Amaba Elaine Judith, Escuadra Catherine Joy, Choi Ji-Eun, An Sun-Joung Leigh
Department of Rehabilitation Science, Graduate School of Inje University, Gimhae-si, Republic of Korea.
Physical Therapy Department, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Santo Tomas, Manila City, Philippines.
Occup Ther Int. 2025 Apr 7;2025:6967523. doi: 10.1155/oti/6967523. eCollection 2025.
Humans, as occupational beings, are inherently driven to achieve mastery and adaptation. This drive is evident in international graduate students who face unique academic and sociocultural challenges when adapting to unfamiliar environments, such as South Korea. These challenges can hinder their occupational participation, yet there is a notable gap in the literature addressing the specific occupational issues faced by international students in this context. This study is aimed at exploring the unique occupational challenges encountered by international graduate students in Korea and their general adaptive responses, analyzed through the lens of the occupational adaptation (OA) model. Additionally, this study proposed interventions for educational institutions and occupational therapy practitioners to support students in achieving OA. A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Systematic searches across global (Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed) and Korean (RISS and KISS) databases identified qualitative studies published in English or Korean over the past 10 years. ChatGPT-4 assisted with data extraction, which was reviewed for accuracy. Study characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics, and thematic analysis identified key themes related to occupational challenges. The review identified 3 articles and 6 dissertations exploring the occupational challenges of 59 international graduate students in Korea. Most participants were master's students, primarily from China, Uzbekistan, and Laos. Two main themes emerged: (1) the hierarchical nature of Korean culture, which impeded academic and social engagement, and (2) the fast-paced lifestyle, which disrupted occupational balance. These challenges led to stress, isolation, and reduced participation, affecting role competence and quality of life. While students attempted adaptive strategies, they were often insufficient, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. International graduate students in Korea faced significant pressure to achieve mastery in a demanding environment. Culturally sensitive interventions, combined with strategies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and lifestyle redesign, can improve stress management, self-advocacy, and occupational balance, leading to greater academic success.
作为职业人，人类天生就有追求精通和适应的动力。这种动力在国际研究生身上体现得很明显，他们在适应诸如韩国这样的陌生环境时面临独特的学术和社会文化挑战。这些挑战可能会阻碍他们的职业参与，但在解决这一背景下国际学生所面临的具体职业问题的文献中，存在明显的空白。本研究旨在探讨在韩国的国际研究生所面临的独特职业挑战及其一般适应性反应，并通过职业适应（OA）模型进行分析。此外，本研究还为教育机构和职业治疗从业者提出了干预措施，以支持学生实现职业适应。按照PRISMA指南进行了范围综述。通过对全球（科学引文索引、Scopus和PubMed）和韩国（韩国研究信息服务系统和韩国学术期刊全文数据库）数据库进行系统检索，确定了过去10年以英文或韩文发表的定性研究。ChatGPT-4协助进行数据提取，并对提取的准确性进行了审核。使用描述性统计方法总结研究特征，并通过主题分析确定与职业挑战相关的关键主题。该综述确定了3篇文章和6篇论文，探讨了59名在韩国的国际研究生的职业挑战。大多数参与者是硕士生，主要来自中国、乌兹别克斯坦和老挝。出现了两个主要主题：（1）韩国文化的等级性质，这阻碍了学术和社会参与；（2）快节奏的生活方式，这扰乱了职业平衡。这些挑战导致了压力、孤立和参与度降低，影响了角色能力和生活质量。虽然学生尝试了适应性策略，但往往并不充分，这凸显了针对性干预的必要性。在韩国的国际研究生在要求苛刻的环境中面临着取得精通的巨大压力。具有文化敏感性的干预措施，结合认知行为疗法（CBT）和生活方式重塑等策略，可以改善压力管理、自我主张和职业平衡，从而带来更大的学业成功。
