This study set out to investigate the actual state of youths with migrant backgrounds and also their difficulties with adjustment to the South Korean society and school life, thus developing an initial adjustment program for them and promoting their s...
This study set out to investigate the actual state of youths with migrant backgrounds and also their difficulties with adjustment to the South Korean society and school life, thus developing an initial adjustment program for them and promoting their stable settlement in the South Korean society. There are few in-depth researches on youths with migrant backgrounds whose number has been rapidly rising in recent years. The present study can offer a foundation for researches on their adjustment to school society, thus holding its significance. The study aimed to investigate the migration backgrounds, educational environments, family characteristics and environments, perceptions in the community, and institutional characteristics(legal procedures) of youths with migrant backgrounds, thus figuring out the effects of difficulties they experienced with adjustment to the South Korean society, especially school society, on the overall aspects of their lives and searching for policy alternatives. The major findings were summarized as follows:
First, most of youths with migrant backgrounds moved to the nation with no information about migration to another country. The school-aged youths with migrant backgrounds, in particular, confessed difficulties withthe language, culture, educational system, and legal treatment of the nation.
Second, the parents of youths with migrant backgrounds brought them to South Korea with the expectation that they would be able to bring them up better in the nation than in their home countries. As difficulties rose with the educational methods of the nation, children's acquisition abilities of Korean, and entry into public education, however, they were confused with the education of their children.
Third, the family circumstances of youths with migrant backgrounds were extremely poor in most cases, which means they lived in an environment that was difficult to raise children in. Furthermore, some of their parents deteriorated in health conditions after going through various events and accidents in the migration process. As they had a tendency of trying to forget about their poor health conditions or harsh reality by depending on alcohol, their children confessed difficulties with family life.
Fourth, their social and psychological sense of isolation was serious in terms of perceptions in the community. Both the youths with migrant backgrounds going to school and those who did not go to school had a sense of isolation and solitude and received no information about how to release stress. Most of them were entering the stage of addiction with the Internet or mobile games, displaying the symptoms.
Finally, youths with migrant backgrounds had a variety of dreams and goals but lacked in the information about how to fulfill them.
Based on those findings, the study made the following proposals:
First, there is a need to set up an educational institution to help them with their adjustment to the South Korean society. If such an educational institution specialized in adjustment provides custom education and runs programs connected to their entry into public education, it will be able to resolve much of their confusion and help them adjust to the South Korean society in a stable fashion.
Second, both the central government and local governments need to expand their supports for youths with migrant backgrounds. Practical supports to promote their adjustment to the South Korean society should be expanded.
Third, it is needed to develop policies for them and manage the support policies for them in an integrated manner. That is, there is a need to develop policies for them, which are still in shortage, and put the support policies for them scattered around together for better management.
Fourth, there is a need for a unified policy to facilitate their entry into public education. Municipal and provincial educational agencies around the nation run educational programs for the children of multicultural families as their specialized projects, but the Ministry of Education needs to develop a unified policy and provide them with an opportunity for equal benefits.
Fifth, there is a need for legal and institutional supplementation to promote their stable stay in the nation. Such legal and institutional supplementation should take a direction of guaranteeing their stay in the nation as long as school-aged youths with migrant backgrounds receive education in the nation and thus promoting their stable adjustment to the South Korean society.
Sixth, they should be offered education on Korean and the understanding of Korean culture. If they learn the language for communication and understand the Korean culture, it will help them with their entry into public education, relationships with friends, and resolution of isolation.
Seventh, it is required to develop a program to promote communication among the members of their families. Most of their families have various family histories. It is urgent to develop programs to promote communication between parents and children and among the family members and educational programs for parents and families.
Finally, there should be measures to address their stress, loneliness, and addiction with the Internet and mobile games. If their pain continues to be neglected, it will generate more adverse effects than good ones. It is thus urgent to devise measures for their pain such as psychological counseling.
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