Study on Adaptation to the Korean Culture of

International Students from Mongolia

Su-Jeong Han1, Kyung-Hoon Han2

1 16995 Dept. Westminster Graduate School of Theology,

Jukjeon Dongbaek, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Corresponding Author: seaedumu@naver.com

2 446-701 Dept. Kyunghee University Global Campus,

Seocheon-dong, Giheung-gu, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, Korea

Abstract. The research targeted 108 male and female students in the Korean

language course of the education institutes and graduate school courses of the

universities in the capital area of South Korea. The data analysis included

frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, t-test, correlation analysis, hierarchical

regression analysis using the SPSS program. According to the research, First,

This research showed a higher adaptation of the international students from

Mongolia with close Korean friends to the Korean culture. Second, The

international students from Mongolia had higher adaptation to the Korean

culture was indicated when the students from Mongolia had close Korean

friends and lower stress of cultural adaptation. Third, The international students

from Mongolia had higher adaptation to the Korean culture as the stress of

cultural adaptation is lower when they had close Korean friends, and the

moderating effect from the social support in the relationship between the stress

of cultural adaptation and adaptation to the Korean culture had statistically

significant impacts.

Keywords: Students from Mongolia, stress of cultural adaptation, social

support, adaptation to the Korean culture, hierarchical regression analysis

1 Introduction

The international students may face conflicts with or confusion over cultural

adaptation to the new environment due to the difference in customs, values and native

cultures between their mother countries and Korea. They also may have difficulties

adapting to the Korean life because of language barrier, discrimination, sense of

alienation, financial burden, academic and interpersonal difficulties. Tenacity that may

show up in the process of adaptation to the mainstream culture is the factor to

overcome the stress so that strong will and effort of the individuals are important [1].

Sandhu and Asrabadi [2] categorized the stress of cultural adaptation into 7 sub-

factors of perceived discrimination, fear, homesickness, perceived hatred, culture

shock, sense of guilt and others (distrust, sense of inferiority, social isolation and

communication issue) by the psychological attributes, and argued that discrimination

Advanced Science and Technology Letters Vol.127 (Education 2016), pp.39-43

http://dx.doi.org/10.14257/astl.2016.127.09

ISSN: 2287-1233 ASTL Copyright © 2016 SERSC

has worse impacts on health than normal stress since it is basically insulting and

personal [3].

In addition, since social support helps the individuals maintain their health and

welfare and improve adaptability to the everyday events [4], it is necessary to figure

out the internal factors and characteristics of the individuals and establish a smooth

social network to respect personality of the international students and reduce their

experiences of discrimination. Under the stressful situation, social support helps the

foreign students to cope with and adapt to the situation; reduces the possibility of

stress in their daily life and contributes to psychological stabilization [5]. An

advanced research on satisfaction for life of the multicultural families [6] explained

that people are more satisfied for their life as they have friendly family relations and

receive more social supports from surrounding people.

Therefore, this study intends to identify the aspect of cultural adaptation of the

increasing number of students from Mongolia to the Korean society. Based on the

information, this study aims to understand the students from Mongolia and find out

their difficulties and problem-solving experiences as they adapt to the life in Korea.

2 Method

2.1 Research Design

This research explored the impacts of the individual background characteristics and

the stress of cultural adaptation of the international students from Mongolia living in

Korea on their adaptation to the Korean culture, and the effects of the factors focusing

on the moderating effect from the social support of the relationship between the stress

of cultural adaptation and adaptation to the Korean culture.

2.2 Research Subject

It targeted 160 students from Mongolia, who are studying in the Korean language

course of the language education institutes and graduate school courses of the

universities in Capital area, and selected 108 male and female students as the final

research.

2.3 Research Tools

The research used the restructured standard of the stress of cultural adaptation with 33

questions in 6 sub-factors by Kim [7], and reversely coded all negative sentences. The

reliability coefficient of the total questions of .946, which was regarded as satisfactory

in this research. It used 12 questions in 4 sub-factors used by Kim [7] and Gao [8], as

the standard of social support. The reliability coefficient of the total questions of .920,

Advanced Science and Technology Letters Vol.127 (Education 2016)

40 Copyright © 2016 SERSC

which was regarded as appropriate in this research. It used 20 questions used by

Sainjargal[9] on adaptation to the Korean culture and reversely operated the questions

with negative sentences. The reliability coefficient of the total questions of .794,

which was mostly appropriate in this research.

2.4 Data Analysis Method

The research conducted the collected data analysis of frequency analysis, descriptive

statistics, t-test, correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis using the

SPSS program and suggested the values.

3 Research Findings

The frequency of the characteristics of the general background of the research

subjects are presented as follows: Among 108 male and female students from

Mongolia, the number of female students was 75, accounting for the highest

proportion of 69.4%, in terms of gender, and the number of the students aged 20-29

was 65, making up the highest proportion of 60.2%, in terms of age. In terms of

academic background, the number of the students graduated from four-year-course

colleges was 50, accounting for 46.3%, and the number of the students with monthly

income under 1 million won was 71, making up 65.7%. The number of the Buddhists

was 50, taking up the highest proportion of 46.3%, followed by 20 Christians, who

accounted for 18.5%, in terms of religion. In terms of whether to have close Korean

friends, the number of the students without close Korean friends was 72, accounting

for 66.7%, which was higher than 36 students with close Korea friends, who

accounted for 33.3%. The number of the students who can read and speak Korean a

little bit was 68, accounting for 63.0%, in terms of the Korean language skill.

As Tolerance was over .1 at .21-.89 and the VIF value was not over 10 at 1.12-4.74, it

was identified that there were no problems with multicollinearity. The correlation

analysis between the measured variables in this research identified that there is a

significant positive relationship between the stress of cultural adaptation, social

support and Korean cultural adaptation at the level of p<.01. There was a significant

difference in adaptation to the Korean culture with average 3.42 of 36 students who

answered ‘yes’ to the question on having close Korean friends, which was higher than

average 3.01 of 72 students who said ‘no’ to the question on having close Korean

friends (t=4.23, p<.001), indicating that the students from Mongolia had higher

adaptation to the Korean culture when they had close Korean friends. The following is a result of the analysis on influence of the stress of cultural

adaptation on adaptation to the Korean culture. As a result of the analysis, the

significance of Model 1 was appropriate at the level of F=3.813, p<.01 and the

explanation on adaptation to the Korean culture was 18.5% as R2=.185. Among the

demographic background characteristics, the variable of having close Korean friends

was significant at the level of p<.001 as t=3.867, among adaptation to the Korean

culture. In addition, Model 2 analyzed the impacts on adaptation to the Korean culture

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by additionally putting in the variable of the stress of cultural adaptation to the

regression equation. The Model 2 had an appropriate significance at the level of

F=5.703, p<.001 and explanation on adaptation to the Korean culture of 28.5% as

R2=.285. The variable of having close Korean friends was significant at the level of

p<.01 as t=3.464 in adaptation to the Korean culture and the variable of the stress of

cultural adaptation was significant at the level of p<.001 as t=3.753.

The next is the result of the hierarchical regression analysis to identify the

moderating effect from the social support in the relationship of influence of the stress

of cultural adaptation on adaptation to the Korean culture. Model 3 used the variable

of the interaction between the stress of cultural adaptation and social support to

identify the moderating effect from social support. As a result of the analysis, the

significance of Model 3 was appropriate at the level of F=5.013, p<.001 and

explanation on adaptation of the Korean culture was 31.5% as R2=0.315. In terms of

adaptation to the Korean culture, the variable of having close Korean friends was

significant at the level of t=3.429, p<.01 for adaptation to the Korean culture, while

the variable of the stress of cultural adaptation appeared significantly at the level of

t=2.517, p<.05. In addition, the variable of interaction between the stress of cultural

adaptation and social support appeared statistically significant in adaptation to the

Korean culture, having a positive moderating effect at the level of t=2.061, p<.05.

4 Conclusion

This research aimed to identify the impacts of the individual background

characteristics and the stress of cultural adaptation of the students from Mongolia

living in Korea on adaptation to the Korean culture, and analyze the moderating effect

from the social support in the relationship between the variables of the stress of

cultural adaptation and adaptation to the Korean culture.

As a result of the analysis, First, This research showed a higher adaptation of the

students from Mongolia with close Korean friends to the Korean culture. Therefore,

the relevant educational institutes should provide language clubs and learning activity

support programs besides the regular language and degree courses to maintain their

smooth relationship and communication.

Second, the international students from Mongolia had higher adaptation to the

Korean culture was indicated when the students from Mongolia had close Korean

friends and lower stress of cultural adaptation. Therefore, the teachers and academic

managers of the educational institutes need to implement counseling with continued

attention, provide the opportunities and environments of regular meetings including

study and friendly cultural activities with Korean friends and run and manage the

activities.

Third, the international students from Mongolia had higher adaptation to the Korean

culture as the stress of cultural adaptation is lower when they had close Korean

friends, and the moderating effect from the social support in the relationship between

the stress of cultural adaptation and adaptation to the Korean culture had statistically

significant impacts. Therefore, various integrated level of multicultural education

should be researched in a direct connection with the religious and civic group,

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42 Copyright © 2016 SERSC

educational and social welfare institutes and delivered and expanded to the Mongolian

students

It is necessary to conduct additional researches by expanding the subjects and

regions with differences in adaptation to the Korean culture depending on the

residential area of the international students from Mongolia, since the research

subjects were collected through convenience sampling mainly in Seoul and Gyeonggi

Province.

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