Lee
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a growing interest among Chinese people in Korean cultural products. This phenom-
enon is called the Korean Wave (also known as
Hallyu
). Because Korean music,
drama, and movies have become popular in China, the
Korean Wave has played a
pivotal role in motivating and inspiring Chinese students to visit or study in Korea.
One female student in a language institution explained this point well:
I have seen almost all of the famous Korean TV series. While watching those movies and
dramas, I got interested in Korea and its culture. Although I do not speak any Korean
language, I definitely wanted to come here. This was the reason I got interested in Korea,
and that is why I am here. Many of my friends are not so different from me.
Institutional selectivity.
Many students mentioned that unlike universities in traditional
Western countries, some of the institutions in Korea had a relatively lax admission
process, which was another attractive factor for Chinese students.
Because many Chi-
nese students are unfamiliar with the Korean language, many Korean postsecondary
institutions also encourage Chinese students to enroll in a language institution before
attending college. As explained by one of the male undergraduate students,
If you try to go to the US,
England or Australia, you need to have TOEFL test scores or
you need to take the college entrance exams of those countries, which is a real challenge
for me. Interestingly, many of Korea’s institutions only ask for high school graduation
papers and Korean language
proficiency test scores, nothing else. This was a big merit. If
you have not studied Korean, that is all right too. Universities usually have their own
language institution. If you attend their language institution for two years, you not only
become proficient in Korean, but you also are more likely to be accepted to that institution.
Recruitment agencies.
Previous literature documented that recommendations and opin-
ions from parents or friends have a significant influence on students’ study-abroad
destinations. Recent research that evaluates Chinese students’ study-abroad experi-
ences, however, has noted the critical role that recruitment agencies can play in stu-
dents’ choices of where to study abroad (Pimpa, 2003; Wu, 2014). In many cases,
these agencies base their recommendations on factors such as a student’s
financial
situation or academic ability. One female undergraduate student recounted her experi-
ence in this manner:
A recruitment agency is common for many students in China who want to study abroad
no matter where you want to go. However, unlike students who want to go to Western
countries, where students can gather information and apply by themselves, it was difficult
for many of us to apply to Korean institutions without their [recruitment agency] help.
Mainly because most of the Korean institutions’ webpages and their application processes
are written in Korean. Only a few institutions provide English
webpages and information
regarding applications. That is why we have no choice but to use a recruitment agency.
In sum, traditional push–pull factors such as the absence of a study field, cost, location,
and recommendations from friends or family appear to be equally important to Chinese
182
Journal of Studies in International Education 21(2)
students choosing to study in Korea. In addition, however, institutional selectivity, the
Korean Wave, and recommendations from agencies emerged
and were deemed to be
important to the Chinese student population in Korea as well. Based on the interviews and
push–pull models, this study identified four push factors: the fierce competition for
Chinese college entrance (Push 1), the quality of Chinese higher education (Push 2), the
absence of one’s study field (Push 3), and job market conditions in China (Push 4). In
addition, this study identified eight pull factors: the Korean Wave (Pull 1), geographic
location (Pull 2), the quality of higher education in the host country (Pull 3), inexpensive
cost to study abroad (Pull 4), parents’ and friends’ recommendations (Pull 5), recruitment
agency recommendations (Pull 6), selectivity of the institution (Pull 7),
and job market
vision (Pull 8). These push–pull factors were then utilized in the survey phase of the study.
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