The current study examined different patterns and processes of cultural adaptation of immigrated youths of multicultural families in Korea. It particularly focused on their acculturation experience prior to entering schools or being involved in social...
The current study examined different patterns and processes of cultural adaptation of immigrated youths of multicultural families in Korea. It particularly focused on their acculturation experience prior to entering schools or being involved in social activities. The study investigated how such experience affected their acculturation processes and patterns. The overarching goal of the current dissertation is to offer suggestions to help immigrated youths of multicultural families to become a successful member of Korean society while they are preparing to enter schools or become involved in social activities.
The participants of the study were 16 immigrated youths of multicultural families from countries such as China, and Filipino. They lived in Iksan city at the time of data collection and their time in Korea ranged from 6 months and 4 years. The study examined the following three issues using Grounded Theory: (1) characteristics of cultural adaptation of immigrated youths of multicultural families, (2) their acculturation processes, and (3) their different patterns of acculturation experience.
The results of the study showed a total of 110 concepts, 38 sub-categories, and 16 categories. The main findings are summarized as follows. First, because the reason for their immigration to Korea was due to their mother’s intercultural marriage, their acculturation pattern was rather restricted. The central phenomena behind a lack of acculturation involved their feeling of perplexity, a sense of alienation, a sense of anger, awareness of differences, a sense of fear, and a sense of loneliness. The contextual conditions for their acculturation include expectations, social discrimination, and a sense of cultural difference. The mediation conditions for acculturation are external support as well as internal support. Their action/interactional strategies for acculturation are avoidance and looking for alternatives. Such strategies resulted in maintaining their motherland identity and restrictively accepting Korean culture. Secondly, the process of acculturation involves (1) feeling timid, (2) feeling regrets and angry, (3) looking around and making an attempt, (4) feeling difficulty and feeling left out, (5) accepting realities and taking positive view of Korea.
Third, the core of acculturation among the immigrated youths of multicultural families is living in unfamiliar culture. Five acculturation patterns to support the core acculturation were found in the current study: (1) Someone who is actively striving for future dreams, (2) Someone who adjusts himself/herself to circumstances without plans, (3) someone who passively makes an effort, (4) someone who accepts realities to continue education, and (5) someone who temporarily stays for financial reasons.
The study offers four main suggestions to help immigrated youths of multicultural families for their successful acculturation in Korea.
First, one of the main reasons why immigrated youths face difficulties with acculturation in Korea is their lack of knowledge in Korean language and culture when they first immigrated to Korea. The findings suggest that an institutional strategy is needed to provide appropriate language and culture training programs either before moving to Korea or entering school after immigrant.
Secondly, some immigrated youths of multicultural family felt perplexed, had a sense of anger as well as loneliness because of their mother’s unsatisfying life and stepfather’s coldness. In order to help such youths, it is necessary to provide educational training to parents.
Third, the results suggested that immigrated youths who adjust to Korean culture tended to have high self-esteem and were active. Therefore, it is important to train them to build their self-esteem in a new culture to enhance their internal support. In addition, these youths receive external support from family, friends as well as local community. This suggests that enhancing support groups is an important strategy.
Fourth, the findings showed that immigrant youths who moved to Korea with their mothers often caused marital conflicts between immigrant wives and their Korean husbands. For instance, immigrant wives’ overprotection of their children, issues related to cultural difference between immigrated youths and their Korean stepfathers, financial problems, and communication breakdowns resulted in severe conflicts in Korean multicultural families. Therefore, more research is needed to examine Korean stepfather’s perspectives and difficulties on these issues, which can further offer suggestions to support the members of multicultural families in Korea.
본 연구는 중도입국청소년이 한국에 입국하여 학교 진입이나 사회에 진출하기 이전의 경험을 토대로 한국사회 문화적응 과정과 적응 유형을 살펴보고, 학교 진입이나 사회 진출 이전의 공...
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