مسیرهای سازگاری فرهنگی، تعارضات زناشویی و رفتار فرزند پروری مادران غیر کره ای برای تنظیم مدرسه کودکان با قومیت دوگانه در کره جنوبی

We explored the pathways from attitude towards cultural adjustment (separation, assimilation, and integration), marital conflict, and parenting practices of mothers of non-South Korean families on their children's school adjustment in South Korea. One hundred-and-fifty-four Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese mothers and their children (3rd–6th grade) from Gyeonggi province participated in the study. Questionnaires measuring mothers' attitudes toward cultural adjustment, marital conflict, and parenting practices were administered to the mothers. We analyzed data using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We found that mothers' assimilation and separation did not affect children's school adjustment. However, integration of the mothers had indirect effect on children's school adjustment through marital conflict and parenting practices. Acculturated mothers had lower level of marital conflict, which in turn had a higher positive effect on children's school adjustment. It is imperative that culturally relevant programs that enhance positive marital relationships and parent–child relationships among culturally diverse families be developed.

In recent years, South Korea has been confronted with an unprecedented rapid socio-demographic shift. Previously recognized as a homogeneous, agrarian-based country, the recent demographic features of South Korea reveal that the country has become more ethnically diverse (Chun, 2008), and for the first time, ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘diversity’ have been a major focus in South Korea. According to the Korean National Statistics Office (2007), the number of immigrants increased from 386,972 in 1996 to 1,066,291 in 2007. The number of marriages between South Koreans and non-Koreans also increased from 25,182 in 2001 to 110,362 in 2007 (as cited by Yoon, Song, & Bae, 2008) and immigrants and non-Korean spouses constitute 2% of the country's overall population (Hong & Han, 2009). According to the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (2009), the number of children of interracial and inter-ethnic (i.e., between South Korean and other Asian) marriages in South Korea has also increased with 83.4% of these children being elementary school students. Also, the number of middle and high school students of mixed race and ethnicity in South Korea is projected to increase within two to three years (Kang, 2008).