Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department Not Listed

First Advisor

Kiger, Susan

Abstract

This study aimed at identifying learning and teaching strategies that can promote the process of acculturation for Korean students in institutions of higher education in the United States. In particular, the study attempted to pinpoint ways in which these students and their instructors can become aware of and resist educational tendencies and approaches that promote hegemony and devalue cultural perspectives and experiences as well as construct meaning within the context of a worldview that is influenced by both Korean and U.S. cultures. It was hoped that the identification of these skills and strategies would aid both students and instructors in developing the ability to become successful border crossers, as defined by Giroux‟s (2005) border pedagogy, as well as culturally enlightened citizens of the global community. The study was qualitative in nature and consisted of a series of interviews with six South Korean students (three undergraduate and three graduate) enrolled in a mid-sized institution of higher education in the U.S. Midwest, six U.S. faculty members at the same university who had had Korean students in their courses, and four faculty members from Korea who were teaching at the university. A review of the literature included an examination of Positivism and its role in U.S. education, border pedagogy, particularly as it relates to international education and the process of acculturation, processes of cross-cultural adaptation, studies that have been conducted about South Korean students at U.S. institutions of higher education, historical influences on Korean higher education, and teaching and learning strategies common in South Korean universities. The study was able to identify several teaching and learning strategies that were interpreted as encouraging the process of acculturation and enabling students to cross borders. These strategies appeared to be supportive of the empowerment of and dialogue between students and teachers and strove to incorporate the cultural perspectives of both parties into the teaching and learning process. The study also identified a number of practices and perceptions that appeared to promote the assimilation of these students. In particular, there was little evidence that suggested the participants had reflected on or resisted influences and educational tendencies which could possibly promote the process of hegemony. The development of strategies that combat this tendency and facilitate a demystification of the educational process is recommended.

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