• Journal of Music and Human Behavior
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.51-68
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of music by international college students in Korea. A questionnaire was administered to foreign college students. The questionnaire was composed of 25 items regarding use of music, the purpose of music use, and demographic information. A total of 150 questionnaires were distributed, and 81 questionnaires were returned. Incomplete questionnaires were excluded, and the remaining 69 questionnaires were analyzed. The results of this study were as follows. First, international students in Korea preferred listening to music over playing instruments or singing and mostly listened to popular music in their dormitory alone. They mostly listened to popular songs with love related themes and preferred music from their own country over Korean music. Second, in terms of the purpose behind music use, comfort was the reason reported most frequently, followed by mood change, enjoyment, sense of belonging, and sense of achievement. Third, there were no significant differences in use of music depending on individual factors (e.g., gender, length of residence in Korea, length of previous music education), but significant differences were found for using music for the purpose of mood change and sense of belonging based on respondents' length of residence in Korea. The results of this study may contribute to the development of musical programs for cultural adaptation and psycho-emotional support for international students in Korea.