-ants ta3in" their !asters de"ree in 72ha

omans 9ni0ersity are called 72ha,/IC. students# 4he ;raduate School of International

Studies in 72ha omans 9ni0ersity has been conductin" the !asters de"ree -ro"ram for

,/IC. since &'#

4he a--lication criteria for the -ro"ram includes: the female a--licant should not be

o0er % years old+ should be a citi

2ritten 7n"lish to ta3e classes conducted entirely in 7n"lish+ and to 2rite thesis in 7n"lish#

4he selection -rocess for 72ha,/IC. students include inter0ie2s from ,/IC. and

72ha omans 9ni0ersity and a 2ritten essay e5am conducted in the ,/IC. office or at the

,orean embassy in their home countries#

9-on arri0al in ,orea+ 72ha,/IC. students to"ether 2ith students from other

uni0ersities 2ere billeted at ,/IC. International Coo-eration Center (ICC) for one 2ee3#

1


3/21

4he orientation at ,/IC.ICC includes a 2elcomin" session+ Seoul city tour and a medical

chec3u-# 4he 2elcomin" session at ,/IC.ICC includes an introduction of ,/IC.+

o0er0ie2 of the -ro"ram+ lecture on ,orean culture+ "eneral information about daily life in

,orea+ and lecture on se5ual harassment#

For batch &1%+ the & 72ha,/IC. students are from 1% different de0elo-in"

countries#14hey are currently under"oin" a !asters -ro"ram in International Studies ma?or

in e0elo-ment Coo-eration (Ca-acity e0elo-ment of omen $eaders)# 4he -ro"ram is

from 6 .u"ust &1% to 1 ecember &1# 4he 72ha,/IC. students are li0in" in double

occu-ancy rooms at the ;raduate School ormitory in the 72ha cam-us#

II. Overview of Research

4he field2or3 research -ro?ect 2ere conducted in collaboration 2ith @ana Aiddessen+

an international e5chan"e student from ;ermany+ and Ronita Pra3ash+ an 72ha,/IC.

student from Fi?i# 4he duration of the research -ro?ect 2as from &% Se-tember to &6

Bo0ember &1%#

4he initial -ur-ose of the research -ro?ect 2as to in0esti"ate the le0els of cultural

ada-tation of ,/IC. students from 0arious uni0ersities in Seoul but after inter0ie2in" t2o

72ha,/IC. students+ the researchers decided to focus on the 72ha,/IC. students as the

sub?ects of the research in order to conduct a more focused research#

III. Research O!ectives

4he follo2in" are the research ob?ecti0es of the -ro?ect:

1# Identify the le0el of cultural ada-tation of 72ha,/IC. students as 2ell as the

factors influencin" the le0el of cultural ada-tation

1Cambodia+ 7"y-t+ Fi?i+ ;hana+ ,enya+ $aos+ !on"olia+ !yanmar+ Be-al+ Pa3istan+ Phili--ines+ R2anda+4a?i3istan+ and 4an


4/21

Research the difficulties that the 72ha,/IC. students encountered durin" their

cultural ada-tation and discuss their co-in" mechanisms based on their cultural

bac3"round and

# In0esti"ate the 72ha,/IC. students "rou- dynamics and its influence on their

cultural ada-tation#

I". Research #ethodolo$%

. mi5ed method a--roach 2as em-loyed in this research# 4hrou"h literature re0ie2

of studies on cultural ada-tation in forei"n countries focused on international e5chan"e

students+ the researchers 2ere able to de0elo- an inter0ie2 "uideline that 2ill be used as a

frame2or3 for the inter0ie2s to be conducted# .fter conductin" inter0ie2s and usin" the data

"athered+ an inducti0e a--roach to the research 2as e5ercised in order to "ather the

hy-otheses of the research# e0elo-ment of the sur0ey also relied on e5istin" data from the

inter0ie2s# 4ranscri-tions of the inter0ie2s 2ere also conducted by the researchers# .fter the

conduct of the sur0ey+ data inter-retation 2as -re-ared#

Interviews

4he Inter0ie2 ;uideline (see .nne5 .)+ 2as of four -arts: (1) armu- D 2herein the

inter0ie2ees 2ere as3ed about their cultural bac3"round+ ?ob and education+ family status+

reasons for ?oinin" the -ro"ram+ and their -re-aration for ,orea+ (&) Cultural .da-tation in

,orea D inter0ie2ees 2ere as3ed about their o0erall satisfaction on their stay in ,orea+ their

thou"hts on ,orean culture+ their le0el of cultural ada-tation+ the difficulties they encounter

in cultural ada-tation+ their co-in" mechanisms to deal 2ith these difficulties and their

-ercei0ed difference bet2een their culture and ,orean culture+ () 72ha,/IC. students

"rou- D inter0ie2ees 2ere as3ed of their feelin" of belon"in"ness to the "rou-+ the 3inds of

3


5/21

acti0ities they do 2ith the "rou-+ their cultural ada-tation 2ithout the ,/IC. "rou- and their

co-in" mechanisms to the 0arious cultures 2ithin the ,/IC. "rou-+ (%) Recommendations D

the inter0ie2ees 2ere as3ed 2hat 2ould they recommend to the future 72ha,/IC.

students and the ,/IC. administration to ma3e ada-tation better#

4here 2ere si5 indi0idual inde-th inter0ie2s+ around one hour in len"th+ conducted

bet2een the -eriods of & /ctober to 16 Bo0ember &1%# .ll researchers 2ere -resent durin"

the inter0ie2+ one "rou- member 2ill be the main inter0ie2er 2hile the other t2o members

could also as3 questions to the inter0ie2ee# /0er % minutes of audio time 2ere recorded in

all the inter0ie2s and the researchers transcribed the inter0ie2s for data analysis#

Surve%

.n online anonymous sur0ey+ 0ia sur0eymon3ey#com 2as de0elo-ed based on the

data "athered in the inter0ie2s# 4en questions 2ere -re-ared for the 1 minute sur0ey#

Si5teen out of & 72ha,/IC. students -artici-ated on the sur0ey# 4he sur0ey 2as

conducted from 18 Bo0ember to && Bo0ember &1%# 4he data 2as inter-reted throu"h

bi0ariate /$S re"ression#

". &i'itations of Research

. number of limitations 2ere also considered in the research:

1. Interviewer effects

Since t2o "rou- members are also -art of the 72ha,/IC. "rou-+

conductin" the inter0ie2 or e0en attendin" the inter0ie2 mi"ht affect the res-onses of

the inter0ie2ees#

2. Selection of Interview candidates

4he "rou- aimed to inter0ie2 culturally di0erse inter0ie2 candidates but other

4


6/21

CulturalAdaptation

()* Satisfaction +,

(.* Cultural Knowled$eand &an$ua$e efforts +,

(/* 0roup 1elon$in$ness +,

(2* Cultural 3istance +-

(4* Adaptation 3ifficulties +-

members of the 72ha,/IC. "rou- mi"ht ha0e com-letely different e5-eriences#

3. Survey Results

Since there is a small -o-ulation+ quantitati0e results mi"ht not ha0e a hi"h

reliability and 0alidity# Results cannot be also "enerali


7/21


8/21

4here 2ere different moti0ations for them as re"ards a--lyin" for the -ro"ram# /ne

chose to a--ly in the -ro"ram because she 2as interested in the study sub?ect+ one 2anted to

e5-erience ho2 to li0e abroad and one 2anted to im-ro0e her -rofessional 3no2led"e and

s3ills in order to attain a better ?ob -osition#

Cultural Knowled$e and &an$ua$e Efforts

#I had to ma%e rearations, li%e for %ids who are oin to school. &secially for me,

ecause I do retty much myself.I had to plan a lot.' (enya

.ll the inter0ie2ees only had around four 2ee3s bet2een their notice of admission

and the start of the -ro"ram# 4herefore+ most of them did not ha0e any -re-aration to "et to

3no2 ,orean culture# .lmost all of them had to focus on administrati0e matters (-a-er2or3

for the tri-)+ family matters and -assin" on their 2or3 to their collea"ues#

#I honestly I never search aboutKorean culture, I )ust see from movies, it*s nice.+ $

amodia

!ost of them do not ha0e -rior 3no2led"e of 2hat ,orean culture is li3e# /ne of

them studied ,orean studies in her under"raduate+ therefore ha0in" an ed"e o0er the others#

.nother one 2atches ,orean drama and follo2s ,oreas music scene# /ne recei0ed a

trainin" at her countrys ,/IC. office but the trainin" 2as on se5ual harassment# !ostly+

7


9/21

they "ot

1 - I don't know much 3 5 7 - I know a lot0 0

7

3

2

1 1

How much do you know about Korean culture an a scale from 1 to 7?

information throu"h brochures from the ,/IC. office in their o2n country#

.ccordin" to the sur0ey+ most of the 72ha,/IC. students admitted that they do not

3no2 much 2hen it comes to ,orean culture# 4he sur0ey+ thus+ 0alidated the res-onses of the

inter0ie2ees#

#I can understand them. -ut I don*t have anyone to ractice with me at home. I am a self-

learner. -ut when they sea% with me, I understand what they are sayin.+ $ 7"y-t

4he 72ha,/IC. students ha0e a mandatory hours of ,orean lan"ua"e classes#

!ost of them find learnin" the lan"ua"e really hard+ but 2ould 2ant to -ractice more if they

had more time# /ne inter0ie2ee can s-ea3 the ,orean lan"ua"e fluently+ one can understand

the lan"ua"e because she 2atches ,orean drama and one has a ,orean lan"ua"e buddy

hel-in" her out on learnin" the lan"ua"e# 4he other three inter0ie2ees ha0e only a basic le0el

of 3no2led"e of the lan"ua"e#

8


10/21

Yes; 5; 36%

No; 9; 64%

Do you take any extra eorts to improve your Korean language skills apart from the mandatory class?

In the sur0ey+ 2hen as3ed if they ta3e e5tra efforts in learnin" the lan"ua"e+ 6% of

them said they do not# ."ain+ the sur0ey su--orts the statements of the inter0ie2ees#

Satisfaction

#et me onder on that, (orea how do I li%e, I will not say li%e,I just love it here+ Fi?i

#Its ok.I am not feelin li%e I am oin to die. It*s o%. -ut we are havin friends. I am

etween friends, in a country I li%e. So it is not the best place but it is ok.+ 7"y-t

. di0erse ran"e of ans2er 2ere "i0en by the inter0ie2ees 2hen as3ed about ho2

ha--y they 2ere in their stay in ,orea+ from bein" absolutely ha--y to bein" 0ery unha--y#

Some re-ort homesic3ness and stress from hea0y uni0ersity 2or3load causes their

dissatisfaction# /thers also re-orted -hysical and emotional 2ea3ness as -art of their

stru""le#

9


11/21

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 9 10

1 1 1

2 2

3

2 2 2

!verall how much do you like your stay in Korea so far on a scale from " to 1"?

Similar to the res-onses of the inter0ie2ees+ the sur0ey "a0e the same -icture#

.lthou"h 2ith a mean of 6#6+ the sur0ey re0ealed a more -ositi0e res-onse from the "rou-#

!owe" #$stance Ind$%$dual$sm &ascul$n$t' (nce"ta$nt' )%o$dance Indul*ence0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0

90

60

30

39

5

29

70

25

45

0

4

7

14

46 4

70

25

45

0

65

30

40 40

#ultural Distance$ Hofstede%s Dimensions

+outh ,o"ea -*'.t /$$ ,en'a Ne.al

Cultural 3istance

10


12/21

9sin" Aofstedes dimensions of Bational Cultures&: Po2er istance+ Indi0idualism+

!asculinity+ 9ncertainty .0oidance and Indul"ence+ one can see that the bi""est difference

amon" these cultures can be seen in 9ncertainty .0oidance# .lthou"h there is a bi"

difference bet2een South ,orea and 7"y-t in Indul"ence+ no data 2as sho2n for the other

countries in the Aofstede 2ebsite#

urin" the inter0ie2+ most of the inter0ie2ers -ercei0ed some le0el of similarity to

their culture and ,orean culture# Some -ointed out the similarities bein": their lon" history+

friendliness+ res-ectin" and obeyin" elders# /ne does not see similarities+ she says they are

friendlier but finds other as-ects of the culture as better com-ared to their culture such as

food and lan"ua"e# 4he sur0ey results yielded the same+ some -ercei0e their culture as

different and other see it as similar#

hen the inter0ie2ers 2ere as3ed on the beha0ior they do not do in their home

country but they do in South ,orea+ t2o mentioned chan"es in clothin" style# 4hey said that

they felt they ha0e more freedom to 2ear short dresses com-ared to their o2n countries# 42o

also mentioned that they "o out at ni"ht no2 because they feel safer# !any has "ro2n

accustomed to ,orean food also# /ne -ointed out that she can be less friendly in South ,orea

because she -ercei0es many ,oreans are#

Adaptation 3ifficulties

#/y caital is cold, ut not this cold.Im thinking Ill probably die in winter. I*m feelin

really cold. 0 I thin% this is winter for me. I don*t %now what I will do.+D ,enya

4he inter0ie2ees e5-ressed many ada-tation difficulties they ha0e encountered# !any

of the inter0ie2ees come from tro-ical countries and they found it difficult to ad?ust to the

climate of ,orea# .ll+ e5ce-t one+ found lan"ua"e and communication 2ith ,oreans the

most difficult in their ada-tation# !any also e5-erienced ne"ati0e encounters on the beha0ior

2Bo data in Aofstedes 2ebsite (htt-:GG"eerthofstede#comGcountries#html) for Cambodia and !yanmar#

11


13/21

of ,oreans to2ards forei"ners#

#nd all the (oreans, when we o shoin, we are as%ed li%e 4are you married* and

everythin. &ven thouh I studied (orean, I still don*t et that %ind of 5uestions.+ $ /yanmar

.lthou"h she is fluent in ,orean+ it still -u


14/21

1 2 3 4 5 6 7&'1(&'1(

&')7('*(('*+('+,

-'"+-'1(

-'*+*'1(

*'()

.n which areas did you encounter problems incoping with the Koreans culture?

. encountered di/culties or problems with0

4he sur0ey re0ealed that $an"ua"e and Communication and Studyin" at a ,orean

uni0ersity is rated the hi"hest by the sur0ey -artici-ants# 4his chart also distin"uishes the

72ha,/IC. students from international e5chan"e students# .lthou"h they 2ould -robably

also ha0e the same amount of lan"ua"e -roblems+ international e5chan"e students mi"ht ha0e

less difficulties 2ith the teachin" methods and 2or3load+ and climate 2ould -robably not be

an area of difficulty for most international e5chan"e students#

0roup 1elon$in$ness

#I feel sisterhood, really. I feel that I am not alone. 0 6hen I loo% around, there are 2: of

us. 6e are all in the same oat. I am not alone.+ ' /yanmar

.ll the inter0ie2ees re0eal that they ha0e a 0ery hi"h sense of "rou- belon"in"ness#

4he analo"y of the "rou- to family+ s-ecifically sisters 2ere heard in all the inter0ie2s# 4he

inter0ie2ees say that bein" 2ith the 72ha,/IC. "rou- hel-s them co-e 2ith cultural

difficulties and all the other -roblems they encounter a2ay from home# 4hey enumerated the

0arious acti0ities they do 2ith the "rou- as 2ell+ such as+ eatin" out to"ether+ coo3in"+ tri-s

13

To a verylarge extent

Not at all


15/21

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

1

-

*

-

How much do you feel a sense of belonging to the wha2K!.#3 student4s group on a scale from 1 to 7?

a

nd si"htseein"+ 2atchin" mo0ies+ 2hich are acti0ities one 2ill do 2ith close friends#

4he results of the sur0ey also re0eal the same# .ll res-onses are to2ards a hi"h ratin"

of belon"in"ness to the "rou-#

1 2 3 4 5

&

-

+

&

.magine you would be a normal international exchange student in Korea and not with the K!.#3 program' How w ould that afect your adaptation to Korean culture?

hen as3ed 2hat 2ould be different if they 2ere in ,orea 2ithout the "rou-+ none of them

14

I have a verystrong feelingof belonging

I do not feelbelonging tothe group


16/21

li3ed the thou"ht of bein" 2ithout the "rou-# =ut most of them say that they 2ould most

li3ely to ada-t more to ,orean culture than they do no2#

4he sur0ey also re0ealed the same results# 4he sur0ey -artici-ants said that they 2ill

ada-t a bit more 2hen they come to ,orea on their o2n#

4he inter0ie2ees 2ere also as3ed if they ha0e encountered any cultural difficulties

amon" their 72ha,/IC. "rou-# Bone of the inter0ie2ees re-orted se0ere difficulties 2ith

co-in" 2ith the 0arious cultures 2ithin the "rou-# !ost e0en say that they ha0e no

difficulties at all# 4he sur0ey results stron"ly su--ort these findin"s as 2ell#

Cultural Adaptation

hen as3ed about their -erce-tions of ,orean culture+ many mentioned about the

res-ect for elders# Some ha0e cited about ,orean food+ on ho2 healthy it is and ho2 carefully

,oreans -re-are their food# Some cited the indifference of ,oreans to2ards others# Some

also mentioned ho2 safe the en0ironment is in ,orea# /ne mentioned about ,orea ha0in" an

HoldJ and Hne2J culture# 4he old culture for her is bein" sho2n in museums+ -alaces+ and

,orean fol3 0illa"es# She admired ho2 they 2ere able to -reser0e these relics of the old

culture# 4he ne2 culture+ for her+ is the ,orean drama and ,-o-# She said that the ne2

"eneration of ,drama and ,-o- are no2 follo2in" the 2estern culture+ therefore she thin3s

they are losin" their identities as ,oreans no2#

.ll had no -roblems -racticin" their reli"ion in ,orea# Some of the inter0ie2ees 2ere

also able to ma3e ,orean friends# =ut+ all the inter0ie2ees also re0ealed that they did not

ha0e the feelin" of inte"ration to ,orean culture# .lmost all the inter0ie2ees ha0e the

-erce-tion that their cultural ada-tion 2ill not de0elo- o0er time#

#Not so much. Not fully. -ut the fact that I can ractice my reliion, ma%es a i difference.

/aye if I have more time for myself, aart from studies, I thin% I*ll e more interated. I can

learn more (orean, I can o out so I can ractice (orean and interact.+ ' (enya

15

I wouldadapt much

more

I wouldadapt a bit

more

My culturaladaptionwould bethe same

I wouldadapt a bit

less

I wouldadapt

much less


17/21

3fter the 5aster%s program

6oday

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

*'*

-'"7

6o what extent do you feel that you have culturally adapted to Korean culture on a scale from 1 to 7?

/n the other hand+ the sur0ey -artici-ants rated their cultural ada-tation on a medium

le0el at %#'# 7i"hty fi0e -ercent (8) of the 72ha,/IC. students thin3 their le0el of

cultural ada-tation 2ill increase until the end of the -ro"ram# 4hese findin"s contradict the

inter0ie2 results# 4he remainin" 1 thin3 their cultural ada-tation 2ill remain the same#

=ased on =i0ariateG$inear /$S re"ression+ factors ha0e si"nificant on cultural

ada-tation# 4he factors are: (1) Cultural ,no2led"e and $an"ua"e 7fforts+ (&) Satisfaction+

and () ;rou- =elon"in"ness#

16

I have no culturaladaptation

I have a mediumcultural adaptation

I have a very strongcultural adaptation


18/21

3evelopin$ Countr% to 3eveloped Countr%

#I felt embarrassed because of the differences. The differences are hue. 6hat emarrasses

me more is that I %now my country can do etter than what we are riht now. 0ersonally! its embarrassing because we work in the government. I %now what my

overnment can do. I %now it is not as oor as it is erceived to e.+ ' (enya

4he researchers thou"ht it 2as interestin" to 3no2 their thou"hts on ho2 it 2as li3e

for them to come from de0elo-in" countries to a de0elo-ed country# !ost of them said they

2ere ama


19/21

72ha,/IC. students encounter#

# Resect the various culture of &wha$(;I studentsD because of the di0ersity in

the "rou-+ one has to learn to res-ect the cultural mi5ture in the "rou-#

7or the &wha$(;I roram

1# /ore rearation time efore comin to (oreaD four 2ee3s from the notice of

admission and comin" to ,orea is such a short time to -re-are as re"ards cultural

ada-tation# Bone of the inter0ie2ees said that they had any trainin" in ,/IC. or

the ,orean embassy in their home countries on cultural ada-tation also# It 2ould

be best if there 2ould be an intensi0e Pree-arture /rientation Seminar for

,/IC. students in their home countries#

>rovide more time for cultural interationD one of the difficulty mentioned by the

most 72ha,/IC. students is the ma"nitude of 2or3load they ha0e -re0ented

them to culturally ada-t to ,orean culture#

# >rovide more time to study (orean lanuaeD a"ain+ the 72ha,/IC. students

mentioned that they cannot fully -ractice the lan"ua"e they are learnin" because

of the amount of 2or3load they ha0e for their courses#

%# /eet revious atches of &wha$(;I students in their countryD it 2ould be

hel-ful if ,/IC. can introduce the -re0ious batch of 72ha,/IC. students to

the future ones in order to brief them about life in ,orea#

# onnect students from the same country in &whaD it 2ill also be hel-ful that if

u-on arri0al+ other students in 72ha from the same country be connected to each

other# 4hose 2ho are seniors to the incomin" students can "uide them about

uni0ersity life#

6# ross$sectional and lonitudinal studies D further studies on cultural ada-tation

18


20/21

2ill be hel-ful not only to ,/IC. but also to future students as 2ell# Studies 2ith

,/IC. students from other uni0ersities or 2ith 72ha,/IC. students in

different years o0er time or -oststudies of the &1% 72ha,/IC. 2ill be 0ery

interestin"#

6. Conclusion

4he research "rou- has come to the follo2in" conclusions:

1. ultural datation

4he le0el of cultural ada-tation of 72ha,/IC. students is currently

lo2Gmedium le0el# 4hree factors 2ere identified to ha0e a si"nificant influence on

cultural ada-tation: (1) ;rou- belon"in"ness+ (&) Cultural ,no2led"e and

$an"ua"e 7ffort+ and () Satisfaction#

2. datation ?ifficulties

4he areas in 2hich the 72ha,/IC. students encountered difficulties in their

cultural ada-tation are as follo2s: (1) $an"ua"e and communication+ (&) Studyin"

in a ,orean uni0ersity+ and () the beha0ior of ,oreans to2ards forei"ners#

3. 9rou ?ynamics

4he 72ha,/IC. students sho2 a tremendous sense of "rou- belon"in"ness#

4he students 2ould not li3e to be in ,orea 2ithout the 72ha,/IC. "rou-# =ut+

a ma?ority thin3s they 2ould ada-t more to ,orean culture if they 2ere on their

o2n#

19


21/21

6I. References*

emes+ ,# and Bicolas ;eeraert# &1%# !easures !atter: Scales for .da-tation+ Culturalistance+ and .cculturation /rientation Re0isited# @ournal of CrossCulturalPsycholo"y+ %:1+ *1 D1*# Retrie0ed Bo0ember &*+ &1% from

(htt-:GG-ri0ate222#esse5#ac#u3GK"eeraertG-dfGemes#;eeraert#&1%#-df)

Aofstede ;#+ Aofstede ;# @# and !ichael !in3o0# &1# ultures and ;rani@ations

cultura adaptation of 2014 ewha-koica students

Documents