Korean Study Abroad Students: Identification and Beyond

Study abroad has become a permanent addition to the Korean education spectrum, but the existing research has not addressed the differences that exist between the subgroups within the Korean study abroad community. This study explores how Korean study abroad students construct their identity during the course of their study abroad in the United States, using the social identity theory and the concepts of the Other, in-group/out-group, identity practice and identity performance. The main argument of this thesis is two-folds: 1) The students’ identity and group affiliation shifts in response to social context, commonly between the first and second stages of study abroad; 2) While the students’ identity may be aligned with their in-group, their identity performance shifts depending on spatial and social context. The argument is based on data collected through unstructured interviews with eight undergraduate students at Duke University who have graduated from different types of high schools in Korea and the United States.