Mobility and Early Study Abroad as Transnational Migration: Categorization of Korean ESA in Singapore through a Follow-up Longitudinal Case Study

초국적 이주로서의 조기유학 : 싱가포르의 한국인 조기 유학생 추적 조사를 통한 이동성(mobility) 유형화

This study explores the mobility patterns of Korean Early Study Aborad (ESA, hereafter) students in Singapore through a follow-up longitudinal case study, which was initially conducted about five years before this study. This study takes up transnational migration approach, focusing on family strategies and mobilization, which steered their mobility. Interviews with seven original families as well as 7 families additionally recruited in Singapore in 2012 were collected and analyzed by NVivo 9. In short, this study found that transnational mobility is composed of mobilities at global, regional and local levels. There were four types of mobilities; continuation of stay in Singapore, move from a third county to Singapore, return to Korea, and, what this research calls, fluid mobility. Examining the process of these mobilities shows that we need to consider at least three factors (performance of children's schooling; change of family circumstances; context of reception for both Singapore and Korea) as basic backgrounds. On this basis, the interplay between the context of receptions when aspirations for children's advancement by these transnational families made either facilitate or constrain their mobilities: contexts of Singapore and Korea may play a role of hurdle or trampoline. Also, local context of Singapore largely facilitate mobilities of Korean ESA families at both local and global levels.