This research looks into the academic curriculum and student life of a multi cultural alternative school as experienced by mid-entry students from multi cultural families. The areas of focus are motivations in attending the alternative school, the sig...
This research looks into the academic curriculum and student life of a multi cultural alternative school as experienced by mid-entry students from multi cultural families. The areas of focus are motivations in attending the alternative school, the significance of the academic experience, and the development of future plans upon graduation. In order to fulfil our purpose, we employed qualitative research methods through narrative interviews.
We selected 4 research participants in their second year of a high-school level public alternative school who spent their childhood in their country of birth until one side of their parents got remarried to a Korean to form a multi cultural family and moved to Korea upon the behest of their parents. The selection was based on class advisor recommendations. There were 2 Han Chinese students, 1 Korean Chinese student, and 1 Vietnamese student. Gender-wise, there were 3 female students and 1 male student.
Using the three-dimensional narrative inquiry space (Connelly & Clandinin , 2000) and the three-step research process (Shin et al., 2004) as our framework, we analyzed the data we had collected on the academic experiences of students from multi cultural families at the multi cultural alternative school.
The following results were obtained through this research.
First, the majority of the participants were raised as children by their mothers or their maternal grandparents following their parents’ divorce and entered Korea during their adolescence upon being invited by their mothers who had married a Korean male. Many were from China. In addition, the 4 participants entered Korea around when they were 12 to 15 years old, in the midst of their adolescence after graduating elementary school.
Second, the school’s provision of a standard academic curriculum and technical education for vocational preparation while being a certified high school level educational institution was the main motivation behind the participants’ attendance of the multi cultural alternative school.
Third, the participants’ main obstacle in academic performance and school life upon entering the school was Korean proficiency. Though their level of proficiency in Korean allowed them to communicate with other students, it was a huge burden for them in an academic setting. Their Korean proficiency and limited communication ability appeared to have negatively influenced the participants not only in social adjustment but also in individual emotional stability.
Fourth, the formation of relationships and the improvement in Korean communication capability that comes as a result of learning experiences in school life could be a source of motivation to adapt to everyday social interactions and develop independence in life. The stress caused by the Korean academic curriculum also motivated the participants to develop a tendency toward self-directed learning and an active lifestyle to overcome adversity.
Fifth, the multi cultural school developed and managed a student-focused academic curriculum for mid-entry multi cultural students to help with individual emotional stability for personality development and to establish a legitimate sense of value to view Korean society from a normal perspective. For the multi cultural students who are insecure about and struggle with their situation, this particular school especially put importance on adaptability to Korean culture, formation of self-identity, and personality development process that establishes a sense of justice and civic consciousness required of a mature citizen. As a result, the students were able to develop sociality and self-esteem and enhance their self-initiative and self-control in class participation and academic challenges through their school life and academic experiences.
Sixth, the participants were generally content with the school’s academic curriculum, but they were especially satisfied with the specialized classes. The school’s management of standard academic classes, specialized classes (technical education), and creative activity sessions that allows a student to go through a curriculum that is geared toward one’s needs and capability can be seen as a reason behind this positive response, and the school’s emphasis toward specialized classes to help its students get employed after graduation was also a contributing factor. Ultimately, the alternative school is significant for the mid-entry students in that it provides a consistent education and learning environment and opens up opportunities to form relationships, and the burden of having to obtain fluency in Korean and the ensuing stress actually turned out to serve as a motivating factor for the students to keep up with the curriculum and desire academic achievement. Additionally, the students were asking for an expansion of vocational preparation classes in order to be given a more diverse set of choices in deciding on their careers.
Lastly, the mid-entry students wished to attend university, but the high tuition led them to decide to first earn enough income through work and then receive higher education after a few years. The students also pointed out Korean proficiency as an obstacle in their desire to attend university. Their low level of education is seen as what hinders them the most in entering and adapting to Korean society. As Korea has become a multi cultural country, an adequate solution is needed to accept and admit the mid-entry students as members of society. The Korean society must begin discussions on how to develop a system of evaluation that measures academic capability and Korean proficiency of mid-entry students that will enable them to attend higher educational institutions through their own efforts while also preventing the possibility of reverse discrimination.
|
