Preparing a face to meet the faces you will meet: Korean early international students and the signaling value of English composition
Abstract
As of 2012, unprecedented numbers of international undergraduate students are attending American universities, but in a period of globalization in which national borders and cultures are increasingly fluid, many of these students bring hybrid pre-college cultural and educational backgrounds. This study attempts to address one of these hybrid populations: Korean Early International Students. Korean Early International Students are Korean nationals who study outside of Korea at the primary or secondary level prior to entering American tertiary institutions. An attempt is made to begin to understand why students from a developed country such as Korea study overseas before college, what they hope to gain from an American education, the role played by the English language in their choices, and what experiences with composition they bring with them to an L2 composition classroom in the United States. An attempt is made to explore the influence of different local circumstances and cultural contexts on decisions concerning education, and the author reviews his own experiences with the relationship between formal education and status, attitudes toward foreign languages and academic credentials, and composition while a student and instructor in the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The recent history of Korea and attitudes toward English are reviewed to provide a context for the decisions made by Korean Early International students. The study consists of a survey of L2 writers in sheltered composition sections at a large public university to ascertain their pre-college backgrounds and profiles of six Korean students registered for L2 composition. While no generalizable conclusions can be drawn from this pilot study, the six students profiled brought a broad range of international experiences with them to the university. Many of their choices regarding their educations seem to have been influenced by cultural and economic factors within Korea. It is suggested that a better understanding of the domestic contexts in which international students make the decision to study overseas will help Inner Circle institutions gain a greater appreciation for what motivates international students to seek an undergraduate education in the United States.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Silva, Purdue University.
Subject Area
English as a Second Language
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