Academic adjustment of international students studying in South Korea: the Global Korea Scholarship program perspective

Abstract The study was to investigate the academic adjustment of international students studying in South Korea under the Global Korea Scholarship Program. Previous research has shown that academic adjustment is linked to the achievement and satisfaction of international students at higher education institutions. Two research questions shaped the current study: (1) examining the correlations between the variables included in the study and (2) identifying the significant variables that contributed to international students’ academic adjustment. The Multicultural Personality Survey and Academic Adjustment Survey were utilized as the primary instruments and were administered online over one and a half months. A total of 100 participants from diverse demographic backgrounds were involved in the data collection. Correlational analysis and regression analysis were employed to answer the two research questions. The results of the correlational analysis revealed that there were higher correlations observed between multicultural personality and GPA, preferred language and multicultural personality, as well as multicultural personality and the Academic Adjustment Survey. Additionally, the regression analysis indicated that Korean language proficiency and preferred language proficiency emerged as significant variables that impacted international students’ academic adjustment. The results provided further insights into the factors contributing to academic adjustment among international students in South Korea.