This qualitative study seeks to understand how English teachers in Korean secondary schools develop their language teacher identities through their personal and professional experiences as they teach, learn, and live in the unique sociological context of South Korea. Merging multi-case study method with narrative inquiry framework, it analyzed the…

This dissertation investigates the historical and socio-cultural dynamics of Korean international students in American higher education from 1945 to 2020. It explores the local motivations and global trajectories that have shaped patterns of student mobility over the decades, focusing on how social structures and changes influence individual and…

This narrative-based qualitative research investigated the distinct journeys of eight cross-cultural artists (four artists from South Korea and four artists from China). Utilizing a variety of theoretical frameworks surrounding cross-cultural research, this dissertation examined current discussions on cross-cultural challenges and their…

This study examines the unique experiences of international Korean college students in the Midwest who have gone through the early study abroad (ESA) period in the US during their formative secondary school education and the influence of the experiences into their college lives in the mega campus. Two overarching research questions are: 1) how do…

Along with "English fever" (Krashen, 2003) in South Korea, the number of Korean students in the U.S. has increased every year so that they are now the largest group of international students in the U.S. Among those Korean students in the U.S, the early study-abroad group is particularly noteworthy because they share the unique experience…