The purpose of this study is to examine relations between self-authorship and women's career decision making in the case of Korean and exchange undergraduate students. While the literature in self-authorship has illuminated how pedagogical efforts can facilitate college students’ self-authorship (e.g., Baxter Magolda, 1998; Creamer, Magolda, & Yue, 2010), we hardly know about the development of self-authorship can be promoted in Korean context.

The concept of self-authorship is articulated as the foundation of many modern life demands that adults should successfully achieve. Baxter Magolda (1998) defines self-authorship as the internal capacity to define one’s beliefs, identity, and social relations. For college students, self-authorship is related to their internal capability that meets specific challenges they may encounter in their present college lives and future career. Former research (e.g., Pizzolato, 2003) indicates that instructional efforts in higher education can promote college students’ self-authorship.

Historically, South Koreans take education seriously and are obsessed with higher levels of education. The educational culture in South Korea has been intense and grueling due to education fever. Currently, more than 80% of Korean high-school graduates are going on to higher education, which is the highest rate of post-secondary education attendance in the world. However, many of these students are having difficulty with making educational and career post-college career choices. Previous research (e.g., Leong, Hardin, & Gupta, 2010) indicates that Korean college students seem to make their career decision adopting their internalized knowledge of their parents’ expectations.

Therefore, this study explores how Korean and foreign exchange undergraduate students make meaning out of their life experiences, especially in relation to their career decision making and self-authorship, and how culture (patriarchy, Confucianism, institutional, and/or student cultures) shapes the ways that Korean and foreign undergraduate students in a Korean women’s university reflect on their life experiences.

To accomplish this purpose, this study sets up the specific questions as follows:

a)      How do Korean and foreign undergraduate students in a Korean women’s university make meaning out of their life experiences?

b)      How does culture (national, institutional, and/or student cultures) shape the ways that undergraduate students in a Korean women’s university reflect on their life experiences?

c)      How do patterns of reflection vary among college major? (traits: gender, age, race, major, etc)

d)     Does engaging in liberal education courses have a significant effect on undergraduate students’ self-authorship, psychological well-being, and/or career decision making?  

Baxter Magolda, M. B., 1998. Developing self-authorship in young adult life. Journal of College Student Development, 39(2), 143-156. Creamer, E. G., Baxter Magolda, M., & Yue, J., 2010. Preliminary evidence of the reliability and validity of a quantitative measure of self-authorship. Journal of College Student Development. 51(5), 550-562. Leong, F.T.L., Hardin, E. E, Gupta, A., 2010. Cultural formulations approach to career assessment and career counseling with Asian American clients. Journal of Career Development, 37(1), 465-486. Pizzolato, J. E., 2003. Developing self-authorship: Exploring the experiences of high-risk college students. Journal of College Student Development, 44(6), 797-812.