The Educational Experience of Korean Students in Far Eastern University- Institute of Education: a Descriptive Study

By: Ruben Jezarry Borja, Hermiline Athina Bravo, Eden Calalo and Sharmane Castillo

A lot of things happen inside a classroom. This is where we start meeting new people and making new friends, welcoming ourselves to our second home and second family. But of course, other than that, most important of what we should gain inside a classroom is the lessons and discussions being taught by the teacher. But how can we understand what is being said if there are barriers between the teacher and the students? This question guides us to browsing the educational life of a foreign student, particularly Koreans. It is mentioned in Inkyung Lees article that international students suffer from various problems such as school adjustment including academic problems, bullying, cultural conflicts, financial problems, and racism (Akka, 1967; Ebbin and Blankenship, 1988; Heikinheimo and Shute,
1986; Leong and Sedlacek, 1989; Maha, 1994; Ojano Sheehan and Pearson, 1995; Parr, Bradley, and Bingi, 1992). In related to Korean students, we see them struggle in class especially if it is their first day (in class), knowing that they are different among his/ her classmates. This also becomes a barrier to communicate with his teachers and classmates.

The field chosen for this topic is in Far Eastern University particularly in the Institute of Education. During one of our discussions, our teacher asked each Korean student in the room of their reason of studying her in the Philippines. I came here to study English because it is much cheaper than in Korea. Alex I had to come here because I get low grades in Korea, so my mother told me to come here to study and improve my English skill.- Jacob My plan was to stay here in the Philippine for 6 months and learn English but since I like it here, I prefer staying and studying here. Chris All of these answer where related to what another article cited. It is mentioned that more than half of their (Koreans) money is being spent on English Education (H.C Chun and H.C Choi,2006). Two factors are being tested here: academics and socio-cultural. It had been decided to monitor these two factors, knowing that it will affect their performance inside a classroom. We believe that the following people will be affected with this ongoing process: the teachers, Filipino students, Korean students, and future educators. The main focus of this study

is to find out what coping strategies do they use and how do they socialize with people in their new environment.