The Influence of International Education Experience on Host Country-Related Outcomes: An Analysis of Chinese Students’ Relationships with South Korean Universities

Abstract

Recognizing the globalization of higher education institutions, this study examined the influence of university–student relationships on host country-related outcomes, including student attitudes, purchase intentions, and policy support. A survey was conducted with Chinese students who had studied or who were currently studying at South Korean universities. Its results showed a significant positive association between Chinese student perceptions of their relationships with host universities and their attitudes toward South Korea. In addition, their positive attitudes led to (i) intentions to purchase Korean products and (ii) policy support for the Korean government. The theoretical and practical implications of study findings are discussed from the perspectives of public diplomacy and the university’s role in a highly globalized education system.

Education as a soft power resource: A systematic review

“…Hong, Lee, & Tian [ 25 ] conducted an online survey (2017) with Chinese students who had studied or were currently studying at South Korean universities. The results of the study showed a positive correlation between the student's living experience and the image of the host country.…”

“…However, a contradiction was also observed by the author in terms of support to the host country's conflictual foreign policy towards their home country. Hence, the author concluded that “It seems that living and studying in South Korea could have made Chinese students feel more sympathetic or at least hold more objective views regarding South Korea and South Korean foreign policy but not at the cost of interests of their home country” [ 25 ].…”

“…These studies can be considered as the testing ground of Nye's theory in which researchers advanced both positive and negative connotations. Some studies proved through empirical research that theory of soft power can be executed through higher education while some researchers found in some cases that this idea is not yielding the expected results in the actual field [ 20 , [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] ]. Hence, this review is not just limited to analyzing the positive views but also outlined the contradictory views to comprehend various perspectives on the topic.…”

Introduction to the special issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical evaluation of a non‐Western scholarship program from a public diplomacy perspective

“…It is not realistic to expect that students would only develop positive attitudes toward the host country. Indeed, sometimes direct experiences in a foreign country may create more negative sentiments (Hong et al, 2020;Jon & Ayhan, 2021;Tam & Ayhan, 2021;Yun & Vibber, 2012).…”

“…The public diplomacy implications of international student exchanges in Korea, in particular, have received little attention. Only a handful of studies examine international education in Korea through a public diplomacy framework (Hong et al, 2020;Lee, 2012Lee, , 2015Yun, 2014Yun, , 2015Yun & Vibber, 2012). However, since these studies focused mainly on self-funded students who are not selected by the Korean government as scholarship recipients, the public diplomacy outcomes remain unclear in these cases.…”