Experience of College Life in North Korean Adolescent

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of the students who entered the university after graduating from the alternative school in order to understand the experiences and psychological and emotional characteristics of the defectors in college life and adaptation process. So this study could provide meaningful insight into the educational experiences of the research participants, the characteristics of the career selection process, and university life and adaptation. Method: In this study, not only the experiences of participants in North Korea, but also the experiences and interactions of time, sociality, and place in South Korea s adaptation process, focused on narrative inquiry. Based on the continuity of the time since childhood, we classified the experiences and social relations according to the change of place in North Korea and South Korea chronologically, referring to the process of differentiation of critical events in the three dimensional space revealed in the interview process, The categorized experiences were categorized, interpreted, and verified for mainstreaming and sub-topics such as cultural adaptation, academic adjustment, career decision, and psychological characteristics. Results: I experienced family disintegration in the process of family life in North Korea and the breakup of the family in North Korea. I experienced psychological and emotional stress, absenteeism, career Conflict, career anxiety, and career barriers. Conclusion: The conclusions of the study are as follows: First, cultural adaptation was closely related to academic adaptation and experience in the career path, depending on the characteristics of developmental timing. Second, it was necessary to provide professional and institutional support as a stepping stone bridge education which could complement the basic education problems which should be done subsequently according to the school type in terms of academic adaptation. Third, it was necessary to provide assistance to transform leading career decision and career maladjustment into rational thinking. Fourth, it was necessary to expand and deepen the official and informal support exposures to the psychological and emotional difficulties in the process of adaptation after immigration to South Korea.