A Qualitative Study on the Motivation and Experiences of International Students to Study Abroad

The purpose of this study was to understand the motivation for deciding to study abroad and the experiences of international students who have entered four-year universities. For this research purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with a total of 12 international students to collect data and analyze them using Giorgi’s phenomenological research method. As a result of the study, 33 significant meanings, 10 components, and 5 categories were derived and each category was named “Feeling Attracted to Korean Culture,” “Life Challenges with Hope for a Better Future,” “Studying in Korea by Coincidence and Helping Hands,” “Getting Into the Real Culture of the Korean Wave,” and “Building a Future by Finding a New Me in Korea.” Based on the results of this study, the educational implications and limitations of the study for international students were discussed.