Evaluations of people, affection, and recommendation for a host country: A study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) recipients

Abstract

Extant research has examined the significance of interpersonal relationships in affecting public diplomacy outcomes. Relational public diplomacy is a long‐term approach to public diplomacy which posits the importance of people‐to‐people exchange programs that facilitate two‐way interactions between people from two different countries. Using survey data (n = 385) collected from alumni of the Global Korea Scholarship in 2018, this study found that respondents' perceptions of treatment by South Korean people influenced their comparisons of people from South Korea and their home countries. Moreover, the more highly they evaluated South Koreans compared to people in their home countries, the more likely it was that they would develop an affection and make positive recommendations toward South Korea as a destination for study and tourism. The empirical findings in this article have policy implications for scholarship programs as a public diplomacy tool beyond South Korea. Related Articles in this Special Issue Ayhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. “Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440. Jon, Jae‐Eun, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Satisfied or Dissatisfied: The Determinants of Global Korea Scholarship Recipients’ Satisfaction with Lifein Korea.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1391–1414. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12437. Lee, Hyelim, and Nancy Snow. 2021. “Gendered Experience in Student Mobility Programs—Global Korea Scholarship Recipients’ Evaluation of Korea’s Country Image.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1343–1358. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12441.

Exploring Global Korea Scholarship as a Public Diplomacy Tool

“…Our cross-sectional comparisons show that some GKS recipients, that is, women and/or developed country recipients, are more likely to grow negative attitudes toward the country than others during their stay. For GKS to fulfill its public diplomacy function, it is necessary to ensure that students are satisfied with their experiences in the country, which is an important determinant of their affective and cognitive evaluation of the country (Tam and Ayhan, 2021). More focused evaluation studies can enlighten policymakers as to what causes the negative shift in affective evaluation for certain groups of recipients.…”

“…U-curve theory predicts that sojourners have an initial honeymoon period, followed by negative attitudes due to cultural maladjustment, and in the next stage a gradual adaptation and acculturation that would help them recover their initial favorable attitudes toward the host country (Black and O’Bright, 2016; Chien, 2016; Oberg, 1960; Stangor et al, 1996). In addition, previous literature finds that cultural dissimilarity (Alemu and Cordier, 2017; Jiang et al, 2020), perceived discrimination (Gesing and Glass, 2019; Jon, 2012; Sam, 2001; Tam and Ayhan, 2021; Yun and Vibber, 2012), discrepancy between expectations and experiences (Yun, 2015), lack of social interactions with host country nationals (Istad et al, 2021; Pedersen et al, 2011), and perceived academic satisfaction (Istad et al, 2021; Shafaei and Razak, 2016) may potentially lead to international students’ negative attitudes and/or behavior toward the host country.…”