A changed context of lifelong learning under the influence of migration: South Korea

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to examine how Korean society is being changed under the impact of migration and the kinds of learning domains that are evolving through participation in social interaction between migrant workers and local citizens in South Korea. Employing a qualitative case study, participants' changed learning areas were investigated. Major findings revealed that continuous engagements in social activities developed people's learning domains such as ‘self efficacy and esteem’, ‘intercultural capability’, ‘knowledge and awareness on cultural diversity’, and ‘democratic attitude and civic virtue’. Although multicultural society is an irreversible social condition in contemporary Korea owing to the influence of magnified migration, findings demonstrate that migration itself is not enough to facilitate human learning continuously. Instead, social engagements between different agencies in informal learning settings enable people to reconstruct their life experiences.