• Human Ecology Research
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• v.62 no.1
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• pp.137-149
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• 2024

This study aims to understand the experiences of highly educated married immigrant women from China, who hold a master's degree or higher, when selecting an elementary school for their children and to explore the significance of that experience. This study included eight participants, all of whom were married immigrant women who had resided in Korea for a minimum of five years. Data was collected through in-depth interviews, which were conducted over approximately one year, from June 2022 to August 2023. The study was approached as a case study. As a result of this study, the similarities between the cases were "choices based on charactercentered education and cultural convergence", "choices for the child's future and career", and "choices influenced by the primary caregiver's use of bilingualism". The differences observed in the cases appeared in "choices based on the balance between global education ideals and economic realities", "choices based on specialized curriculum content", and "choices based on connections to higher-level schools". This study is important, as it underscores the need to conduct various research initiatives on multinational immigrant women and their children. These findings suggest that the study can contribute to the development of multicultural policies that are grounded in the actual experiences and critical awareness of married Chinese immigrant women, who constitute a substantial part of Korean society.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.323-332
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify health promotion behavior and contraception in married immigrant women. Method: Seventy-three immigrant women who were married with Korean men were recruited in October 2008. Data was collected by using questionnaires through a personal interview. The collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, t-test, and ANOVA. Result: The lowest scoring part among health promotion behaviors was exercise. Stress management, eating habits and personal relationships followed. Health promotion behaviors were influenced by the age at marriage, frequency of going out, and health education experiences. Only 35.6% of subjects used contraception. The popular contraceptive methods were IUD, condom, and coitus interruptus. Most subjects got information about contraception from family and friends. 18.1% of subjects had no source of information. The women's education level had a significant influence on their contraceptive knowledge. Conclusion: Programs for exercise and contraception are needed to improve health promotion behaviors in married immigrant women. Nurses are an important part in health promotion. The role of nurses must be expanded in all communities through various intervention programs.

• Korean journal of communication and information
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• v.75
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• pp.43-79
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• 2016

An increase in the number of immigrants to Korea since the late 1980s' has signified the proliferation of globalization and global capitalism. In Korea, most married immigrants are women, as the culture emphasizes patrilineage and the stability of the institution of marriage, particularly in rural areas. Immigrant women have experienced dual ordeals. The Aogra Internet community in Korea has been one of the most representative sites that has shown the power of communities in cyberspace since 2002, leading the discussion of social issues and deliberative democracy both online and offline. This paper analyzed Koreans' writings (such as long comments) on immigrant women in the Agora community. The analysis revealed the following results: first, immigrant women were referred to using terms related to prostitution, with excessive expression of disgust, which is called a "narrative of identity." Second, anti-multiculturalists called Korean men victims of married immigrant women and expressed hatred toward immigrant women, which is called a "narrative of sacrifice." Third, anti-multiculturalists justified their emotions as just resentment based on ideas of justice, equality, and patriotism, concealing the emotion of disgust, which is called the "narrative of justice, equality." Fourth, antimulticulturalists played roles to spread the emotion of disgust, by repeatedly referring to international marriage fraud and immigrant workers' crimes, which is called "narrative of crime." Fifth, some positive writings on immigrant women were based on empathy(a concept defined in this context by Martha Nussbaum), but they can be analyzed as narratives encouraging cultural integration through the perspective of orientalism. Therefore, comments on immigrant women in the Agora represent a "catch-22" dilemma. To deal with conflicts arising from disgust and violations of human rights, civic education focusing on humanism is needed in this multicultural era.

• Asia-pacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities, and Sociology
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• v.6 no.10
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• pp.425-432
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• 2016

This study is focused on defining what is their career goals and the standard to set up the goals as an individual married immigrant women. Marriage immigrant women are expected to have higher difficult than Korean women do in reality, so the research will figure out what career goal marriage immigrant women have to achieve the goal. As the results, the data has been collected from seven of the married immigrant women through in-depth interview, the conclusion is as followed: First, career goal for married immigrant women turns out self-reliance and valuable life. Career is used in wide spread range including a job, and their career goal is for being a self-employed, a travel guide, an english teacher, and a regular worker. They have various goal for valuable life to feel that their living is better than monetary stuff, to have a healing tour through music, and to exchange with foreign scholars and train junior scholars. They hope they can be confident as a part of the Korean society and be able to help others and to see themselves as valued to live a life.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.45-58
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• 2017

The purpose of this study was to explore the possibility of recruiting married immigrant women to participate in the Official Development Assistance (ODA) program. We used focus group interviews to understand their experiences with ODA, their intent to participate in the ODA, and the resources and barriers to ODA participation. The data were collected from 14 married immigrant women who were actively engaged in the labor force in Seoul and Gyunggi areas. Data were analyzed based on the thematic analysis method. Four themes were identified including the women's experiences, motivation, barriers, and resources for ODA participation. Out of the 14 women, three had participated in the ODA and were happy with the experiences. The rest of the women wanted to participate in the ODA that supported their home countries. The results also highlighted that these married immigrant women had capabilities including a strong desire to participate in vocational development and support from their families, but they also had barriers to overcome such as a lack of work capacity, child care burden, and difficulty forming relationships with Korean colleagues. Despite these barriers, they were motivated to participate in the ODA since it would be very meaningful for them to help their home country and to improve awareness of Korea and married immigrant women. It is important to develop vocational education programs for these women to enhance the work skills that are needed in the ODA.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.675-687
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• 2009

The purpose of this study is to investigate the difficulties and needs for adaptation program of married immigrant women raising children in Korea. Data were collected from 27 Day care centers in Guemsan County, Chungnam Province. 20 senior teachers of day care centers and 58 mothers who had immigrated into Korea by international marriage were asked to complete a packet of questionnaire designed by researchers for this study, and in-depth interviews were conducted to 20 senior teachers and 6 mothers who could communicate in Korean. Data were analyzed by using frequency analysis, one way ANOVA, and cross-section analysis. The outcome of this study showed as follows: 1) The number of entire married immigrant women's children attending day care centers at Guemsan area was 102 persons. 2) Immigrant mothers felt that the lack of their understanding Korean culture makes them difficult in raising children in Korea, whereas the day care teachers felt that children's language development was delayed. 3) According to the survey of adaptation program a for married immigrant women's children, there was few program at the time of survey, only two daycare centers conducted multi-cultural education and Korean language education once or twice a year. Teachers required Korean language education, grievance counseling (?) for the mothers. Immigrant mothers required multi-cultural education and Korean language education.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.165-180
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• 2012

The purpose of the study was to prove the effect of the "Picture Book Reading Program for Mothers" developed to enhance the language competence of married immigrant women and their children. Twenty immigrant mothers with three-year-olds were recruited, and they participated in an 8-week-Picture Book Reading Program developed by the reseacher. The REVT and U-TAP were used to measure linguistic abilities for mothers while PRES was used to measure their children's linguistic abilities. Lee(2004)'s "Effect of dialogic picture book reading teacher training program for toddlers" was used to measure the mother's and children's verbal and non-verbal behaviors. The results of the study were as follows: First, by participating in the PBRPM, the mother's linguistic ability as well as children's vocabulary and receptive language have increased. Second, by participating in the PBRPM in terms of mother-child interaction, mother's verbal behaviors to children (i.e. attention and inquiring) and children's verbal behaviors(i.e. responding and imitation) have increased. In conclusion, "PBRPM" for married immigrant women and their children proved to be effective in enhancing the language competence and verbal interactions between married immigrant women and their children.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.128-139
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the effects of an individual breast-feeding promotion program to address breast-feeding knowledge, attitude, method and rate of practice for married immigrant women. Methods: A non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was used (experimental group=16, control group=17). The intervention consisted of 3 phases: (1) Within 2 hours of delivery - individual breast-feeding training through video/verbal/practical training education and demonstration (2) After 1~2 days - group training using video, model doll, and breast models (3) After 7 days - family visit, counseling, retraining and reinforcement training. The data were analyzed using non-parametric tests with the SPSS program. Results: Married immigrant women who participated in the individual breast-feeding program scored high in knowledge, attitude, method and rate of practice compared to the control group. Conclusion: The results indicate that the individual breast-feeding program is very effective in increasing breast-feeding knowledge, attitude, method and rate of practicing breast feeding for married immigrant women. So, nurses are encouraged to aggressively utilize individual breast-feeding programs to help married immigrant women, who are exposed to vulnerability due to various situations.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.606-618
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to identify the level of Symptoms of Stress, Stress Reaction, Health Promoting Behavior, and Quality of Life in Korean Immigrant Middle Aged Women. The subjects of this study were 33 middle aged women who live in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. Data collection was performed at the U.W from Oct. 1998 to May. 1999. Data collection time was one hour and data was collected through 4 types of questionnaires : SOS, Health Promoting Behaviors, Quality of Life and Demographic data form, and the Physiologic Stress Profile was collected by J&J I-410 biofeedback equipment. The data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and the pearson correlation coefficient using the SAS program. The results of this study are as follows: 1. The level of physiological stress reaction and stress symptoms showed high level and quality of life showed low in general. 2. The Stress Reaction and Symptoms of Stress showed significant negative correlation with health promoting behavior, quality of life in the middle aged women. 3. The health promoting behavior showed significant positive correlation with quality of life in the middle aged women. In conclusion, the physiological stress reaction, symptoms of stress, and health promoting behavior were major influencing factor to quality of life in Korean Immigrant Women. From the results of the study, the following recommendations are presented as follow: 1. It is suggested that the study for developing the health promotion program focused on stress self-regulation for Korean immigrant women. 2. It is suggested that the comparative study for Korean immigrant women and Women in Korea. 3. It is necessary to broaden the scope of nursing practice for middle aged healthy women, so nurses can include a health promotion program focused on stress self-regulating as part of nursing care.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.255-265
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• 2010

Purpose: This study's aim was to investigate participation in Pap smear screening among married immigrant women and their behavior and its related factors. Methods: A survey was conducted among 165 married immigrant women in Gyeongsangnam-do from January 1 to March 20, 2010. Results: Results in this study showed that 51.5% have never participated in Pap Smear screening. Among those who have participated in the Pap Smear screening, 10.9% had regular screening, while 37.6% had irregular screening. Pap smear screening behavior was significantly different according to the experiences in health checkup ($x^2$=34.009, p<.001)', whether or not there was a hospital the woman regularly visited ($x^2$=7.768, p=.021) and perceived barriers (F=3.214, p=.043). Conclusion: For improvement of Pap smear participation, this study proposes to develop various nursing intervention programs which can improve perceived barriers in regards to the related variables. In addition, it is necessary to come up with a strategy to advertise the participation in Pap smear screening in a systematic and continuous manner in order to raise womens' awareness and to make married immigrant women realize the importance of regular Pap smear screenings.