From the provinces to the capital: Geographic and sociocultural transitions for Korean learners of English
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Cho, Eunhae
- Graduate Program:
- Applied Linguistics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- June 04, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Tommaso Milani, Program Head/Chair
Karen Johnson, Major Field Member
Ning Yu, Major Field Member
Matthew Poehner, Outside Unit & Field Member
Tommaso Milani, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Celeste Kinginger, Co-Chair & Dissertation Advisor - Keywords:
- upward educational mobility
provincial exodus
educational inequality
regional disparity
language learning experience
cultural-historical theoretical framework
ethics
narrative ethnography
narrative inquiry - Abstract:
- Korean students seeking to advance academically in metropolitan cities like Seoul are part of a broader provincial exodus, as they migrate from rural to urban areas to access better infrastructural and educational opportunities. This trend does a disservice to communities’ educational and psychological well-being, as it results in a greater allocation of resources to urban areas and creates a brain drain away from the provinces. This condition also leads to tensions between individuals who have relocated to the capital city and those who have not, giving rise to hostile and frustrated language in online communities. The conflict is manifested through derogatory comments directed at those who have not moved to Seoul, coupled with a sense of elitism among those who have. Past analyses have predominantly viewed this trend through individualistic lenses, neglecting the broader historical and cultural factors contributing to educational disparities. They have also tried to gauge these stratifications by quantitatively examining regional academic performance in hopes of providing solutions to close the rural-urban gap. However, without understanding individuals’ narratives, this approach cannot fully explain the provincial exodus. To address this, scholars have explored how these seemingly individualistic decisions often reflect internalized societal norms and underline the influence of social class on cognitive and emotional interpretations. This project aims to understand the socio-historical and cultural influences of urban-centered migration, focusing on the interplay of cultural, structural, and systemic influences on individual decisions and aspirations. Employing Vygotsky’s Cultural-historical theoretical framework, this project probes how narratives of transition reflect broader sociocultural understandings of regional and local differences. Using ethnographic case studies as a methodology, the research for this dissertation investigated how provincial South Korean students comprehend their experiences and navigate the conflicts between different values that arise during their geographical and sociocultural transitions. Their narratives reveal how familial values, perceptions of rural-urban differences, and the meanings they ascribe to language use and learning shape their understanding of the transition to higher education. The first case study analyzes the academic migration of two students, Joon and Lynn, highlighting the impact of geographical perceptions and English learning values on their fragmented language experiences and emphasizing the need for reframed discourse on geographical transitions. The second case study contrasts the educational journeys of two other students, Choi and Bo, illustrating the influence of social class on academic performance, college choice, and language use. It highlights the necessity of support for lower-class students navigating diverse settings and adopting pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic choices. The third case study explores the emotion-laden journey of language learning of a student named Song, his awareness of rural educational inequities, and the divide between public and private education. It underscores his evolving language perspective and highlights the significance of emotional factors in educational choices, emphasizing the need for empathetic policies. These findings aim to inform interventions designed to help college students develop narratives for sustainable language learning by elucidating cultural factors that impact dynamic learning experiences stemming from regional migration. This study should help academic and local communities recognize the value of coexistence between those who leave rural areas for academic reasons and those who stay, cultivate compassion by moving beyond the rural–urban dichotomy, and aid individuals in sustaining meaningful lives and shaping sustainable societies.