By analyzing the psychological and social adaptation experiences that college students from migration backgrounds face in the process of adapting to Korean society, the purpose of this study is to draw meaningful points to support and support their adaptation.
To this end, this study selected five study participants and analyzed their experiences in depth using a grounded theoretical approach.
According to the analysis, 17 categories were derived for the adaptation of college students from migration backgrounds: “unprepared migration background,” “early cultural exclusion experience,” “psychological agitation,” “psychological support base,” “self-reliance life choice,” “future-oriented attitude,” “lack of emotional support,” “burden on academia,” “verbal barriers and difficulties in communication,” “efforts to adapt to the environment,” “emotional support base,” “positive expectations for the future,” “utilization of resources from multicultural institutions,” “achievement of social adaptation,” “promoting psychosocial resilience,” and “strengthening social integration and autonomy.” Based on this, the process of college students from migration backgrounds’ experience of adapting to Korean society was first, unstable start, second, a sense of daily disconnection, third, realistic pressure, fourth, a challenge to a new life, fifth, self-directed adaptation, and sixth, a stage of settlement of an independent life.
Based on these findings, this study suggested an intervention plan for each stage of adaptive development to effectively support the adaptation of college students from migration backgrounds.