| An Analysis of Korean Universities Educational Environment in Terms of Internationalization |
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Hyunsang Kim |
| 국내대학의 국제화 교육 실태 분석 |
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김현상 |
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| Abstract |
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The number of foreign students coming to South Korea to study has been increasing exponentially in recent years. There are a few reasons why. First, the South Korea government, unhappy with the imbalance between the number of outgoing Korean students and that of incoming foreign students, initiated an aggressive foreign student recruitment plan, titled ‘Study Korea Project’ in 2005. Also the Korean wave, an intensifying global interest in South Korean cultural products, redefined the image of the country. In addition, the global presence of Korean companies has emphasized South Korea is a country to learn from for the young people from underdeveloped countries.
However, the higher education system in South Korea is not quite ready to take in a dramatic influx of foreign students. Many universities, surprised by the large number of international students, are modifying administrative systems in order to meet with their needs. Unfortunately, they are barely keeping up with the increasing need. It is also a problem that a significant portion of foreign students come to South Korea with inadequate Korean skills and poor cultural orientation. In addition, the atmosphere of many universities in South Korea may not be welcoming for foreign students. Many Koreans, lecturers as well as students, have a limited cultural experience with foreigners. Therefore they sometimes make foreign students uncomfortable due to their lack of cultural sensitivities.
Luckily, some institutions take innovative approaches in educating foreign students in South Korea and have started to generate remarkable outcome. Courses only open to foreign students relieve huge academic pressure by having them avoid competing with Korean students for grades. Some courses, providing cultural understanding of the South Korean society, are open in several universities and are evaluated highly by international students. Some institutions, by having Korean students mentoring international students, promote cultural understanding between the two parties.
In this article, the reasons of rapid internationalization of Korean universities and the obstacles foreign students are experiencing in Korean educational environment are overviewed. Also what efforts Korean universities put into in order to maximize educational experience of foreign students in Korea are explained with examples. |
| Key Words:
foreign students, cultural adaptation, higher education, curriculum, extracurricular program |
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