Navigating Belonging and Return : Thai Students’ Study Abroad Experiences and Migration Decisions in South Korea
한국 유학을 통한 소속감과 귀환의 의미: 태국인 유학생 들의 경험과 이주 결정
- 주제(키워드) intra‑Asian mobility , belonging , international student experiences , post-graduation mobility , transnational identity
- 발행기관 서강대학교 일반대학원
- 지도교수 이현옥
- 발행년도 2026
- 학위수여년월 2026. 2
- 학위명 석사
- 학과 및 전공 일반대학원 글로벌한국학
- 실제URI http://www.dcollection.net/handler/sogang/000000082749
- UCI I804:11029-000000082749
- 본문언어 영어
- 저작권 논문은 저작권에 의해 보호받습니다.
초록(요약문)
This study examines the educational experiences, sense of belonging, and post-graduation mobility decisions of Thai students in South Korea, drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with fourteen Thai female students enrolled at multiple universities. As South Korea has become an increasingly accessible and culturally appealing study destination within Asia with the support of scholarships, visa policies, and the influence of Hallyu, Thai students’ motivations reflect emerging regional educational hierarchies as well as aspirations for personal growth and self-development. The findings show that while participants were initially attracted by Korea’s perceived modernity and academic opportunities, their everyday experiences were shaped by linguistic challenges, social distance, and subtle forms of racialization and othering. Students negotiated belonging through relationships with Thai and international peers, digital connections to home, and adaptive coping strategies. Despite strong academic effort and cultural adaptation, participants encountered significant structural constraints when considering long-term settlement, particularly restrictive visa pathways and employers’ preference for domestic candidates. Post-graduation plans reveal flexible and gendered understandings of success. Many participants expressed intentions to return to Thailand due to family obligations, emotional well-being, and moral responsibilities, while others considered temporary employment in Korea or onward migration to third countries. Rather than framing return as failure, participants understood mobility as a negotiated process shaped by structural limitations, personal aspirations, and relational ties. By centering Thai women’s narratives, this study contributes to scholarship on intra-Asian student mobility by highlighting how education, belonging, and future planning are navigated within unequal yet interconnected regional contexts.
more목차
1. Introduction 1
2. Literature Review 5
2.1 Migration and Educational Mobility: Trends and Theories 5
2.2 Intra-Asian Student Mobility: Regional Integration and Educational Circuits 11
2.3 South Korea as an Education Hub: Demographic Crisis and Policy Contradictions 13
2.4 Thai Migration in South Korea: Labor Histories and the Invisibility of Students 24
3. Methodology 28
3.1 Research Design 28
3.2 Participants 30
3.3 Data Collection 33
3.4 Data Analysis 36
4. Analysis and Discussion 38
4.1 Imagining Korea and Uneven Pathways: Why Thai Students Choose Korea 38
4.1.1 Cultural Engagement and the Appeal of Hallyu 38
4.1.2 Accessibility, Scholarships, and Feasibility of Studying in Korea 42
4.1.3 Perceptions of Korea’s Development and Regional Position 46
4.1.4 Emergence of New Regional Hierarchy 46
4.2 Living Between: Adaptation, Belonging, and Daily Negotiations in Korea 50
4.2.1 Negotiating Language and Communication 50
4.2.2 Rooted Hierarchy and Social Discrimination 53
4.2.3 Coping with Alienation and New Modes of Behavior 58
4.3 Between Staying and Returning: Rethinking Success, Family, and the Future 63
4.3.1 Labor Market Realities and Policy Gaps 64
4.3.2 Redefining Success and Personal Growth 66
4.3.3 Reconciling Stability, Attachments to Family and Homeland 68
4.3.4 Imagining Future Mobility Across National Borders 72
5. Conclusion 77
5.1 Summary and Conclusion 77
5.2 Limitations 79
5.3 Recommendations for Future Research 81
Bibliography 82
Appendix 91
