Voicing Solidarity: Early Study Abroad (ESA) Korean College Students Negotiate Race and Power

at a Midwest University

Hee Young Choi (hchoi28@illinois.edu) University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

AUPCMarch 10, 2012

“Successful transition to college” IDEALS• Social integration with peers and faculty - Social and intellectual integration - Development of a strong institutional commitment (Tinto, 1993) CHALLENGES: • Identity confusion - Gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, and other factors (Upcraft et al, 2005)

Korean Early Study Abroad (ESA) Students• Korean ESA (early study abroad) students: students

who receive regular education abroad for more than six months in pre-college education (Kim, H. W., 2001)

Goal of the Study• To understand: 1) How did Korean college students navigate their pre-

college ESA experiences? And how do they reflect retrospectively on that experience?

2) How does ESA affect transition to college: namely, how does this experience shapes their response to the culture and practices of the American university?

Methodology• Case Narrative Study

- Intensive, holistic description and explanation of the particular phenomenon (Merriam, 1985)- Enables readers to empathetically participate in the events of the narrator (Eisner, 1979)- In harmony with the reader’s experience (Stake, 1978)

• Retrospective study

Participants Name Gender School

YearMajor Former

State/CountryForm of Residence

1 Anna F Freshman Psychology Oregon Dormitory

2 Changsu M Freshman Computer Science Boston, China Dormitory

3 Dongha M Freshman Physics Illinois Dormitory

4 Eugene M Freshman Undecided New York Dormitory

5 Frankie M Freshman Undecided Virginia Dormitory, Apartment

South Korean Ideologies that Affect ESA Experience• The strong is right:

- Misrecognition Recognition Legitimacy (Bourdieu, 1984; Gal, 1989; Thompson, 1984)- Play in the big league: motivation to come to the US

These are why ESA students are inclined to be voiceless in the face of power structure in the US

<Changsu>“ Whenever I didn't study hard (in Korea), [my dad] would warn me about the realities of unprofessional labor, saying: 'Do you want to leave for and come home from work seeing the stars [i.e., when it is dark out]?' So, my parents always emphasized that I should either become a medical doctor in Korea or get a specialized job in the US."

ESA Encounters with US Power Structure1) Race, English Language

- Did not claim their right to speak

<Dongha>“Korean students were banned from speaking in Korean at school. Teachers would tell us that 'You're here to learn English so don't speak Korean at school.' Isn't that ridiculous?”

<Frankie: when he had a trouble at school>"Yeah, for example he (Korean-American male guardian) told me to use 'African American' instead of 'black' to address black people. By the way, during the meeting my guardian took a very passive attitude (in front of the white counselor and the black teacher) attempting only to understand what was going on instead of supporting or advocating me."

2) Host Family/Guardians

- No negotiation, no communication

<Frankie>"It was like a military camp....Later I did whatever they told me to do like a robot.” (Frankie)

"You just don't listen, do you? This is my house, and because you're living with us, you have to follow my rule. You should change. Otherwise “be my guest”.” (Male Guardian)

3) White-dominant school

<Eugene>"Well, by all accounts, it was my fault because there were no bad guys at all in the school. It was a predominantly white Christian school. Their parents were devout Christians and the kids were very gentle. However, anyway, it was my fault not to speak any English.” – placing the blame on himself

Voicelessness in Response• Tried to change themselves<Anna>“Sometimes it felt like I was walking on eggshells when living with host families. Because I was the one who had entered their family, [I figured] that it was me who had to change. But, I felt like I was the one who was out of place there. In any case, it was me who kept changing -- no it was me who intentionally made an effort to follow their lifestyle. It was not all bad, but I could not but think what an idiot I was [i.e., to be conforming in this way].”

<Eugene>"I used to be quite an extrovert when I was in South Korea and Toronto. But, in Fishkill, NY I became more and more passive. Even though I knew how to speak English, I went quiet at (white-dominant) school and was afraid to speak."

Challenges in Transition to College DIIFCULTIES• Frustrated attempts at campus integration - Difficulties getting to know American students - Sense that interactions are superficial - Severe lonelinessDesperate struggle to find substitutes for the lost

comfort zone (family, old friends, etc.)

<Dongha>"After coming to this university, I tried to make American friends. So, I actively participated in class discussion and showed them my interest [i.e., in becoming a friend], but I realized that I couldn’t build deep relationships with them. They just passed by saying, 'What's up?' And, that’s it. It was very hard to find someone to open my heart to. That's why I stick to Korean friends."

Ethnic Solidarity & Self-segregation• Appeal of co-ethnic life• Longing for in-depth communication• Asserting agency by forming ethnic group: Creating

their own habitus (Bourdieu, 1984) - “We’re cool by ourselves.” - “Don’t want to be losers.”

<Eugene>"Almost every day when we have meals, we exchange text messages with each other to know who can join the evening meals. If I can come, I send 'yes.' Otherwise, 'no.' Then, about more than ten Korean students put together a couple of tables and have dinner together. Imagine the scene. Almost all of the students are white in the Six Pack cafeteria, and only about ten Korean kids eating together."

Conclusion• Power structure Voicelessness• Adaptive strategy: creating strong solidarity • Vicious cycle of ethnic isolation

“How can we maintain and encourage goodwill, plurality, and equality

in today’s market-driven higher education of the current globalization era?”

(Yang, 2003)

Thank You