| This dissertation is about Korea's ethnic Chinese population and the factors influencing their educational choices, especially those of higher education. Over the years, this very small minority (0.5 percent of the Korean population), has begun to change its selection of college. Precluded in the past from Korean citizenship by Korea's patrilineal citizenship laws and other policies, the ethnic Chinese in Korea educated their younger generation in ethnic schools and prepared them to study in Taiwanese universities. Recently the trend has changed, and the majority of graduates from Chinese ethnic secondary schools now enter Korean universities.;"Why has there been a shift in the educational choice among the ethnic Chinese (the Korean-Huaqiaos)? This study investigates the causes and the extent of the shift in the educational choice among the Korean-Huaqiaos from historical, policy, and comparative perspectives. Documents from governmental and academic sources were used for trend and policy analysis. Questionnaires were distributed to senior students at the Seoul Overseas Chinese High School (SOCHS) in order to understand the students' university preferences and their perceptions of the Korean and the Taiwanese societies. The results of the document analysis and the information gathered from the questionnaires were used in in-depth interviews with students, parents, teachers and alumni of SOCHS, and Seoul-Huaqiao community leaders to understand why this shift occurred and its impact on the Korean-Huaqiao community.;This research revealed that the college choice of the Korean- Huaqiaos changed in relation to the political and legal status of this minority population in Korean society. Changing political realities and social perceptions, varying access to educational opportunities, and the increasing or diminishing power of ethnic identity were all factors in the students' selection of institutions of higher education. This dissertation's findings contribute to the scholarly literature on the reasons for the selection of institutions of higher education. It asserts that decisions by ethnic communities can have an enormous impact on an individual's choices, which has not been acknowledged in the research about college choice. |
