• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.24 no.1 s.79
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• pp.103-116
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• 2006

The purpose of the study was to explore what kind of intervention might help foster parents decide to continue engaging in foster care. As foster care services are still in the early stages of development, lacking systematic support systems as well as full understanding of the roles of foster parents and foster care agencies, it is important to recruit, select, and train as many foster parents as possible. Utilizing the Foster Parent Role Perception scale developed by Le Prohn, the author first conceptualized foster parent roles or foster care agency roles; then explored what kind of effects the resource level or the role perception of the foster parents have on the decisions to continue doing foster care. The results showed that the foster parents perceived 'supporting the internal system of the foster child' and 'supporting the external system of the foster child' as the roles of foster parents, whereas 'fortifying the foster care system' and 'maintaining liaison with birth parents' were the roles of foster care agencies. It was also found that foster parents' strong role perception, higher levels of satisfaction towards education on the part of foster parents, and the number of children from the previous marriage had statistically significant positive effects on the decisions to continue foster care. The author argues that clear definitions of roles are needed for both foster parents and foster care agencies. Finally, the role of foster care agencies needs to be strengthened and supported.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.157-174
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• 2008

This study used the person-oriented approach to explore differences in narrative representations of 97 4-, 5- and 6-year old children (30 foster care, 40 biological family, 17 adopted). Using the MacArthur Story Stem Battery (Bretherton et al., 1990), observations were made to obtain children's narrative representations of content themes and performances. Descriptive statistics, ANOV A and hierarchical cluster analyses were performed. The results of this study were that : (1) Biological family children showed more empathy/helping representations. Foster care children and adopted children showed more anxious representations, and foster care children showed more dysregulated aggression. (2) Four clusters of foster care and adopted children and five clusters of family biological children were found.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.24 no.5 s.83
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• pp.141-159
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• 2006

It is generally blown that foster children often have special needs such as disability and psycho-behavioral problems. It is also known that foster parents will provide better care with those children when they are coping well with foster children with special needs. The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions foster parents have and what factors affect their decisions to care for children with special needs. Literature review reveals that successful foster parent care is related to the foster parents' motivation, role perception, and social support systems. foster parents' motivation is related to 'altruism toward foster child', 'the egocentrism of the foster parent', 'previous experience with adoption' and 'the past experiences of the foster parent'. Role perceptions of the foster parent consist of 'supporting the internal system of the foster child' and 'supporting the external system of the foster child'. The social support system is characterized as the limited notions of a family oriented concept. In addition, a foster parent's decision to look after special-needs children is related to their motivation while the decision to foster disabled children is related to the levels of available social support systems as well as motivation. The results of the study implies that the motivation level and that of social support system are closely related to different aspects of the special-needs foster child; this factor should also be considered when recruiting foster parents or placing special needs children.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.131-148
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• 2003

This study investigated family foster care characteristics according to types of foster parents-surrogate, kin, general parents and predicting factors of foster children's adjustability to new environment. Participants were 618 cases of foster parents in 17 areas of the country through stratified sampling. It was found that the surrogate foster parent, tends to be older, received less education, has lower income, and is in poor health, as opposed to kin parents or general foster parents. There were significant effects of foster parent's age, living arrangement, income, education, consideration of foster child, and the periods of foster care experience as well as child's sex, contact of biological parents on emotional, behavioral, and family relational adjustment of the foster children.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Child Welfare
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• no.40
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• pp.73-107
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to understand the rearing experience of parents who adopted a child for whom they were foster parents. Several cases of foster care adoption were found. We carried out individual interviews for data collection. Within-case and across-case analyses were conducted based on the data gathered from individual interviews of four cases. As a result, we were able to grasp significant issues from each case and find out common subjects found in all cases. The common subjects were 'special encounter: accident, connection, and inevitability', 'my child already', 'fundamental but insignificant difference', 'discontinuity in social support: things that are lost, and things that are gained', 'truth that is unable to hide, and truth that needs to be hidden', and 'family's destiny'. Based on the results of this study, policy recommendations and practice guidelines were suggested to help families undergoing adoption from foster care. Also, recommendations for further research were provided to overcome the study limitations.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.53-72
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to understand the meaning and nature of long term boarding care of children provided by grandparents in surrogate foster homes. Data were collected from 10 children 15 to 18 years of age by in depth interviews and observation from May 2007 to July 2007. Analysis of data was by the phenomenological analytic method of Giorgi(1970). Seven essential themes were extracted: (1) ambivalence about being labeled "family headed by a child," (2) recognition of the burden to grandparents with appreciation for their care, (3) resentment and yearning for parents, (4) economic hardship, (5) discord with grandparents, (6) maladjustment to school life, and (7) overcoming such obstacles as poor economic conditions and loneliness.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.59-72
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• 2005

This study used secondary data of the Illinois Subsidized Guardianship Waiver Demonstration, Chicago Public Schools and administrative data of the Illinois Department of Child and Family Services. Multiple regression analysis was the main statistical method. Results revealed a positive effect of foster parents' expectations on educational achievement of foster children without disabilities. Among types of educational involvement, 'direct educational activities' showed a positive effect on math and 'supervision reported by children' showed a positive effect on reading achievement. Among indices of the quality of relationship: the presence of kinship ties, permanence achievement, and level of affection between foster parents and children, only level of affection had a significant positive association with both math and reading achievement.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.185-203
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• 2017

Objective: The present study examined the perspectives of grandparents raising their grandchildren in an attempt to better understand grandparents' child-rearing experience while providing kinship foster care to their primary-grade grandchildren. Methods: Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with eight grandparents who have raised one or two primary-grade (ages 8-10) grandchildren using a qualitative approach. Results: First, the participants viewed the reason for their kinship foster care as a failure for caring for their own children and accepted the present grandparent-care provision as their responsibility. Second, the participants communicated constant struggles with their own health and grandchild-care as well as positive/negative emotions associated with the care provision. Third, most of the participants did not fully understand the developmental needs of their primary-grade grandchildren. Fourth, the participants articulated concerns for their primary-grade grandchildren's learning, peer interactions, school adjustment, and extra-curricular activities. Lastly, the participants all agreed on hoping to raise grandchildren with good personality traits as members of a society and to have them fill the gap from the loss of their parents. Conclusion: Although most participants accepted the current circumstances as their obligation, they still noted difficulties in child-care provision. Given the developmental needs of grandchildren and the resource needs of grandparents, proper and continuous intervention approaches should be developed/provided.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.279-294
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• 2024

The purpose of this study was to synthesize and interpret the findings of previous qualitative studies that investigated the lived experiences of Korean emerging adults who aged out of the foster care system. Based on our selection criteria, we extracted and analyzed 14 papers that were published between 2010 to 2023. Our meta-synthesis found that the emerging adults' life world consisted of seven domains: family experience, life tasks, education and work, financial issues, home and family, interpersonal relationships, and psychological and emotional issues. We restructured the emerging adults' lived experiences using van Manen's concepts of lived time, lived space, lived things, lived self-other, and lived body. Our meta-synthesis revealed that these emerging adults experienced multidimensional difficulties due to shortcomings of formal and informal social support after aging out of the foster care system. Their difficulties accumulated in their interaction with lived time. Based on the level of their accumulated difficulties, we categorized the emerging adults into stable, struggling, and isolated groups. However, it is important to note that many of them adapted to their own life world and strived to move forward. This qualitative meta-synthesis provides a comprehensive understanding and new interpretation of emerging adults who transition from foster care to independent living in the context of Korea.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare Studies
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.85-119
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• 2011

This Study was to explore the experience of foster care child's biological parents and proposed the practical discuss and method for support their returning home. We approached grounded theory to subject. Twenty biological parent's of foster child participated this research. The Data were collected by in depth-interview and documents. The authors analyzed the data according to frame that proposed Strauss and Corbin(1998). The results as follows: In open coding 143 concepts, 34 subcategory, 13 category. In axial coding the causal conditions were 「self-devaluation」, 「self-stigma」, 「social prejudice」. and the phenomenon were 「life as surplus being」, 「revolving around the world」, and the contextual conditions were 「collapse of life base」, 「rustical fatalism」. The intervention conditions were 「operation of support system」, 「instinct of maternity」. The action/interception strategy were 「closing of single eye」, 「pussling of scattered piece」. The consequence were 「fixations of abandonment」. 「resoaring to the world」 The authors proposed the core category as 「go over the wall of world burdening liabilities of being」. The authors classified patricians life type as 「challenging type」, 「status quo type」, 「escaping type」, Finally, we proposed the practical method for support restoring family the world」, foster care child's biological parents.