Understanding the Importance of English Education in South Korea and Exploring the Reasons Why South Korean Students Come to a University in the Midwest

Perspectives and Experiences of Studying English at American Colleges and 
Universities 
Yin, Huang, and Hare (2010) studied the points of view of South Korean 
undergraduate exchange students at one higher educational institution located in the 
southern United States. Their research study focused on the perspectives and the 
experiences of short-term and non-degree seeking South Korean students who lived and 
came to the particular institution for a year. Therefore, the findings and the results of 
their study will help the researcher of this study discover relevant information regarding 
the perspectives and experiences of studying English at American colleges and 
universities.
Yin et al. (2010) used mixed methods and utilized both surveys and interviews to 
collect the data. The study researchers sent the invitations to 21 participants for their 
study, and 17 participants responded to the researchers. Hence, the total participants of 
the survey tests were 17 out of 21. In addition, there were only four participants involved 
in the interviews. Comparing Yin et al.’s study to the researcher of this study, there are a 
few differences between the two studies (i.e., the different methodology methods, the 

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different number of participants, the different location of the research study, and so forth).
However, the researcher of this study is able to utilize Yin et al.’s results and findings to 
establish the in-depth interview protocol and to discover the answers for the research 
questions. Furthermore, the future findings and results of this study will be compared 
with the previous findings and results of Yin et al.’s study.
Analyzing the survey data of Yin et al.’s study, the following results were 
discovered. First, Yin et al. (2010) found that 12 out of 17 Korean undergraduate 
exchange students never experienced living in a school dormitory; instead, they lived in 
their parents’ or relatives’ houses while they attended their home universities in South 
Korea.
Second, the researchers mentioned that 9 out of 17 Korean students made their 
own decisions to come to the American colleges to improve their English proficiency, 
and 5 students wanted to have a study abroad experience in a foreign country (Yin et al., 
2010). Third, Yin et al. (2010) stated, “Their English proficiency was directly related to 
the number of courses they could manage each semester in America” (p. 103). In other 
words, most of the survey participants were not able to take more than 5 courses because 
of their English barriers (Yin et al., 2010).
Fourth, the researchers discovered that more American professors encouraged all 
of their students to actively participate in the classes by using discussion sessions than 
Korean professors. This kind of class structure made the Korean students happy while 
they stayed at the American colleges. However, not all of the Korean students enjoyed 
taking this kind of class because of their English barriers (Yin et al., 2010). According to 

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Yin et al. (2010), “I want to participate in class discussion, but it’s a problem, its’ a little 
bit difficult for me to participate in the discussion” (p. 104). Furthermore, the researchers 
noticed that the American courses were much more practical than the Korean courses. In 
other words, one of the interviewees stated, “It was easy to gain knowledge in a South 
Korean classroom, but it was hard to learn to use the knowledge; whereas, in an 
American classroom, the professors made the knowledge practical” (p. 104).
Fifth, Yin et al. (2010) found that many Korean students struggled with building a 
strong relationship with American students while they attended the American colleges.
Through the survey data, only 3 out of 17 students had a great time with their American 
friends, but 14 students did not feel comfortable talking to the American students. The 
researchers stated, “How they felt about making friends with Americans depended on the 
individual student’s personality, gender, and personal background” (p. 104). Because of 
this difficulty of making American friends through the American colleges, many Korean 
students interacted mostly with the other Korean students.
Sixth, the researchers discovered that many Korean students had difficulties when 
they just arrived in the United States. The Korean students stated that the American 
colleges were supposed to organize all of the orientation plans and to announce necessary 
information regarding the dormitory information, opening the bank account, issuing the 
identification card, and so forth (Yin et al., 2010). However, the persons who worked for 
the International Student Office managed their jobs poorly so that many Korean students 
were not happy with their services. In addition, most Korean students came from the 
metropolitan areas in South Korea, so they stated that it was very difficult for them to go 

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to a grocery store or a shopping mall without the public transportation. One of the 
interviewees stated, “If public transportation [was] available, it would provide more 
opportunities for the students to make American friends and to know American culture” 
(p. 106).
Seventh, Yin et al. (2010) found that nine Korean students felt they spent more 
money for their educational expenses in the American colleges compared to their 
educational expenses in the Korean colleges. However, six Korean students stated that 
they did not feel that their educational expenses in the American colleges were different 
from their educational expenses in the Korean colleges. Moreover, one of the 
interviewees mentioned, “The exchange program actually helped [us] save money 
because [we] could take college English composition directly. [We] did not have to spend 
money taking ESL classes” (Yin et al., 2010). 
As previously stated, Yin et al. (2010) noticed that Korean students had cultural 
difficulties, English language barriers, difficulties adjusting to a new environment and 
system, and so forth. Even though they struggled with these kinds of frustrations and 
difficulties, half of the surveyed Korean students wanted to come back to American 
colleges and universities for their higher degrees, such as a master or doctoral level (Yin 
et al., 2010). Especially, Yin et al. (2010) found that the reason Korean students make a 
decision to study English and come to the United States is “to gain a better command of 
English and [American culture and] to have experiences that will allow them to obtain 
desirable employment later” (p. 107).

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As a result, the researcher of this study will utilize the previous results and 
findings of Yin et al.’s (2010) study to establish the interview protocol and discover the 
future findings and results by doing in-depth interviews. Furthermore, the research place 
of Yin et al.’s study was specifically at the area of the southern United States, and the 
research place for this research study is located in the midwestern United States. Hence, 
some of the findings and results from both studies could have some similarities. Yin et al. 
enclosed the actual South Korean students’ interview transcripts regarding their study 
abroad experiences in the southern United States; these transcripts will definitely help the 
researcher of this study to establish their own interview transcripts into this research 
study.