A Qualitative Analysis of Graduate Students’ Experiences in Short-Term International Exchange Programs

This study qualitatively explored the experiences of graduate students participating in international short-term exchange programs, aiming to derive practical strategies for the operation and improvement of extracurricular programs that support the enhancement of graduate students' internationalization competencies. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted before and after program participation with 11 graduate students who took part in three international short-term exchange programs held across three East Asian countries. The collected data were analyzed sequentially through initial coding, pattern coding, and focused coding using Nvivo 15, with validity ensured through peer review and participant verification. The findings revealed that international short-term exchange programs substantially enhanced graduate students' internationalization competencies. Specifically, participants (1) experienced entry into the international academic community through self-directed transnational academic engagement; (2) developed critical thinking and integrative research skills through comparative research competency; and (3) reported increased motivation and sustained growth as academic revitalization. The significance of this study is as follows: Theoretically, it presents a pioneering empirical linkage between internationalization competencies and graduate student socialization theory in the context of domestic graduate students' international short-term exchange programs. Practically, it derives concrete operational and improvement strategies for short-term international exchange programs tailored to graduate students' characteristics. Through this, the study provides empirical evidence supporting government policies such as the BK21 project, contributing to the qualitative enhancement of graduate education.