Using a content analysis technique, this study qualitatively analyzed 68 international student papers published in 15 journals registered with the Korea Research Foundation between 2007 and 2020 to identify research trends. Research findings are as follows: First, research related to international students began in 2007, and research was activated from 2010. The nationality of the study sample was found to be predominantly Chinese. Second, the research categories were classified into education, tourism, leisure, and food life. The detailed topics of the education category included: the selection attribute (motivation) of the major, acculturation stress, service quality, dropout rate, and ‘other’. The detailed topics of the tourism category included: selection attributes, image, medical tourism, visiting and relatives host, and ‘other’. The sub-themes of the leisure category were classified as: leisure constraints, leisure status, leisure values, and acculturation. The sub-themes of food life were classified into: selection attributes, preferences, and ‘other’. Compared with previous studies, research in the tourism field showed that there were insufficient studies after studying abroad such as dropouts and career paths. Finally, it was found that quantitative studies were overwhelmingly large in the analysis method. Based on the results, the study suggests that study on international students of various nationalities, diversification of research topics, and more qualitative research or a hybrid study of qualitative and quantitative research are needed in the future.

International student, Research trend, Content analysis, Tourism field