Experiences of Culturally Engaging Advising Among South Korean Doctoral Students: A Collaborative Autoethnography

Authors

• Sarang Kim, University of Oklahoma, NormanFollow
• Hanna Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignFollow
• Seyoung Hong, Michigan State UniversityFollow
• Eun Jung Paik, Research Institute of Asian Women, Sookmyung Women’s UniversityFollow

Keywords

culturally engaging advising, international students, internationalization of higher education, intersectionality, positive advising, South Korean women doctoral students

Abstract

Empirical research on culturally engaging advising (CEA) for international graduate students, particularly in relation to their cultural backgrounds and identities, remains limited. This study addresses this gap by employing collaborative autoethnography and drawing on CEA and intersectionality frameworks to examine the experiences of four South Korean women doctoral students in the social sciences. Findings highlight challenges these students face due to their intersectional identities as Asian, Korean women and non-native English speakers. Findings also demonstrate ways in which CEA can be tailored to suit their needs. This study contributes to comparative and international higher education by offering insights on supporting Korean international graduate students and, more broadly, encourages the support of international students who are vital to higher education. Although focused on U.S. contexts, the findings have implications for higher education institutions aiming to meaningfully serve their international graduate student populations across the globe.

Recommended Citation

Kim, Sarang; Kim, Hanna; Hong, Seyoung; and Paik, Eun Jung (2026) "Experiences of Culturally Engaging Advising Among South Korean Doctoral Students: A Collaborative Autoethnography," Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education: Vol. 18: No. 2, Article 13.
DOI: 10.64899/2151-0407.1808
Available at: https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/jcihe/vol18/iss2/13

References

Aliyu, A. A., Singhry, I. M., Adamu, H. A. R. U. N. A., & AbuBakar, M. A. M. (2015, December). Ontology, epistemology, and axiology in quantitative and qualitative research: Elucidation of the research philosophical misconception. Proceedings of the Academic Conference: Mediterranean Publications & Research International on New Directions and Uncommon, 2(1), 1054–1068.

Bloom, J. L., Propst Cuevas, A. E., Hall, J. W., & Evans, C. V. (2007). Graduate students’ perceptions of outstanding graduate advisor characteristics. NACADA Journal, 27(2), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.12930/0271-9517-27.2.28

Boylorn, R. M., & Orbe, M. P. (2020). Introduction: Critical autoethnography as method of choice/choosing critical autoethnography. In R. M. Boylorn & M. P. Orbe (Eds.), Critical Autoethnography (pp. 1–18). Routledge.

Chang, H., Ngunjiri, F., & Hernandez, K. A. C. (2016). Collaborative autoethnography. Routledge.

Choi, J. Y. (2015). Reasons for silence: A case study of two Korean students at a US graduate school. TESOL Journal, 6(3), 579–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesj.209

Consoli, A. J., Çiftçi, A., Poyrazlı, Ş., Iwasaki, M., Canetto, S. S., Ovrebo, E., Wang, C. D. C., & Forrest, L. (2022). International Students who Became U.S. Counseling Psychology Faculty Members: A Collaborative Autoethnography. The Counseling Psychologist, 50(6), 874–910. https://doi.org/10.1177/00110000221098377

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1989(1), 139–167.

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.

Dahal, N., & Luitel, B. C. (2023). Collaborative autoethnography: Emancipatory research for educational researchers. Journal of Transformative Praxis, 4(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.51474/jrtp.v4i1.659

Gao, Y. (2021). Understanding of international doctoral students’ challenges: A literature review study. Journal of International Students, 11(2), 505–513. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.2065

Green, D. O. N., & Kim, E. (2005). Experiences of Korean female doctoral students in academe: Raising voice against gender and racial stereotypes. Journal of College Student Development, 46(5), 487–500. https://doi.org/110.1353/csd.2005.0048

Ham, S. (2023). Understandings of race and racism in globalizing higher education: when East Asian international student perspectives resonate with color-blindness. Race Ethnicity and Education, 28(7), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2023.2257138

Harris, J. C., & Patton, L. D. (2019). Un/doing intersectionality through higher education research. The Journal of Higher Education, 90(3), 347–372. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2018.1536936

Holt, N. L. (2003). Representation, legitimation, and autoethnography: An autoethnographic writing story. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690300200102

Hong, J. E. (2022). Korean female graduate students’ experiences in the United States: Recognizing and addressing their challenges. Journal of International Students, 12(3), 607–612. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i3.3835

Hunter, K. H., & Devine, K. (2016). Doctoral students’ emotional exhaustion and intentions to leave academia. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 35–61. https://doi.org/10.28945/3396

Institute of International Education (IIE). (2023). Open Doors Academic Level. https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/academic-level/

Jang, Y. J., Woo, H., & Henfield, M. S. (2014). A qualitative study of challenges faced by international doctoral students in counselor education supervision courses. Asia Pacific Education Review, 15, 561–572. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-014-9342-9

Kang, H., Lyu, S. R., & Yun, S. (2022). Going beyond the (un) awakened body: Arts-based collaborative autoethnographic inquiry of Korean doctoral students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 12(S2), 88–105. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12iS2.4345

Kelley, J., Watson, A. N., & Bindamnan, A. (2023). More than meets the eye: Community cultural wealth as a theory for mentoring international students. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 2023(175), 83–92. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20561

Kim, H. J. (2020). ‘Where are you from? Your English is so good’: a Korean female scholar’s autoethnography of academic imperialism in US higher education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 33(5), 491–507. 

https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2019.168155

Kim, Y. (2007). Difficulties in quality doctoral academic advising: Experiences of Korean students. Journal of Research in International Education, 6(2), 171–193. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240907078613

Kim, E., & Green, D. O. (2012). Using qualitative methods to understand the experiences of female Korean doctoral students: Mining gender and racial stereotypes. In D. K. Nagata, L. Kohn-Wood, & L. A. Suzuki (Eds.), Qualitative strategies for ethnocultural research (pp. 237–256). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13742-013

Kim, J., & Turner, J. E. (2024). A grounded theory study on Korean doctoral students’ shame experiences in the U.S.: Exploring the role of cultural self-construals. Culture & Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067X241236734

Knox, S., Sokol, J. T., Inman, A. G., Schlosser, L. Z., Nilsson, J., & Wang, Y. W. (2013). International advisees’ perspectives on the advising relationship in counseling psychology doctoral programs. International Perspectives in Psychology, 2(1), 45–61. https://doi.org/10.1037/ipp0000001

Koo, K., Baker, I., & Yoon, J. (2021). The first year of acculturation: A longitudinal study on acculturative stress and adjustment among first-year international college students. Journal of International Students, 11(2), 278–298. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1726

Kuo, Y. H. (2011). Language challenges faced by international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 1(2), 38–42. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v1i2.551

Lee, J. J. (2021). Unique challenges and opportunities for supporting mental health and promoting the well-being of international graduate students. Council of Graduate Schools.

Lee, J. S., & Shin, S. J. (2008). Korean heritage language education in the United States: The current state, opportunities, and possibilities. Heritage Language Journal, 6(2), 1–20.

Lee, M. Y., Wang, X., Kirsch, J., & Eads, R. (2023). Mentoring international students in social work doctoral programs. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(3), 681–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2022.2119355

Lin, S. Y., & Scherz, S. D. (2014). Challenges facing Asian international graduate students in the US: Pedagogical considerations in higher education. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 16–33. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v4i1.494

Litalien, D., & Guay, F. (2015). Dropout intentions in PhD studies: A comprehensive model based on interpersonal relationships and motivational resources. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 41, 218–231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2015.03.004

Marijanovic, N., Lee, J., Teague, T., & Means, S. (2021). Advising experiences of first year international doctoral students. Journal of International Students, 11(2), 417–435. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i2.1755

Museus, S. D. (2021). Revisiting the role of academic advising in equitably serving diverse college students. The Journal of the National Academic Advising Association, 41(1), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-21-06

Museus, S. D., & Ravello, J. N. (2010). Characteristics of academic advising that contribute to racial and ethnic minority student success at predominantly White institutions. NACADA Journal, 30(1), 47–58. https://doi.org/10.12930/0271-9517-30.1.47

Thomas, K. M., Willis, L. A., & Davis, J. (2007). Mentoring minority graduate students: Issues and strategies for institutions, faculty, and students. Equal Opportunities International, 26(3), 178–192. https://doi.org/10.1108/02610150710735471

Rice, K. G., Choi, C.-C., Zhang, Y., Villegas, J., Ye, H. J., Anderson, D., Nesic, A., & Bigler, M. (2009). International student perspectives on graduate advising relationships. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(3), 376–391. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015905

Rinfret, S. R., Young, S. L., & McDonald III, B. D. (2023). The importance of mentorship in higher education: An introduction to the symposium. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 29(4), 398-403. https://doi.org/10.1080/15236803.2023.2260947

Rodríguez, C., Chavez, C. R., & Klauber, C. (2019). International graduate student challenges and support. International Research and Review, 8(2), 49–64.

Santa-Ramirez, S. (2022). Sink or swim: The mentoring experiences of Latinx PhD students with faculty of color. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 15(1), 124. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000335

Schlosser, L. Z., Knox, S., Moskovitz, A. R., & Hill, C. E. (2003). A qualitative examination of graduate advising relationships: The advisee perspective. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50(2), 178. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.50.2.178

Schroeder, S. M., & Terras, K. L. (2015). Advising experiences and needs of online, cohort, and classroom adult graduate learners. The Journal of the National Academic Advising Association, 35(1), 42–55. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-13-044

Seo, S., & Koro-Ljungberg, M. (2005). A hermeneutical study of older Korean graduate students’ experiences in American higher education: From Confucianism to western educational values. Journal of Studies in International Education, 9(2), 164–187. 

https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315305274695

Sparkes, A. C. (2002). Autoethnography: Self-indulgence or something more? In A. Bochner & C. Ellis (Eds.), Ethnographically speaking: Autoethnography, literature, and aesthetics (pp. 209–232). AltaMira Press.

Wang, T., & Li, L. Y. (2011). ‘Tell me what to do’ vs. ‘guide me through it’: Feedback experiences of international doctoral students. Active Learning in Higher Education, 12(2), 101–112. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787411402438

Williams, M., & Moser, T. (2019). The art of coding and thematic exploration in qualitative research. International management review, 15(1), 45-55.

Yilmaz, T. (2024). “Let me talk!” silenced voices of international graduate students and a need for transcaring pedagogy. Journal of International Students, 14(3), 508–528. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v14i3.5223

Zhang, Y. L., & Dinh, T. V. (2017). Advising international students in engineering programs: Academic advisors' perceptions of intercultural communication competence. NACADA Journal, 37(2), 33–43. https://doi.org/10.12930/NACADA-15-0