• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.412-422
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• 2018

Current support policies for multicultural families translate the focus on educating multicultural children from the initial adjustment of foreign-born brides. By contrast with Korean-born biracial/biethnic children of international couples, foreign-born immigrant children suffer linguistic and cultural differences. This study explores the acculturational difficulties and needs of school-aged immigrant adolescents in Busan Metropolitan city and suggests policies to meet their needs. Seventeen participants, including immigrant adolescents, immigrant parents, in-school service providers and out-school service providers, were recruited, and focus-group interviews were conducted. The major themes show that school-aged immigrant adolescents suffer from cultural/racial differences, different naming practices, linguistic differences, and age gaps. In addition, the study participants strongly call for KSL education, academic mentoring programs, career education, and education for multicultural understanding. This study suggests that future policies should be designed to support immigrant adolescents based on a diversity model beyond assimilationist approaches of adeficitmodel.