An Unknown World - The Academic Experiences of Korean Immigrant Students at Two Universities in Toronto, Canada

Oct 15, 2026

This study examines how nine Korean immigrant students experienced post-secondary life at two Toronto-based universities across the sciences and social sciences. Guided by Reason’s (2009) persistence framework, it uses semi-structured focus groups and interviews to analyze transitions from high school, academic study demands, and assessment participation. Participants reported persistent adjustment and language barriers that threatened graduation goals. They adapted through audio-recording lectures, seeking peer and teaching-staff support, and using online resources. Differences between universities emerged, particularly in the value students placed on Korean student groups.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Research Focus and Rationale

National Context: Immigrants and Education in Canada

Korean Immigrant Student Participation

Gap in Existing Research

Study Purpose and Approach

An Unknown World: The Academic Experiences of Korean Immigrant Students at Two Universities in Toronto, Canada Abstract Although the participation of immigrant students from diverse cultural backgrounds continues to increase in Canadian universities, there is still a lack of a good understanding of their experiences. This study compared the experiences of nine Korean immigrant students in the sciences and social sciences at two Toronto-based universities and the support resources they utilized. Using Reason’s (2009) persistence framework, different aspects of student experiences, including the transition from high school to university and their academic studies, were examined through semi-structured focus groups and interviews. Research participants commonly had difficulties adjusting to Canadian universities and encountered linguistic difficulties throughout their lecture participation and assessment completion that hindered their persistence toward their goal of graduation. The participants varied in the difficulties they encountered with the disciplinary natures of the sciences and social sciences throughout their studies. The participants developed strategies of audio-recording lectures, reaching out to their peers and teaching staff, and using online resources to overcome the challenges. Differences in participant experiences between the two universities appeared regarding Korean student groups, which they found asthe most beneficial source of support. Suggestions are made to better support the experiences of immigrant students in Canadian universities. Keywords: immigrant student experiences, Korean immigrant students, post-secondary experiences, academic challenges, student persistence Résumé Bien que la participation d’étudiants immigrants de divers contextes culturels continue d’augmenter dans les universités canadiennes, ily a toujours un manque de compréhension de leurs expériences. Cette étude compare les expériences de neuf étudiants immigrants d’origine coréenne inscrits dans des programmes de sciences et de sciences sociales dans deux universités à Toronto et les ressources de soutien qu’ils ont utilisées. À l’aide du cadre de persévérance de Reason (2009), différents aspects de l’expérience des étudiants, ycompris leur transition du secondaire à l’université et leurs études universitaires, ont été examinés au moyen de groupes de discussion semi-structurés et d’entrevues. Les participants à la recherche ont généralement eu des difficultés à s’adapter aux universités canadiennes et ont rencontré des difficultés linguistiques tout au long de leur participation aux cours et aux évaluations. Cela a nui à leurpersévérance vers leur objectif d’obtenir leur diplôme. Les participants ont rencontré des difficultés variées selon leur domaine d’étudestout au long de celles-ci. Ils et elles ont utilisé des stratégies telles que l’enregistrement audio des cours magistraux, la communication avec leurs pairs et enseignants et l’utilisation de ressources en ligne pour surmonter ces défis. Des différences dans les expériences des participants entre les deux universités sont apparues concernant les groupes d’étudiants coréens, qu’ils ont trouvés comme étant la source de soutien la plus bénéfique. Nous offrons des suggestions pour mieux soutenir les expériences des étudiants immigrants dans les universités canadiennes. Mots-clés : expériences des étudiants immigrants, étudiants coréens immigrants, expériences au postsecondaire, défis universitaires, persévérance des étudiants Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur 52:4 (2023) Introduction Immigrant populations in Canada have been steadily growing, representing 23.0% of Canada’s total population in 2021 (Statistics Canada, 2022) . Statistics Canada defines immigrants as “persons residing in Canada who were born outside of Canada, excluding temporary foreign workers… and those with student or working visas”(Statistics Ca

FAQs

What does the study investigate about Korean immigrant students in Canada?

It compares the experiences of nine Korean immigrant students in the sciences and social sciences across two Toronto universities, focusing on the support resources they used and how these experiences affected persistence toward graduation.

What research method and framework are used?

The study applies Reason’s (2009) persistence framework and gathers data through semi-structured focus groups and interviews to examine transitions and academic challenges.

What challenges do participants report during university study?

Participants commonly face difficulties adjusting to Canadian universities and recurring linguistic barriers during lecture participation and assessment completion, which hinder persistence toward their graduation goals.

How did participants respond to these challenges?

They developed strategies such as audio-recording lectures, reaching out to peers and teaching staff, and using online resources to overcome academic and language-related obstacles.

Oct 15, 2026

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