Transnational English Learning Experiences and the Trajectory of Ethnic Identity: Korean Early Study Abroad Undergraduates and Their Parents

This study examines how Korean ethnic identity can be represented differently by Korean early study abroad undergraduates in the U.S. and by their parents. The data were collected from in-depth individual interviews with 22 Korean early study abroad undergraduates and 10 of their parents, and the collected data were analyzed using critical discourse analysis (Gee, An introduction to discourse analysis: theory and method, 2011). The findings showed that both participant groups perceived Korean ethnic identity in relation to English, appearance, and nationality. However, while the Korean early study abroad undergraduates demonstrated heterogeneous Korean ethnic identity that was influenced by learning English and embracing American culture, their parents believed that their children’s Korean ethnic identity was as unchangeable as their Korean faces and passports. The traditional Korean ethnic identity of the Korean early study abroad undergraduates was challenged by their transnational experiences in a way that admitted the partialness of Korean ethnic identity and expanded the notion to be more inclusive. This intergenerational gap in Korean ethnic identity is expected to explain Korean ethnic identity in relation to transnationalism in more nuanced way.