• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.39-55
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• 2017

This study explored the role of Korean immigrant churches as a social context for Korean American youths, with a specific focus on its role in ethnic socialization. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 Korean American young adults. The results show that such churches serve as a salient social context for Korean American youths in which day-to-day lives are deeply integrated. Specifically, they serve as a salient context for coethnic peer relationships and family interactions. Moreover, Korean immigrant churches play a salient role as an agent of enculturation for Korean American youths by engaging them in cultural socialization, constructing and transmitting immigrant discourse, and providing a coethnic community. Taken as whole, findings suggest a distinct and salient role of immigrant churches in the lives of Korean American youths and highlight the importance of studying the social context specific to the children of immigrants.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.59-70
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there is a moderating effect of protective factors on risk factors in affecting school adjustment of immigrant youths. For this purpose, this study analyzed 69,720 youths who weighed 6,079 children of youths ages 9-24 among the 2015 National Survey of Multicultural Families. From the results of the analysis, first, the discrimination experience, school violence and depression, which are risk factors of immigrant youths, all had negative effects on school adjustment. Parental relations, self-esteem, Korean language ability, and nationality acquisition, which are protective factors, all had a positive effect on school adjustment. Second, among the three risk factors in the school adjustment of immigrant youths, self-esteem and nationality acquisition variables were analyzed as the protective factors moderating depression, and the protective factors controlling school violence were analyzed as parental relationship, self-esteem, Korean ability and nationality acquisition variables. Based on the results of the analysis, decrease in immigrant youths' depression, coping with academic violence, and development and support of various competency development programs were suggested as major social welfare practices.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.165-192
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• 2013

Though identity formation is a major developmental task during adolescence and ethnic identity is an integral part of one's identity formation, little is known about ethnic identity exploration and formation among the immigrant adolescents as well as the adolescents born in marital-immigrant families living in Korea. Seventeen adolescents aged 13 to 17 having immigration experiences participated in the study and shared their experiences related to ethnic identity. Results of analyzing in-depth interview data indicated that the concept of ethnic identity was a multidimensional construct: self-identification, bases of identification, emotional reactions, and process of identity formation were important components consisting of the participants' ethnic identities. The youths also reported a variety of socio-cultural experiences related to one's ethnic identities. Based on the findings, the study discussed theoretical implications of the findings and suggestions for providing services for these youths.

• Korean Journal of Comparative Education
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.71-95
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• 2014

This is a pilot study of multifaceted longitudinal research project to explore educational experiences of students with multicultural family backgrounds in Korea. Especially for this pilot study, I selected three foreign-born immigrant youths and tried to explore how these youths describe constraints of their learning experience in different culture. The data for this study were mainly collected through qualitative research methods. For a better understanding of the research participants' perceptions in this study, narrative inquiry and series of semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted for a period of four months which corresponds to one semester of school system in Korea. As a result, this study found that there is an urgent need to establish a systemic and developmentaly appropriate language education programs that ensure educating the language to the foreign-born immigrant youths because their academic achievement, interpersonal relationships, and future depend greatly on the fluency of Korean language. It was also found that it is necessary to take appropriate educational actions in supporting alternative schools where the foreign-born immigrant youths can fully and seriously considered as a whole person. Although this study has some limitations in examining every single aspect of the current state of education of students with multicultural backgrounds in Korea, it provides deep insight into some of their initial educational experiences and proposes several ways to improve these educational programs for them.