Circulating East to East

Discussion
Historically, students from developing Asian countries have chosen developed Western 
countries, specifically English-speaking countries, as study-abroad destinations. As 
researchers have continued to examine this phenomenon, they have identified unique 
factors and developed theories regarding what influences students’ decisions to study 
abroad and where the students choose to study. In recent decades, however, the land-
scape of international higher education has changed dramatically. Rather than choos-
ing English-speaking countries to pursue higher education, increasingly more Asian 
students are choosing nearby countries as their study destinations. Although a body of 
literature exists describing international student mobility (e.g., Altbach 2004; Lee & 
Tan, 1984; Mazzarol & Soutar, 2002), much less is known regarding international 
students studying in non-English-speaking and developing counties. This study con-
tributes to the field of education by expanding our understanding of international stu-
dents who are engaging in East to East circulation, particularly students choosing to 
study in Korea. More specifically, this study fills a gap in the literature by contributing 
Table 3.
Chinese International Students’ Push Factors.
M
SD
Fierce competition for Chinese 
college entrance
3.68
1.80
Job market conditions in China
3.57
1.67
Quality of Chinese higher 
education
3.03
1.68
Absence of study field in China
2.27
1.54

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Journal of Studies in International Education 21(2)
to the existing push–pull model by identifying unique push–pull factors that drive 
students to study in non-Western and non-English-speaking countries, a focus that has 
previously been neglected in the literature. Moreover, by examining the relation 
between students’ choice factors and study-abroad satisfaction, this study contributes 
to a more comprehensive understanding of how students’ choices affect study-abroad 
satisfaction.
Students in this study appeared to be attracted to the low selectivity of Korean insti-
tutions and reported that their parents and friends had a significant influence on their 
choice to study in Korea. Although the critical role parents and friends play in Chinese 
students’ study-abroad decisions has been well documented (Yang, 2007), none of the 
previous research documented the role of the institution’s selectivity in students’ 
study-abroad decisions. Consistent with findings from in-person interviews, the low 
selectivity of institutions was observed to be a strong pull factor. Notably, the most 
attractive pull factor, the low institution selectivity, played a detrimental role in stu-
dents’ later study-abroad satisfaction. Specifically, multiple regression analysis 
revealed a negative correlation between low institution selectivity and study-abroad 
satisfaction. Although this finding may initially appear to be counterintuitive, an 
undergraduate student’s response from the qualitative research helps to provide 
context:
Most of the students are intrigued by the fact that you do not need any Korean language 
test scores or need to take Korea’s national college entrance test to attend a Korean 
college. However, this also allows for many under-qualified Chinese students to enter the 
schools. Since these students, some of them, have no interest in studying and do not know 
any Korean, they give not only negative impressions about Chinese international students 
overall but also evoke feelings of resentment and frustration to Chinese students who are 
serious about studying in Korea. I, too, feel under-qualified sometimes when I am 
studying with them.
This implies that Korean institutions may need to closely examine the ramifications 
of lowering the bar for international students. Although lowering the bar may improve 
the recruitment of more Chinese students and therefore ease the institutions’ financial