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FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADJUSTHENT 0F KOREAN
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6/01 c-JCIRCIDatoDuo.p65-p.15

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADJUSTNIENT OF KOREAN CHILDREN
WHO LIVE IN THE US.

By

Sun-Jill Oh

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
In partial fulﬁllment of the requirements
For the degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
Department of Family and Child Ecology

2003

ABSTRACT

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADJUSTMENT OF KOREAN CHILDREN
WHO LIVE IN THE US.

By
Sun-J in Oh

The purpose of this study was to identify factors inﬂuencing the adjustment of
Korean children who live in the US. Speciﬁcally, this study examined the following
predictor variables: English proﬁciency, peer relationships, family relationships, and
school experiences. Forty seven Korean children who were attending the Korean
Language School and their parents participated in this study. Pearson Product Moment
Correlations indicated that there was a statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the
adjustment of Korean children who live in the US. and their English proﬁciency and
school experiences. There was no statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the
adjustment of Korean children who live in the US. and their family relationships and
their peer relationships. However, the relation between adjustment and peer relationships
approached signiﬁcance with a two-tailed test and was signiﬁcant if a one-tailed test was
used. Additionally, according to the results of a regression analysis, English proﬁciency
did not signiﬁcamly predict the adjustment of Korean children when school experiences
were controlled. However, the effects of English proﬁciency on adjustment were
mediated through the school experiences. School experiences had a direct effect on the

adjustment of Korean children who live in the US

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Thomas Luster, my advisor and
chairperson of my committee, for his tireless effort, boundless patience, and ceaseless
encouragement. He has taught me to understand the most valuable lesson in the true
meaning of hard-working. His positive inﬂuence will have a profound impact on both my
personal life and my future career. Thank you for being there, Dr. Luster.

I would also like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Harriette MaAdoo,
for her valuable comments and assistance to carry this project though to the end. I thank
Dr. Darrell W. Meece, for his comments.

I would like to thank my mother, Soonja, Hawg, my father, Jeyang Oh, and my
brother, Dushik Oh, for their never-ending love, and support throughout my life. Without
them, I would not be able to go through all these years here. I also thank for my sister,
brother-in—law, grandmother, for their concern and prayers.

I would like to express my grateﬁrlness to my senior, Sojung Seo, for her constant
encouragement and academic support throughout my stay at Michigan State University.

I am truly thankﬁil to the Korean parents and their children who volunteered to

participate in this project. Without them this project would not be possible.

III

I».

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................... vi
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................ vii
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1
Statement of the Problem ..................................................................... 2
Signiﬁcance of the Study ..................................................................... 2
Conceptual Model ............................................................................. 3
Research Questions ............................................................................ 5
Conceptual and Operational Deﬁnitions .................................................... 6
Research Assumptions ........................................................................ 7
CHAPTER 11
REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................ 8
Children’s perceptions of adjustment .............................................. 8
English proﬁciency ................................................................... 9
Peer relationships .................................................................... 12
Family relationships ................................................................. 13
School experiences .................................................................. 16
CHAPTER III
RESARCH METHODOLOGY .............................................................. 21
Research Desrgn ................. 21
Research Sample ............................................................................... 21
Research Instruments .......................................................................... 22
The Adjustment Scale ................................................................ 22
An English Language Proﬁciency Index ........................................... 23
Peer Relationships Scale ............................................................. 24
Family Relationships Scale ........................................................... 24
School Experiences Scale ............................................................ 25
Data Collection Procedure .................................................................... 25
Data Analyses ................................................................................... 26
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS ....................................................................................... 27
Demographic Characteristics of the Sample ....................................... 27
Relations among the total score of the Parents’ ratings about the children’s
adjustment and Family Demographic Variables ............................ 30
Relations between the adjustment of Korean children and independent
Variables ......................................................................... 32
The relation between the predictor variables and the parents’ ratings of their
children adjustment ............................................................. 35

IV

Multiple predictors of the adjustment of Korean children who live in the

US ............................................................................... 35
Summary of Results ........................................................................... 39
CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS .................................................... .42
Limitations ...................................................................................... 47
Implication for the future research .......................................................... 49
APPENDICES..............., ................................................................. 51
Appendix A: Parental Consent Form ........................................................ 51
Appendix B: Children Survey Questionnaire .............................................. 53
Appendix C: Parent Survey Questionnaire ................................................. 59
Appendix D: UCRIHS Approval ............................................................ 63
BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................. 65

Table 1:
Table 2:

Table 3:

Table 4:

Table 5:

Table 6:

LIST OF TABLES

Family Demographic Characteristics ................................................. 28
T-Test for differences between two groups of birth place in the total
adjustment score of the parents perceptions about their children’s

adjustment ................................................................................ 30
One-way AN OVA results for parents’ perceptions about their children’s
adjustment ................................................................................ 31
T-Test for differences between two groups of primary language with

parents in the total adjustment score of the parents perceptions about

their children’s adjustment ............................................................ 32
The relation between the predictor variables and the parents’ ratings of the
adjustment ................................................................................ 35
Multiple Regression Analysis: Predictors of the adjustment of Korean children
who live in the US ...................................................................... 36

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Possible inﬂuence on the adjustment of Korean children in the US ......... 5
Figure 2: Path model with a mediating variable ........................................... 38

VII

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Culture, a very powerful force in young children’s lives, shapes representations of
childhood, values, customs, child-rearing attitudes and practices, family relationships and
interactions. Rodd (1996) said that children’s development could be fully understood
when it is viewed in the larger cultural context. When individuals move from their native
culture to another, they invariably experience environmental and psychological stresses.

Children living in the US. after living in another culture and society not only face
the initial stress and expected adjustment problems of all children, but also face an
entirely different cultural environment. The problems, including language barriers,
difﬁculties in social connections and networks such as peer relationships and interactions,
and cultural differences, can discourage their efforts to adapt to the new social
environment and culture.

According to the 1990 US. Census, children and adolescents under age 20 rmde
up 34.9% of the total number of Koreans living in the US. Among them, 67% were born
in the US. Because of their parents’ immigration to study or work, minority children
often came into or were born in the US. They may suffer from adjustment stresses in
school and inadequate communication between school and parents. In addition to other
losses, they experienced leaving their friends, extended family, and all the familiar
surroundings of their home land (Kim, Kim & Rue, 1997). Stresses faced by Korean
children in an alien culture would be even greater because of their lack of English
proﬁciency and the cultural differences between Korea and America (Koh & Koh, 1988;

Ho, 1992a).

However, many minority children are able to cope with these problems and
achieve competence and ﬁnd satisfactory ways to adjust to a new cultural environment.
Therefore, the concern of this study is factors that are associated with the positive or
negative adjustment of Korean children who live in the US.

Because Chinese and Japanese have represented the largest Asian populations in
the US, most studies of Asians in the US. are based on their samples. There is a paucity
of Korean studies in general, but even more scarce are data on Korean children who live
in the US. Thus, this study will explore the current status of Korean children in America
and will contribute to the literature related to them.

Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to identify factors inﬂuencing the adjustment of

Korean children who live in the US. Adjustment is deﬁned as “a function of the degree
to which the environment fulﬁlls a person’s needs and goals and it is reﬂected directly in
feelings of satisfaction with various areas of life” (Taft, 1973, p. 20 reported in Taft and
Steinkalk’s 1985 study). Speciﬁcally, this study will investigate different factors
inﬂuencing the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US, by examining the
following variables: English proﬁciency, peer relationships, family relationships, and
school experiences.

Signiﬁcance of the Study

First, this study offers practical guidelines to Korean parents who want to help
their Korean children adjust successfully to life in the US. This study can encourage
parents to seek more ways to help their children succeed in American society. In addition,

this study is useﬁrl to teachers who have Asian students in their classes. To increase

effective teaching practices, it is crucial for teachers to understand how different

variables, such as language and choices of peers, inﬂuence student behavior and learning.

Also, the results of this study could be used to help policy makers assist Asian students.
Conceptual Model

Ecological Perspective

The theoretical ﬁamework is adopted from an ecological perspective. In the
ecological perspective proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1986), “the developing person
is viewed not merely as a human being on which the environment makes its impact, but
as a growing, dynamic entity that progressively moves into and restructures the milieu in
which it resides” (p 21). The ecology of human development involves the process of the
interaction between a person and the environment. The ecological environment is
conceived as an arrangement of structmes such as the microsystem, mesosystem,
exosystem, and macrosystem.

Ho (1992b) suggested the following four levels to assess minority children, based
on the ecological perspective: (1) At the individual level, the assessment is focused on the
bio-psychological endowment of each child, including physical appearance, personality
strengths, cognition, problem-solving skills, level of acculturation and language skills. (2)
The family-level focus is on family-life style, immigration history, culture, family
organization, gender-role structure, affective styles, and traditions. (3) At the cultural
level, the focus should be on understanding the value systems, belief systems, and
societal norms of the main-stream culture. (4) At the environmental level, the assessment
should be based on understanding the economic, social, and political structures of

American society that discriminate and oppress individuals in minority groups.

According to the ecological perspective, a child’s problems or difficulties are
“understood as a lack or deﬁcit in the environment, as adaptive strategies such as culture
shock and conﬂict” (Ho, 1992b, p 17). If children adjust well in and interact effectively
with their current environment, their problems may disappear. Therefore, the assessment
of the interaction between the child and the environment, such as family, school, and peer
group, is important in research on ethnic minority children. If there is a mutually
beneﬁcial interaction between minority children and their environment, this should
improve their ability to adjust to a new culture and to adapt to stressful social conditions
(Ho, 1992a).

This study, shown as in Figure 1, will examine portions of the child’s
microsystems. A microsystem is a pattern of activities, social roles, and interpersonal
relations experienced by the developing person in a given face-to-face setting
(Bronfenbrenner, 1994). That is, this study will investigate the interaction among these
systems potentially affecting the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US. The
independent variables such as English proﬁciency, peer relationships, family
relationships, school experiences, and the length of stay in the US. my inﬂuence the

adjustment of Korean children who live in the US.

   
 

 
 
  
  

   
 

English
proﬁciency

   
 

Peer
relationships

 

 

The adjustment of
Korean children who

/ live in the us.

 

 

 

School

 
    

Family
relationships

Figure 1. Possible inﬂuence on the adjustment of Korean children in the US.

Research Questions

1. Is there a relationship between the adjustment and the English proﬁciency of Korean
children who live in the US?

2. Is there a relationship between the adjustment and the family relationships of Korean
children who live in the US?

3. Is there a relationship between the adjustment and the peer relationships of Korean
children who live in the US?

4. Is there a relationship between the adjustment and the school experiences of Korean
children who live in the US?

5. Do school experiences mediate the relation between English proﬁciency and the

adjustment of Korean children?

6. Do peer relationships mediate the relation between English proﬁciency and the
adjustment of Korean children?
7. Do school experiences mediate the relation between family relationships and the

adjustment of Korean children?

Conceptual and Operational Deﬁnitions

Dependent Variable

The following section provides the conceptual and operational deﬁnitions of the
dependent variable. The dependent variable in this study is the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US.
Conceptually, adjustment of Korean children refers to Korean children’s subjective
feelings of being in harmony with their environment, while living in the US.
Operationally, the adjustment of Korean children will be measured by asking Korean
children to complete the Adjustment Scale that include the following subscales: Desire to
Reside in the US, Self-esteem, Depression Scale, and Self-conﬁdence (Hightower,
1987; Simpson, 1992; Rumbaut, 1994; Eshel & Rosenthal-Sokolov, 2000).
Indemndent Variables

The following section provides the conceptual and operational deﬁnitions of the
independent variables which are English proﬁciency, peer relationships, family
relationships, school experiences, and the length of stay in the US.
Conceptually, English proﬁciency refers to Korean children’s self-reported ability to

speak, understand, read, and write English.

Operationally, English proﬁciency will be measured by asking Korean children to
complete the English Proﬁciency Index (Rumbaut, 1994).

Conceptually, peer relationships refer to Korean children’s self-reports about how they
feel about their relationships with peers and acceptance by peers.

Operationally, peer relationships will be measured by asking Korean children to complete
a modiﬁed version of the Interpersonal Social Skills measure (Hightower et al., 1987).
Conceptually, family relationships refer to Korean children’s perceptions about whether
the relationships with their parents are characterized by warmth, control, or conﬂict.
Operationally, family relationships will be measured by asking Korean children to
complete a modiﬁed version of the Parent-Child Conﬂict Scale (Rumbaut, 1994) and the
Family Warmth measure (V ergne, 1982).

Conceptually, school experiences refer to Korean children’s subjective feelings of
satisfaction with their relationship with teachers, the school system, and their academic
success.

Operationally, school experiences will be measured by asking Korean children to

complete a modiﬁed version of the School Experiences measure (Simpson, 1992).

Research Assumptions
These are the following assumptions related to this research:
1. Children’s beliefs and behaviors are inﬂuenced by the current culture in which they
live.
2. Korean children from ﬁrst grade to 6th grade are generally able to understand the

instructions and items given to them to measure their adjustment.

CHAPTER H
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Children’s perceptions of adjustment

Taft (1973 as reported in Taﬁ and Steinkalk’s 1985 study) deﬁned adjustment as a
function of the degree to which the environment fulﬁlls a person’s needs and goals and it
is reﬂected directly in feelings of satisfaction with various areas of life. Where the person
is generally satisﬁed with life one might expect a feeling of well-being which would be
reﬂected in emotional stability, competence in dealing with the environment, and a
positive self-concept (p. 20).

Adolescents who successfully integrate and accept their past culture with their
current culture, and successfully own their cultural roots, are considered adjusted in the
host society (Eshel, 2000; James, 1997). According to James (1997), adjustment and
adaptation occur through the process of acculturation, not assimilation. “Assimilation”
and “acculturation” are different. Assimilation usually forces people to give up valuable
beliefs and behaviors to become part of the mainstream culture. For example, children
and adolescents face pressure to assimilate into the new culture, acting as if the past
culture never existed (James, 1997). Conversely, in acculturation, children and
adolescents change their behavior, social and work activities, thinking patterns, values,
and self-identiﬁcation as a result of contact with the host society culture, without
discarding past meaningful traditions and values (Eshel, 2000; James, 1997). If children
and adolescents can be helped to accept both cultures, they can develop an integrated

sense of self (James, 1997).

Vergne (1982) studied the positive adjustment of 45 foreign-born children ages 6
to 10 to a new school and culture. He pointed out that the child’s attitude towards school,
friends and peers, and to the US, maintenance of ethnic/national origin identity, and
length of stay in the US. were all related to cultural adaptation. Particularly, the child’s
attitudes towards ﬁiend and peers were signiﬁcantly correlated with a few variables such
as self-esteem, child’s attitude towards the US, and the length of stay in the US.
Moreover, the length of stay in the US. not only correlated with school adjustment but
also with self-esteem, the child’s attitude toward school, and home adjustment (Vergne,
1982)

Rutter (1987, cited in Canino & Spurlock, 2000) suggests four speciﬁc coping
mechanisms in children that act to protect against stress among children exposed to a new
culture, that is: (1) the ability to reduce the impact of stress, (2) avoid negative chain
reactions, (3) establish self-efﬁcacy and self-esteem, and (4) seek new opportunities.
Epglish mgﬁciemy

It is important to assess the degree of ﬂuency in English because this factor may
affect competence in schoolwork or relationships with family and peers. The lack of
English proﬁciency exacerbates virtually every problem area of Asian Americans (Ho,
1992a). Asian Americans’ general lack of proﬁciency in the English language and
problems of miscommunication still may occur because the Asian culture’s de-emphasis
of verbal skills in meaningful interpersonal exchanges and because they do not have
parallel vocabularies or may not know various meanings of words (Ho, 1992a; Ho,

1992b)

Children who are not ﬂuent in the language of the host country may experience
degrees of culture shock in the school setting. They may become depressed, confused,
and hopeless about ﬁtting into the American peer groups, if they do not understand the
language well. James (1997) mentioned that even when a child has learned
conversational aspects of the second language, it might take more than ﬁve years, on
average, to learn those aspects of language involving cognitive functioning and academic
achievement.

According to Canino and Spurlock (2000), in a school setting, lack of English
proﬁciency is rarely considered as a possible cause for achievement difficulties, and
frequently a child undergoing the acquisition of a second language is diagnosed
incorrectly as a learning-disabled child. They mentioned that children become alienated
from school when the classroom teacher points out that minority children’s linguistic
style is inferior to Standard English.

Korean American children reared by primarily Korean—speaking parents may have
difﬁculties with socialization in the new culture and early learning experiences (Ho,
1992a; Ho, 1992b; Kim, Kim & Rue, 1997). Parents tend to depend on their children to
speak for them in situations requiring ﬂuent English because children and adolescents are
often more ﬂuent in English than their parents. James (1997) said tlmt this practice results
in role reversal, placing both the parent and child in difﬁcult positions. The child, as the
interpreter, is exposed to some information reserved for parents. Parents may become
angry because of both their dependence upon and the involvement of the child in adult

business. Consequently, these children are confused since they must constantly switch

10

ﬁ-om an adult’s role to a child’s role and back and feel obligated to learn English quickly
to help their parents (James, 1997; Chiang, 2000; Bhattacharya, 2000).

Ethnicity is experienced and persists through language. Even though a native
language provides a psychic bond or uniqueness that inﬂuences membership in an ethnic
group, many minority children’s school problems and Emily conﬂicts are related to
language problems (Ho, 1992b). If the language is different between children and their
parents, the generational and cultural rift may widen within Asian American families
(Ho, 1992a).

Cheng et a1. (2000) said that “families which cherish cultural heritage and ethnic
cultural values seem more likely to require that their children preserve ethnicity by
learning the Emily language and thus put greater pressure on minority children” (p. 465).
They noted, citing Portes’s 1994b study, that ﬁrst generation immigrants are usually quite
loyal to their ancestral languages. However, second generation immigrant children are
often asked to speak their mother tongue at home and communicate with others in
English outside of the Emily. They seem to experience more problems and conﬂicts in
family relationships, as well as social connections and networks.

Yu and Kim (1983) suggested that social reinforcement and parental
encouragement are necessary for bilingual and bicultural children to develop both
languages in verbal and written form without apparent loss of proﬁciency in either
language. Bilingual children have the advantage of being able to establish a more positive
ethnic self-identity and self-acceptance as well as being able to appreciate bicultural

enrichment in later years.

11

Peer relationships

Some Korean children may perceive their physical appearance as short and small,
with black hair and black eyes and may recognize their skin color as ugly, inferior or
shameful. This negative perception may be reinforced by peers who tease them. Also, this
perception may have an effect on their personality or adjustment in an unfamiliar
environment (Yu & Kim, 1983).

Peer association is a common experience of children and adolescents across
cultures. Social networks that children establish and maintain with peers may play a
signiﬁcant role in social support for children to cope with emotional stress and
adjustment difficulties. According to the study of Chen et a1. (2001), peer sociability
makes positive contributions to children’s social and emotional development and school
adjustment beyond the impact of socioeconomic status. In contrast, peer aggression
contributes to children’s learning problems and is negatively related to children’s school
competence. They mentioned that the contributions of peer social functioning to
children’s adjustment might be due to the direct contact and mutual inﬂuence among
group members. Constant peer evaluations and reactions, based on culturally prescribed
group norms and values, may serve to reguEte and direct children’s behaviors and, thus,
affect normal developmental processes (Chen et al., 2001).

In studies of children’s self-perceptions of abilities, researchers have found that
elementary school-aged children were able to accurately assess their competencies in
various domains, as well as to assess their peer acceptance (Cillessen & Bellmore, 1999).
Children who lack meaningful interactions with peers will not have the information that

is necessary to make accurate judgments about themselves. Therefore, to acquire the

12

formation and reﬁnement of adaptive behavior, especially in the school setting, children’s
interactions with others are necessary (Cillessen & Bellmore, 1999). They found that
children with poor peer relations (rejected and controversial children with peers) had low
self-other agreement scores. Namely, self-understanding may depend on the quality of
interactions and relationships with signiﬁcant others. Children who were more accurate at
perceiving which peers liked them most were also more accurate at perceiving who liked
them least. However, children correctly identiﬁed twice as many peers who liked them as
who disliked them (64% vs. 35%) (Cillessen & Bellmore, 1999).

Aboud (1988) mentioned, based on studies of White rmjority children’s attitudes
toward other groups, that White children as young as 3 years of age expressed negative
attitudes toward Blacks. Prejudice among 4 year olds becomes considerably more
prevalent, and is well documented. Three to ﬁve year-old White children often choose a
Black person as looking ‘bad,’ as having negative qualities or as being least preferred as a
playmate. Particularly, over 2/3 of children from 5 to 7 years claimed that an Asian,
Black, or Native Indian person is bad or disliked (Aboud, 1988).

Famin relationships

Korean parents tend to get involved positively in many kinds of activities with
their children, especially academic performance. They don’t hesitate to sacriﬁce
everything to provide a good educational environment for their children. Many Korean
children in the US. live with both their biological parents. Such stable Emily life
positively inﬂuences the children in the training of growth-promoting values and

emotional stability (Yu & Kim, 1983).

13

According to Fagen et a1. (1996), parental warmth is positively related to
children’s self-image, social competence, and self-regulatory abilities. They indicated
that children who perceived their parents as warm have better social skills and
meaningful interpersonal relationships. Because children have internalized social roles
and regularities, they can better ask for support and help from relevant others in stressful
situations (Fagen et al., 1996).

Sun (1992a) measured perceived parental control and conﬂict with their parents,
the level of adolescent’s acculturation, and many other variables with 83 Korean
American adolescents. She found that the Korean adolescent’s acculturational variables
had a signiﬁcant relationship with maternal control and conﬂict. The author assumed that
the Korean-American mothers who were less acculturated than their children could
pressure their children to maintain aspects of the Korean culture, even though Korean
American Ethers may emphasize bicultural ability because most fathers were employed
in American society (Sun, 1992a).

The parents’ attitudes toward their heritage in a dominant society are important in
the child’s cognitive functioning and mental health by emphasizing their culture of origin
in children’s attitudes and behavior, especially in competition with non-supportive
socializing agents such as the school (Ou & McAdoo, 1999). They found that parents’
attitudes toward Chinese culture, language usage with the child, and the length of stay in
the US. were correlated with the child measures, such as self-concept, racial/ethnic
attitudes, and Chinese language ability. Parents whose young children use both Chinese
and English showed more positive attitudes toward Chinese culture than parents whose

children mainly use English. Parents may assist children to balance their abilities in

14

English and Chinese because young children may feel the dual pressure of doing well in
school and of keeping their native language.

Gonzales et a1. (1995) studied the mother-daughter relationship for each of 60
Aﬁican American and Asian American families. Three aspects of the relationship were
examined: maternal warmth/support, maternal restrictive control, and parent-adolescent
conﬂict. Their research indicated that warmth and control in Asian American families
correlated with the family’s level of acculturation. The more acculturated Emilies scored
higher in warmth and lower in control (Gonzales et al., 1995).

Okagaki and Frensch (1995) examined the beliefs of 82 parents OH“ and 5th
grade Mexican American children, focusing on parents’ educational values and
expectations, parents’ own ability to help their children with schoolwork, parents’
perceptions of racial barriers that their children might encounter in life, and many other
measures. They found that the parents of high achievers in school achievement tests were
more conﬁdent about their ability to help their children in school. Moreover, parents of
high achievers disagreed with the racial barrier items more than did the parents of low
achievers. They more strongly afﬁrm that their children will not encounter barriers to
their success in life because of their ethnicity. Consequently, Okagaki and Frensch (1995)
suggest that parental help in understanding school tasks and in adapting to the social
context of the classroom plays a signiﬁcant role for minority elementary children in the
United States.

Immigrant parent-child conﬂicts are signiﬁcantly increased in cases where the
children prefer English and also have a poor command of their parents’ native language

(Ho, 1992a; Sun, 1992a; Rumbaut, 1994). Asian children who live in the US. are

15

expected to obey parents and maintain family honor. On the contrary, dramatic and
painful value conﬂicts with their parents emerge when American-born children defy and
reject their ancestors’ way of living. Their signiﬁcant trouble is often caused by balancing
the demands of becoming Americanized according to society and the desires of the
parents to adhere to the values of their ancestors (Ho, 1992a; Sun, 1992a; Sandhu, 1999;
Kibria, 2002).

Some Asian American children might think their parents’ expectations are
unreasonable and at odds with the American way of living. In particular, they might
speak disapprovingly of the psychological pressures and tactics exerted by their parents.
This widened gap and intergenerational culture clash in the values of parents and children
are a psychologically painful wound among all the members in immigrant Emilies
(Sandhu et aL, 1999; Kibria, 2002).

Children’s psychosocial adaptation is mostly shaped by the Emily context. The
assimilation into the current culture is moderated by parental ethnic socialization, social
status, and parent-child relationships. Parent—child conﬂict may emerge as the strongest
determinant of poor self-esteem, depression, and isolation from their parents (Rumbaut,
1994; Sandhu et al., 1999).

School emriences

Children’s beliefs and behaviors are inﬂuenced by school experiences. The
importance of school as an institution for the socialization of children is considered by
some to be second after the Emily. School is “an arem where minority children ﬁrst
experience cultural conﬂict and behavioral adjustment problems” (Ho, 1992b, p. 20). The

American school system can inﬂuence the educational achievement and behavioral

16

adjustment of an Asian child (Ho, 1992a; James, 1997). The impact of social change as
part of the acculturation process is most likely to be experienced by foreign-born children
in the school setting. A lack of acceptance by peers and teachers may foster a sense of
being different (James, 1997).

By group discussions with Puerto Rican adolescents and their mothers, Fennelly,
Mulkeen and Giusti (1995) found that both mothers and daughters were concerned that
their teachers’ lower expectations for Latino youth stemmed from a view that Puerto
Rican students were incapable of doing well in school. They cited a comment of one girl
who participated in the discussions. She said, “American teachers put us down; they talk
to us like we’re not gonna make it. They do not believe that Puerto Ricans can succeed”
(p, 374). Several adolescents added that teachers equate difficulty with English with a
lack of intelligence. Several of the mothers perceived that White teachers punish students
differently based on their ethnicity. Ogbu (1987, cited in Fennelly et aL’s 1995 study)
mentioned that the relationship between minorities and White Americans who control the
public schools is often characterized by conﬂict and distrust.

Parents of Asian American children suggested that academic achievement was a
way of overcoming the racial exclusions and barriers in the United States. They said that
the message to do well at school was offered as a racial strategy, a way of overcoming the
obstacles of race. Doing well at school was presented as an effective means to achieve
socioeconomic status and rewards in the United States (Kibria, 2002).

Bhattacharya (2000) examined the school adjustment process of 75 school
children and their parents who had immigrated to the US. ﬁ'om Bangladesh, India, and

Pakistan. He identiﬁed some Ectors that protect children of all ethnic groups ﬁom

l7

dropping out of the school. The ﬁrst Ector is a strong link between children’s parents and
teachers as two primary socialization agents. Their congruent message about the
importance of education Ecilitates children’s school adjustment. The second Ector is
parents’ positive expectations which encourage children to have goals, and to recognize
that education is the mechanism for helping them acquire the right direction in life. Also,
Bhattacharya (2000) revealed several barriers to the school adjustment of South Asian
children living in the US. He insisted that pressure ﬁ'om parents to uphold the Emily’s
reputation and guilt over the Eilure to ﬁrlﬁll family expectations may cause low self-
esteem or the desire to associate with deviant peers.

The teaching format designed to provide a better education for White American
children was based on the American mainstream curriculum with little awareness of
cultural diversity (Chiang, 2000; Canino & Spurlock, 2000). They note that teachers and
parents tend to differ on speciﬁc values, such as self-direction or conformity in children’s
education and guidance. Such value disparities between parents and school staff may
affect the quality of their relationship and may increase the likelihood of interpersonal
conﬂicts between teachers and children who come from other culture. These conﬂicts, in
turn, may result in lower school achievement, a lower self-concept, and higher school
dropout rates among foreign-born children (Ho, 1992a; Kim, Kim & Rue, 1997; Canino
& Spurlock, 2000).

Canino and Spurlock (2000) suggest that the classroom teachers should
acknowledge and appreciate children’s home cultures, offering opportunities for children
to express individual and cultural differences. The curriculum should include the cultural

and racial diversity of our society. The school should provide children an opportunity to

18

learn skills that are not parts of their native culture but that are necessary to achieve
practical success in the US.

Additionally, social class is another dimension that describes and deﬁnes the
child’s world by ascribing a particular position and value to his Emily’s socioeconomic
status. A child or adolescent from a low-income Ernily will experience a restricted range
of opportunities, choices, and challenges in particular social contexts (Ho, 1992b).

The length of residence in the US. and the developmental stage of children when
the Emily immigrates will affect their adjustment and development in the new
environment. Kim, Kim and Rue (1997) mentioned that the longer the child lives in the
US, the more he or she is acculturated. That is, the younger the age at immigration, the
higher the level of the imrnigrant’s assimilation into the English language and American
culture. For example, a 9 year old is more easily acculturated than a 15 year old.
However, the younger the age at immigration, the less likely the child is to develop true
bilingualism and biculturalism.

Rong and Preissle (1998, cited in Chiang’s 2000 study) studied Asian American
children and found the following: (1) Increasing length of US. residence reduces dropout
rates among youth who have developed oral English proﬁciency: (2) Among Southeast
Asian children from low-income Emilies, the bilingual speaking children have
signiﬁcamly lower dropout rates than monolingual English speaking children ﬁ'om the
same region.

To summarize, prior research provides support for the view that the adjustment of

Korean children living in the US. is likely to be inﬂuenced by several factors. The

19

factors include: English language proﬁciency, family relationships, peer relationships,

and school experiences.

CHAPTER HI
RESARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This study was designed to investigate Ectors inﬂuencing the adjustment of
Korean children who live in the US. In order to carry out the objectives of this research
most effectively, a non-experimental survey research design was used. It was a cross-
sectional and local study in nature. The unit of analysis in this study was the Korean
children from the ﬁrst grade to the sixth grade in elementary school and their Korean
parents. The age of the children ranged from 61 months to 156 months. Surveys were
administered to Korean children who are attending the Hanmaeum Korean Language
School and were sent to their parents in the greater Lansing, MI area.
Research Sample
The primary subjects in this study were Korean children living in the US, and
their parents. All children of Korean parents were collectively referred to as “Korean
children,” whether they are American-born or Korean-bom, as long as they have two
Korean biological parents. Lists of all Korean children and their parents were provided by
the Hanmaeum Korean Language School located in Lansing, Michigan. Korean children
who are attending the Hanmaeum Korean Language School on Sunday are also attending
American public schools during the week. Prior to contacting any subjects, the research
proposal was reviewed by The University Committee on Research involving Human
Subjects (U CRIHS). Upon approval of the protocol, the investigator contacted the
principal and teachers of the Korean Language School and explained the purpose of the

study in order to acquire lists of Korean parents and children who met the qualiﬁcations

of this study. Then, the investigator directly contacted Korean parents and children who
agreed to participate in this study and visited their home. Over 90% of the Emilies who
were contacted participated in the study. The researcher was able to keep track of how
many surveys were distributed and how many surveys were returned.

Research Instruments

The following research instruments or adapted versions of these instruments were
used in this study: (1) Adjustment Scale, (2) English Proﬁciency Index (Rumbaut, 1994),
(3) Interpersonal Social Skills (Hightower et al., 1987), (4) Parent-Child Conﬂict Scale
(Rumbaut, 1994) and Family Warmth (V ergne, 1982), and (5) Shool experiences
(Simpson, 1992).

The Adjustment Scale (outcome variable)

The perceived cross-cultural adjustment scale was compiled by the investigator
for this study. This measures incorporates items that were selected from the following
measures: 1) Desire to Reside in the host culture designed by Eshel (2000), 2) Child’s
self-esteem developed by Simpson (1992), 3) Depression Scale developed by Rumbaut
(1994), and 4) Self-conﬁdence designed by Hightower et al. (1987).

The Desire to Reside in the host culture scale used Likert-types scales (1 = do not
agree at all, 5 = totally agree) to investigate Russians’ subjective perceptions of
adjustment to Israel (e.g., “I feel at home in Israel”). For this study, children responded to
ﬁve items (e.g., I wish to live in the US). Possible responses ranged from strongly
disagree to strongly agree. High scores on this scale indicate that children want to reside
in the US. Child’s self-esteem, developed by Simpson (1992), was derived ﬁ‘om the

Family, Friends, and Self (F FS) Assessment Scales for Mexican American Youth. Self-

22

Esteem, which was origninally designed to assess the psychological status of youth,
contains ﬁve items (e.g., How often do you think of things that you like about yourself?)
Response scales for these items have the following scores: (0) never, (I) rarely, (2)
sometimes, (3) often, and (4) almost always. High scores indicate high self-esteem.
Depression symptoms, developed by Rumbaut (1994), were measured with a four-item
subscale ﬁom the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. The
scale assess how often the respondents exprerienced symptomes of depression (e. g., “I
felt depressed”) during the past week. Possible responses ranged from 1 = rarely to 4 =
most of the time. High scores indicate that the Korean children were experiencing many
depression symptoms. Self-conﬁdence, designed by Hightower et al. (1987), measures
perceptions of sureness about one’s school abilities. The scale contains eight items (e.g., I
like to do schoolwork) and each item in the scale is scored ﬁ'om usually no to usually yes.
High scores on this measure indicate high levels of self-conﬁdence. For the purposes of
the current study, the perceived cross-cultural adjustment scale was revised to be suitable
for Korean children. Cronbach’s apha for this measure was .83.

An Epglish Lapwge Proﬁciency Index (wider variables)

An English language proﬁciency index was developed by Rumbaut (1994), using

 

four items measuring the respondent’s self-reported ability to speak, understand, read,
and write English. Each item in the index is scored ﬁ'om 1 to 4 (1 = not at all; 2 = not
well; 3 = well; and 4 = very well), with an overall index score calculated as the mean of
the four items. This English proﬁciency index was strongly correlated (.42, p < .0001)
with the objective Stanford reading achievement test score, providing evidence of its

validity. High scores indicate good English proﬁciency.

23

 

Peer Relationships Scale (predictor miglﬂeﬂ

Interpersonal Social Skills is one Ector from the Child Rating Scale (CRS) designed by
Hightower et al. (1987). The CRS is composed of four Ectors: Rule Compliance/Acting
Out, Anxiety/Withdrawal, Interpersonal Social Skills, and Self-conﬁdence. The
Interpersonal Social Skills scale is utilized to assess perceptions of interpersonal
functioning and relationships with peers. The sample item for this study is “I have a lot of
Korean ﬁiends.” For this study, children responded to seven items. Possible responses
range from strongly agree to strongly disagree. High scores indicate that children have
good interpersonal social skills (apha = .52).

Famin Relationships Scale (prediptor variables)

The Parent-Child Conﬂict Scale was developed by Rumbaut (1994). The scale
consists of 3 items (e.g., My parents do not like me very much), with responses ranging
ﬁ'om 1 to 4 (1 = Not true at all, 4 = Very true). High scores indicate that conﬂict is high
between parent and children. Family Warmth is a modiﬁed version of the Child’s
Attitude towards Family Scale designed by Vergne (1982). The Child’s Attitude towards
Family Scale originally consisted of nine items with an estimated reliability of .45. For
this study, children responded to four items (e. g., My parents love me a lot). Possible
1 responses ranged from strongly agree to strongly disagree. High scores indicate that
children more ﬁequently feel Emily warmth. Family Warmth and Parent-child Conﬂict
items were combined to create an overall indicator of the children’s perceptions of Emily

relationships. The reliability coefﬁcient for this measure was .75.

24

Scmool Experienpes Scale (predictor variables)

The School Experiences Scale was adapted by the investigator from the Family,
Friends, and Self (F FS) Assessment Scales for Mexican American Youth which was
developed by Simpson (1992). The School Experiences Scale (alpha = .79), which was
originally designed to assess opinions about quality of school life and relationships with
teachers, contains four itmes. For this study, children responded to ﬁve items (e.g., I have
positive relationships with teachers). Possible responses ranged from strongly agree to
strongly disagree. High scores indicate that children have good school experiences.

Additionally, a Family Demographic Data questionnaire designed by the
investigator was used to measure the length of stay in the US, the primary language
spoken at home, primarily speaking language with their parents at home, occupation, and
education. This measure was completed by the parents. Parents also provided information
on the children adjustment. They were asked to ﬁll out a questionnaire regarding their
perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US. They responded to eight items
about the child’s satisfaction with his/her life in the US, peer relationships, teacher
relationships, school experiences, and language proﬁciency (e.g., “He / She is satisﬁed
with his/her life in the US”).

Data Collection Procedure

Data collection began on February 9, 2003 and ended on February 23, 2003. The
Adjustment scale was administered to Korean children who were attending the
Hanmaeum Korean Language School on Sunday. The investigator presented versions in
two different languages (Korean and English) to aid the understanding of the young

children. The survey questions were administered individually to ﬁrst and second grade

25

students by the primary investigator. To better explain to them what each question is
asking and what each answer is describing, the investigator presented a colorful card that
included symbols representing each possible response (big blue circle and small blue
circle, big red circle and small red circle). Each circle has a corresponding caption
indicating strongly disagree, disagree, agree, or strongly agree. The ﬁrst and second grade
students were able to respond to each item by pointing to the appropriate circle to
indicate how they felt about each question. The Parent Survey Questionnaire and Family
Demographic Survey were sent to parents and were directly returned to the investigator
who is a teacher at the Korean Language School. To encourage participation, the
investigator directly contacted Korean children and their parents who met the
qualiﬁcations of this study and visited them in their home. Each survey was identiﬁed by
a code number for the purpose of the data analysis. All data were conﬁdential. The ﬁnal
sample size was 47 Korean children and their parents.
Data Analyses

Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the Emily demographic data, such as
the length of stay in US, parents’ educational level and occupational status Pearson
Product Moment Correlation Coefﬁcients was computed to analyze the relationship
between adjustment as reported by Korean children and English proﬁciency, peer
relationships, Emily relationships, and school experiences. A t-test was used to analyze a
difference in parents’ perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US. between
children who spoke English and children who spoke Korean with their parents at home
(ADD). Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which predictor variables

were related to the outcome variable when the other predictor variables were controlled.

26

CHAPTER IV
RESULTS
Demographic Characteristics of the Sample

Demographic characteristics of the sample were obtained by the Parent Survey
Questionnaire which was administered to parents who have Korean children living in the
US. A summary of sample characteristics is presented in Table l. Frequencies were run
for each demographic variable, which gave the mean, standard deviation, and range.

All of the children who participated in the research have attended Hanmaeum
Korean Language School on Sunday, and both mothers and Ethers also participated. The
data collected through the Parent Survey provided information about the child’s age,
gender, birth place, the length of stay in the US, primary language at home, and
communication language with parents. Additionally, the survey showed the education
level and occupational status of both parents.

The total subjects of this study consisted of 47 children and their parents. Of the
children, 43% were male and 57% were female. The age of the children ranged ﬁom 61
months to 156 months with a mean age of 96 months. Of the parents who responded to
the Parents Survey, 66% (n = 31) were mothers and 34% (n = 16) were Ethers. Of the
Korean children who were participated in this study, 72% were born in Korea and 28% of
the children were born in the US. The mean length of stay for the children in the United

States was 57 months, with a range from 1 to 156 months.

27

Table 1. Family Demographic Characteristics (N = 47)

 

Percent Mean SD Range

 

Child’s age

Child’s length of stay in the US.

Child’s gender

Child’s birth place

Child’s primary language at home

Communication language
(between parents and child at home)

Mothers’ educaLtion

Less than bachelor’s degree
With bachelor’s degree
More than bachelor’ degree

Fathers’ education
With bachelor
More than bachelor

Mothers’ emploment status
Unemployed
Employed

Father’s occupational status
Unemployed
Skilled worker

96 25.1 61-156

57 37.5 l-156

male 43%
female 57%

Korea born = 72%
US born = 28%

English 38%
Korean 47%
Bilingual 15%

English 1 1%
Korean 89%

2%
66%
32%

9%
91%

77%
33%

23.4%
23.4%

Administrative personnel, small independent business 2.1%
Business managers, proprietors of medium sized business 36.2%

Major professionals

14.9%

 

28

In this study, 47% of Korean children were speaking Korean as their primary
language at home; 38% of them were mostly speaking English, and 15% were speaking
both Korean and English equally at their home. Also, 89% of the Korean children were
primarily speaking Korean with their parents at home and 11% were speaking English
with their parents.

In regards to the parents’ education level, both parents of Korean children were
relatively well educated people. Over 90% of the Ethers had more than a bachelor’s
degree, such as a master’s or doctoral degree. As far as the education of the mothers was
concerned, 66% of the mothers had a bachelor’s degree, while 32% had a master’s or
doctoral degree.

The research surveyed Korean parents whose children were attending the Korean
language school. The Korean language school is afﬁliated with the Korean Student
Organization at Michigan State University. Thus, most parents of the Korean children
who participated in this study were students at Michigan State University. Koreans have
great respect for learning and consider education as the mechanism for achieving goals
and for fulﬁlling their dreams. It’s one of the main reasons why parents of Korean
children move to America.

In regard to the parents’ occupational status, 77% of the mothers were
unemployed while 23.4% of the Ethers were unemployed. Speciﬁcally, 23.4% of the
fathers were skilled workers; 2.1% of the fathers were administrative personnel, or small
independent business owners; 36.2% were business managers, or proprietors of a medium

sized business; and 14.9% were major professionals.

Relations among the total score of the Parents’ ratings about the children’s
adjustment and Family Demographic Variables

The respondent parents were asked to ﬁll out a questionnaire regarding their
perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US. They responded to questions
about the child’s satisEction with his/her life in the US, peer relationships, teacher
relationships, school experiences, and language proﬁciency.

Bivariate correlations identiﬁed that the total score of the parents’ perceptions
about their child’s adjustment to the US. was positively and signiﬁcantly related to
child’s length of stay in the US. Parents responded that the longer children have lived in
the US, the better they have adjusted and acculturated in the US. (1' = .52, p < .01)

In this study, 72% of Korean children were born in Korea and 28% were born in
the US. A t-test showed that there was a signiﬁcant difference in parents’ perceptions
about their children’s adjustment between children who were born in Korea and children
who were born in the US. Parents reported that children who were born in the US. were

better adjusted than Korea born children. This ﬁnding is presented in Table 2.

Table 2. T-Test for Differences between Two Groups of birth place in the total
adjustment score of the parents perceptions about their children’s adjustment

 

Birth Place

 

Korea (n=34) U.S (n=13) t-value df P value.

 

The total adjustment score 31 34 4.1 45 .01
Of the parents perceptions (2.6) (3.2)

 

3O

Additionally, a one-way AN OVA was used to test for differences in adjustment
scores among children who spoke Korean, English, or both languages at home. Of the
total sample, 47% (n = 22) of Korean children were speaking Korean as their primary
language at home; 38% (n = 18) were speaking English, and 15% (n = 7) were speaking
both Korean and English equally. There was a signiﬁcant difference among the three
language groups in parents’ perceptions of their children’s adjustment. Parents reported
that children who were primarily speaking English tended to be better adjusted in the

US. This ﬁnding is presented in Table 3.

Table 3. One-way AN OVA results for parents’ perceptions about their children’s

 

 

 

 

 

adjustment

Language Mean adjustments scores on the parents survey SD
English (n=18) 33.22 “3" 3.1
Korean (n=22) 30.59 3.2
Both language (n=7) 30.43 1.5
Groups Mean Squares df f-value Prob.
Between 40 2 4.5 .02“

Within 8.9 44

 

Note. Results of post-hoc test
3. English language group had higher adjustments scores than Korean language group
b. English language group had higher adjustments scores than bilingual group

31

Also, a t-test identiﬁed that there was a signiﬁcant difference in parents’
perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US. between children who spoke
English and children who spoke Korean with their parents at home. Of the total sample,
89% (n = 42) of the Korean children used Korean as their primary language with their
parents at home, and 11% (n = 5) used English as their primary language with their
parents (1 = 3.1, p < .01). Parents reported that children who used English as their primary
language with their parents at home tended to be better adjusted in the US. This ﬁnding
is presented in Table 4.

Table 4. T-Test for Differences between Two Groups of primary language with parents in
the total adjustment score of the parents perceptions about their children’s adjustment

 

Children’s primary language with parents

 

English (n=5) Korean (n=42) t-value df P value.

 

The total adjustment score 35 31 3.1 45 .01
Of the parents perceptions (4.2) (2.8)

 

Relations between the Adjustment of Korean children and independent variables

Reseerch Question 1: Is there a relationship between the adjuit' ment and the English

 

proﬁciency of Korean children who live in the US?

For the outcome variable, children were asked to respond to questions about their
adjustment, such as desire to reside in the US, self-esteem, depression, and self-
conﬁdence. Also, the Koren children ﬁlled out the English Proﬁciency Index (e. g., “How
well do you speak English?”). Over 90% (n = 44) of Korean children responded “well or
very well” on the question of “How well do you speak English?” A Pearson Product

Moment Correlation indicated a statistically signiﬁcant correlation between the

32

adjustment and the English proﬁciency of Korean children who live in the US. (I = .38, p

-- .008).

Research Question 2: Is there eieiationghip between the_ adjustment and the Emily
giationships of Korean children who live in the US?

Korean children were asked to respond to questions about their Emily
relationships. The scale about Emily relationships was divided into two sub-scales:
Family Warmth (e. g., “My parents love me a lot”) and Parent-Child Conﬂict (e.g., “I’m
often in trouble with my parents because of our different ways of doing things”). A
Pearson Product Moment Correlation was computed to see if there was a relationship
between the two variables. The test showed no signiﬁcant relation between the
adjustment and the total Emily relationship scores of Korean children who live in the
US. (r = .13, p = .386). Also, Pearson Product Moment Correlations were computed to
see the correlations, based on sub-scale scores. The results showed no signiﬁcant
relations between the children’s adjustment and Family Warmth (I = .10, p = .51) and

Parent-Child Conﬂict (I = .13, p = .40).

Research Question 3: Is there a relationship between the adjustment and the at
Whips of Koreen children wlp live in the US?

Korean children were asked to respond to questions about their peer relationships
(e. g., “I make ﬁiends easily”). A Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed no

signiﬁcant relation between the adjustment and the peer relationships of Korean children

33

who live in the US. (I = .26, p = .083). However the correlation approached signiﬁcance;
children who made friends easily tended to be better adjusted.

Of the total sample, 36% (n = 17) of the Korean children scored higher than the
mean score on the Interpersonal Social Skills scale. Notably, 80% of Korean children
who had lived less than one year in the US. had a score that was lower than the mean
score for the sample. They expressed some problems and diﬂ’iculties making American
friends. However, all the parents (100%) who participated in the Parent Survey responded
“agree” (62%) or “strongly agree” (3 8%) to the item, “Your child gets along well with

American friends.”

Research Question 4: Is there a relatiopship between the adjustment and the school

 

e5pe_riences of Koreep children who live iii—the U.S.?

Korean children were asked to respond to questions about their school
experiences (e. g., “I have positive relationships with teachers”). Of the total sample, 96%
(n = 45) of Korean children in this study responded “strongly agree” or “agree” to the
item, “I have positive relationships with teachers.” Also, 87% (n = 41) were satisﬁed with
their school achievement.

A Pearson Product Moment Correlation was computed to see if there was a
relationship between these two variables. There was a signiﬁcant relation between
adjustment and the school experiences of Korean children who live in the US. (i = .59, p

< .01). Children who reported positive school experiences tended to be well-adjusted.

34

The relation between the predictor variables and the parents’ ratings of their
children adjustment

The respondent parents were asked to ﬁll out a questionnaire regarding their
perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US. They responded to questions
about the child’s satisEction with his/her life in the US, peer relationships, teacher
relationships, school experiences, and language proﬁciency. Pearson Product Moment
Correlations showed no signiﬁcant relations between the parents’ ratings of the children’s
adjustment and the predictor variables (English proﬁciency, peer relations, and school
experiences) completed by the children. However, school experiences were positively

related to English proﬁciency and peer relationships. Refer to Table 5 for the results.

Table 5. The relation between the predictor variables and the parents’ ratings of the
adjustment

 

 

The parents’ ratings English Peer School
of adjustment Proﬁciency relations Experiences
The parents’ ratings of 1.000
adjustment
English Proﬁciency .27 1.000
Peer relations .03 .22 1.000
School Experience .13 .44“ .42" 1.000

 

Note: **p<.01

Multiple predictors of the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US.
This section presents the ﬁndings of a regression armlysis that was done to
determine which of the predictor variables (English proﬁciency, family relationships,

peer relationships, and school experiences) are related to the adjustment outcome

35

variable, when the other predictor variables were controlled. The analysis demonstrated
that school experiences were signiﬁcantly related to children’s adjustment, while English

proﬁciency, and Emily relationships were not related. Refer to Table 6 for the results.

Table 6. Multiple Regression Analysis: Predictors of the adjustment of Korean children
who live in the US.

 

Outcome: The total adjustment scale score of the children

 

 

Predictor variables Betas t-Statistic Prob.
English proﬁciency .18 1.4 .18
Family relationships -.27 -l .9 .06
School experiences .66 4.4 .01
R sq = .42

F-Ratio 10.2 .01

 

Path analysis, which relies on multiple linear regression, attempts to isolate the
separate contributions to an outcome variable made by a set of interrelated predictor
variables. According to the results of the path analysis, English proﬁciency and Emily
relationships did not signiﬁcantly predict the adjustment of Korean children when school
experiences were controlled. School experiences had a direct effect on the adjustment of
Korean children who live in the US. However, the effects of English proﬁciency and
family relationships on adjustment were mediated through school experiences. English
proﬁciency and Emily relationships had an effect on school experiences, which in turn,

predicted children’s adjustment. According to Baron and Kenny (1986), a given variable

36

may be said to function as a mediator to the extent that it accounts for the relation
between the predictor and the criterion.

Table 6 and Figure 2 present the results of multiple regression analysis and path
analysis. The path model is consistent with the view that proﬁciency in English and geod
relationships with Emily are important for positive experiences in school, and positive
experiences in school contribute to good adjustments among Korean children living in the
US

However, a regression analysis indicated that peer relationships did not mediate
the relation between English proﬁciency and the adjustment of Korean children. The
analysis showed that peer relationships were not signiﬁcantly related to Korean

children’s adjustment.

37

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Su__m_r_n_ary of Results
This study was designed to examine Ectors inﬂuencing the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US. Speciﬁcally, this study examined the following variables:

English proﬁciency, family relationships, peer relationships, and school experiences.

Seven research questions related to the adjustment of Korean children were addressed.

Pearson Product Moment Correlations were computed to see if there were relationships

between the outcome variable and four predictor variables.Multiple regression analysis

and path analysis were computed to determine which of the predictor variables are related
to the adjustment outcome variable, when the other predictor variable was controlled. The

level of signiﬁcance chosen was .05.

The results can be summarized in the following manner:

1. There was a statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US. and their English proﬁciency. Children who were more
proﬁcient in English tended to be better adjusted.

2. There was no statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US. and their Emily relationships.

3. There was no statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US. and their peer relationships. However, this relation
approached signiﬁcance with a two-tailed test and was signiﬁcant if a one-tailed test
was used. Positive peer relations were associated with better adjustment.

4. There was a statistically signiﬁcant relationship between the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US and their school experiences. Positive experiences in

school were associated with better adjustment.

39

5. School experiences mediated the relation between English proﬁciency and the
adjustment of Korean children.

6. Although children who were proﬁcient users of English tended to have more
American friends, peer relations did not mediate the relation between English
proﬁciency and the adjustment of Korean children.

7. School experiences mediated the relation between family relationships and the
adjustment of Korean children.

Additionally, according to the results of regression analysis, English proﬁciency
and family relationships did not signiﬁcamly predict the adjustment of Korean children
when school experiences were controlled. However, the effects of English proﬁciency
and family relationships on adjustment were mediated through the school experiences.
School experiences had a direct effect on the adjustment of Korean children who live in
the US. Positive school experiences are associated with better adjustment among Korean
children.

Also, the parents’ perceptions of their child’s adjustment to the US. was
positively and signiﬁcantly related to the child’s length of stay in the US. Parents
responded that the longer children have lived in the US, the better they have adjusted
and acculturated in the US.

A t-test showed there was a signiﬁcant difference in parents’ perceptions about
their children’s adjustment between children who were born in Korea and children who
were born in the US. Parents reported that children who were born in the US. were
better adjusted than Korea-born children. Also, a t-test identiﬁed that there was a

signiﬁcant difference in parents’ perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the US.

between children who spoke English and children who spoke Korean with their parents at
home. Parents reported that children who used English as their primary language with
their parents at home tended to be better adjusted in the US.

Additionally, a one-way AN OVA was used to test for differences in adjustment
scores among children who spoke Korean, English, or both languages at home. There was
a signiﬁcant difference among the three language groups in parents’ perceptions of their
children’s adjustment. Parents reported that children who were primarily speaking
English tended to be better adjusted in the US.

Pearson Product Moment Correlations showed no signiﬁcant relation between the
parents’ perceptions of their children’s adjustment and the other predictor variables

(English proﬁciency, peer relations, and school experiences) completed by the children.

41

CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

This study’s purpose was to examine Ectors inﬂuencing the adjustment of Korean
children who live in the US. Speciﬁcally, this study examined several of the child’s
microsystems (the Emily, school, and peer groups). The independent variables, such as
English proﬁciency, family relationships, peer relationships, and school experiences,
might inﬂuence the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US. Four research
questions regarding the adjustment of Korean children were addressed, and the results are
summarized at the end of the previous chapter.

The results from this study supported previous research in that two variables,
English proﬁciency and school experiences, were signiﬁcamly related to the adjustment
of Korean children who live in the US. Prior studies investigated how the English
proﬁciency of foreign-born children inﬂuences their acculturation and adjustment process
in the host society (Ho, 1992a; Ho, 1992b; James, 1997; Bhattacharya, 2000). These
studies concluded that limited English skills frequently prevented them ﬁ'om interacting
with other ﬁiends and from participating in various school activities.

Over 90% (n = 44) of Korean children responded “well” or “very well” to the
question of, “How well do you speak English?” Most of the Korean children who
participated in this study have stayed longer than one year in the US, and 11% (N= 5) of
the Korean children have lived in the US. for less than one year. The children who have
stayed less than one year do not speak English ﬂuently right now. However, they might
master English in the near future and quickly adjust to the new culture because young

children tend to learn foreign languages faster than adults. Currently, all children in this

42

study are attending a Korean language school in order to acquire and to maintain their
original language.

This ﬁnding is consistent with those of other studies (Ho, 1992a; James, 1997)
which reported it is important to assess the degree of ﬂuency in English and in the native
Asian language because communication skills may be affecting competence in
schoolwork or relationships with Emily and peers. Asian children may become
depressed, confused, and hopeless about ﬁtting into the American peer groups, if they do
not understand the language well.

Also, the parents who participated in this study expressed that the English skills of
their children played an important role in the children’s acculturation into the mainstream
culture. A one-way ANOVA was used to test the differences in adjustment among three
groups of children: those speaking primarily Korean, English, or both languages at home.
There was a difference among three language groups in the parents’ perceptions of
adjustment. Parents reported that children who were primarily speaking English tended to
be better adjusted in the US.

Therefore, this ﬁnding is consistent with previous studies (Ho, 1992a; Ho, 1992b;
Kim, Kim & Rue, 1997). These studies noted that Korean American children reared by
primarily Korean-speaking parents may have difﬁculties with socialization in the new
culture and early learning experiences. Many Asian children’s school problems and
Emily conﬂicts are related to language problems.

In this study, school experiences, such as teacher relationships, school
achievement and grades, were signiﬁcantly related to Korean children’s adjustment in the

US. Korean children who had good school experiences have adjusted well to their new

43

environments. School-aged children are spending much time bonding with their peers and
teachers at school. Thus, school adjustment is a very important Ector because it may
enhance their life skills and make the acculturation process easier and Ester in the new
country.

Asian children tend to respect teachers as highly as their parents, viewing teachers
as role models. Speciﬁcally, 96% (n = 45) of Korean children in this study responded
“strongly agree” or “agree” with the item, “I have positive relationships with teachers”,
and only 17% (n = 8) agreed with the item, “Some of my teachers are not very nice to
me.”

Therefore, this ﬁnding is consistent with previous studies (Ho, 1992a; James,
1997; Bhattacharya, 2000). They suggested that the impact of social change as part of the
acculturation process is most likely to be experienced by foreign-born children in the
school setting and a lack of acceptance by peers and teachers may foster a sense of being
different.

Additionally, the investigator ran a regression analysis to determine which of the
predictor variables (English proﬁciency and school experiences) was related to children’s
adjustment when the other variable was controlled. School experiences predicted
adjustment in this analysis, but English proﬁciency was not related to adjustment when
school experiences were controlled. The results of a path analysis showed that school
experiences had a direct effect on the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US,

and that the effects of English proﬁciency on adjustment were mediated through the

school experiences. Children who had better English skills tended to have better school

experiences. Moreover, children who had better school experiences tended to be better
adjusted in the US. That is viewed as a key ﬁnding from this study.

These results were supported by the research of Ho (1992b), James (1997) and
Canino and Spurlock (2000). They stated that children who are not ﬂuent in English may
experience culture shock in the school setting, and they may be diagnosed incorrectly as
learning-disabled children. Ho (1992b) noted that many Asian children’s school problems
were related to language problems and emphasized that school was an arena where Asian
children ﬁrst experience cultural conﬂict and behavioral adjustment problems.

Parents were asked to respond to questions about their children’s school
adjustment through the Parent Survey. Surprisingly, 100% (n = 47) of parents agreed that
their children had positive relationships with teachers, and they were satisﬁed with their
children’s school achievement and grades. Also, only 15% (n = 7) of parents reported that
their children had a difﬁcult time adjusting to the US. schools.

Even though this study did not have data on this topic, according to Bhattacharya
(2000)’s study, Asian parents may recognize that the school is an important socialization
agent in American culture. Thus, they are willing to participate in school meetings
(parent-teacher conferences) and activities in order to improve their children’s academic
performance. Probably, Asian parents tend to believe that the American educational
system ensures all children an equal opportunity to beneﬁt from public school instruction.

Bhattacharya (2000) revealed several barriers to the school adjustment of South
Asian children living in the US. He insisted that pressure ﬁom parents to uphold the
Emily’s reputation and guilt over the Eilure to fulﬁll Emily expectations may cause low

self-esteem or association with deviant peers.

45

Korean children were asked to respond to questions on the Family Relationships
Scale. The scale was divided into two sub-scales: Family Warmth (e. g., My parents love
me a lot) and Parent-Child Conﬂict (e. g., I’m often in trouble with my parents because of
our different ways of doing things). A Pearson Product Moment Correlation showed no
signiﬁcant relation between adjustment and the Emily relationships of Korean children in
this study (I = .13, p = .386). Korean children who were in the upper grades (ﬁfth and
sixth grade) tended to acknowledge conﬂict and dissatisfaction about their Emily
relationships, while most Korean children who were in the lower grades were satisﬁed
with their relationships with their parents. Speciﬁcally, 47% of Korean children in the
upper grades had a score about the mean on the Parent-child Conﬂict scale, while 25% of
Korean children in the ﬁrst grade had scores above the mean on the Parent-Child Conﬂict
Scale. Pressure from parents to achieve school success and to learn English or Korean
quickly may cause alienation and loneliness.

In regards to peer relationships, Korean children in this study were asked to
respond to items such as “I make friends easily”. A Pearson product moment correlation
showed no signiﬁcant relation between adjustment and the peer relationships of Korean
children who live in the US. However, 80% of Korean children who had lived less than
one year in the US. had scores below the mean on the Interpersonal Social Skills scale.
They expressed some problems and difficulties making American friends. However, all
of the parents (100%) who participated in the Parent Survey responded “agree (62%)” or
“strongly agree (38%)” with the item, “Your child gets along well with American

ﬁ'iends.”

Surprisingly, most children in this study responded “strongly agree (49%) or
“agree (40%)” to the item, “I have a lot of American ﬁiends.” A Pearson product moment
correlations showed a signiﬁcant relation between adjustment and having many
American friends (1:: .43, p < .01). Having American ﬁiends also was positively related
to English proﬁciency (I = .55, p < .01) and school experiences (I = .48, p < .01).
Therefore, the result revealed that making American ﬁiends was an important Ector in
the adjustment of Korean children. Positive peer relationships with American ﬁiends may
play a pivotal role in children’s social and emotional development and school adjustment.

Additionally, the parents’ perceptions of their child’s adjustment to life in the
US. was signiﬁcantly related to their child’s birth place and their length of stay in the
US. In the present study, t-tests showed that there was a signiﬁcant difference in the
parents’ perceptions about their children’s adjustment between children who were born in
Korea and children who were born in the US. Parents reported that children who were
born in the US. were better adjusted than Korea born children. Also, parents reported, as
studied by Kim, Kim and Rue (1997), that the longer children have lived in the US, the

better they have adjusted.

Limitations

Although this research seemed to produce signiﬁcant results that could be useful
when studying Korean children as well as Asian-born children who live in the US, this
study has sorrre limitations which need to be taken into consideration when studying or
applying the results. First, all of the Korean children who participated in this study are

currently attending the Korean language school in East Lansing, Michigan. Most of the

47

children who are attending the Korean language school have stayed more than one year in
the US; only 11% (N= 5) of the Korean children had lived in the US. for less than one
year. Therefore, many of them were speaking better English than Korean. Because of the
sampling procedure, the sample is not likely to be representative of the Korean children
who live in the US. The study had concentrated on the adjustment of Korean children
attending the Korean language school. Thus, generalizations to the population of Korean
children outside this environment should be limited. To obtain the most accurate
informtion about the adjustment of Korean children who live in the U.S., a sample that
reﬂects the heterogeneity of the Korean children in the US. is required.

As expressed earlier, the Korean language school is affiliated with the Korean
Student Organization at Michigan State University. Therefore, most parents of Korean
children, especially the Ethers, who participated in this study were master’s or doctoral
degree students at Michigan State University. Thus, their standard of living tended to be
at a high level. If Korean children were selected at random throughout the state of
Michigan, the results would have given a more accurate depiction of the population of
Korean children who live in the US.

The sample size was 47 subjects in this research. This is a relatively small sample.
If the sample size was larger, there would be more power available to detect relationships
among the variables of interest. Also, the survey questions were conducted on a one-to-
one basis for the ﬁrst and second grade students and colorful cards (e.g., big blue circle
for strongly agree, big red circle for strongly disagree) were used to obtain responses

from the younger children.

48

Although, the investigator assessed each of the young children individually,
Korean children in the lower grades (ﬁrst, second, and third grades) did not always
understand the meanings of some items, especially, those in the Self-esteem and Self-
conﬁdence Scale. For example, it was difﬁcult for them to answer questions such as
“How often do you think of things that you like about yourself?”

Also, the questionnaire had too many questions for the youngest children in the
sample; they had difficulty concentrating on the task until all questions were answered.
The youngest children tended to perform better on shorter questions also. Additionally,
the instruments used in this study were developed for other ethnic groups, not for Korean
children.

The Korean children were the primary source of information for both the
predictor variables and the outcome measure. Therefore, shared method variance could
contribute to signiﬁcant associations between predictor variables and outcome variables.

Because of the paucity of literature on Korean children in the U.S., there was
limited research to draw upon when the model was developed for this study. The
literature which was reviewed for this study was often based on studies of Asian children

from other countries.

Implication for the future research

The purpose of this study was to identify Ectors inﬂuencing the adjustment of
Korean children who live in the US. Thus, the subjects who participated in this study
were Korean children. However, Asian children who live in the US. are a heterogeneous

group of many different Asian cultures (e.g., Japan, China, and the Philippines). The

49

factors inﬂuencing the adjustment of children from other Asian groups may be different.
So, it would have been a much more informative study if data had been collected ﬁ'om
different ethnic groups across the US.

It would be useful to collect data ﬁom multiple informants about the adjustment
of Korean children in the US. Therefore, data from teachers will be needed in addition to
questionnaires for children and parents. A questionnaire for teachers could assess the
teachers’ experiences, opinions, and subjective appraisals of Korean children in their
classes. It could measure the children’s leadership, academic achievement, learning

problems, and school-related competence ﬁ'om a teacher’s point of view.

50

APPENDIX A

Consent Form

51

Parental Consent Form

My name is SunJ in Oh I am a second grade teacher at the Hanmaeum Korean
Language School, and I am also a graduate student at Michigan State University pursuing
a Masters’ degree in Family and Child Ecology. I am curremly investigating Ectors
inﬂuencing the adjustment of Korean children who live in the US. I am inviting you and
your child to participate in the study and asking your permission to survey you and your
child. Your child will be asked to respond to questions about their adjustment, English
proﬁciency, Emily warmth, parent-child conﬂict, and school experiences. This survey
will be conducted at the Hanmaeum Korean Language School that your child attends.
Your child can decide to participate or not to participate in this study. The survey
questions will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Parents will also ﬁll a survey out. The
survey for the parent assesses: parents’ perceptions of the child’s adjustment to life in the
US. and background information about the Emily. You can ﬁll out this survey and return
it back to the investigator who is a second grade teacher at the Korean Language School.

Your participation as well as your child is voluntary and you can discontinue your
involvement or your child can discontinue his or her participation in this project at any
time without penalty. All data will be kept conﬁdential by the primary investigator. Your
privacy will be protected to the maximum extent allowable by law.

Your and your child’s responses will provide valuable information about Korean
children living in the US. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the
participation of yourself or your child feel ﬂee to contact me, SunJin Oh, at (517) 355-
1241 or my advisor Professor Tom Luster, at (517) 432-3323.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your rights as a study participant, or
are dissatisﬁed at any time with any aspect of the study, you may contact-anonymously if
you wish-Ashir Kumar M.D., Chair of the University Committee on Research Involving
Human Subjects at MSU by phone (517) 355-2180, fax: (517) 432-4503, or regular mail:
202 Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824.

 

I/we voluntarily agree to participate in this study and give permission for my/our
child/ren to also participate in this study.

Child’s Name

 

Parent’s Signature Date

 

 

52

APPENDIX B

Children Survey Questionnaire

53

ID#

 

Children Survey Questionnaire

Hello, I am SunJ in Oh. I’m a second grade teacher in the Korean Language School. This
survey is to identify factors inﬂuencing your adjustment while living in the US. The
following questions have no right or wrong answers. Your responses will be conﬁdential.
Please, provide candid answers. For each question, check the one response.

1.Name

 

2. Grade in the Korean Language School

 

Adjustment Scale
<Desire to Reside in the U.S.>

1) I wish to live in the US.

l = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree
2) I wish to live in Korea soon.

4 = Strongly disagree 3 = Disagree 2 = Agree 1 = Strongly agree
3) I am satisﬁed with my life in the US.

1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree
4) I feel at home in the US.

1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree 4 = Strongly agree
5) I am unhappy about living in the US.

4 = Strongly disagree 3 = Disagree 2 = Agree 1 = Strongly agree
<Child’s self-esteem>
1) How often do you think of things that you like about yourself?
0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often 4 = Almost always
2) Are you proud of how you act and the things you do?

0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often 4 = Almost always

54

3) Do you think you have a lot to be proud of?

0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often
4) Are you happy and satisﬁed with yourself?

0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often
5) When you do something, do you think you do it well?

0 = Never 1 = Rarely 2 = Sometimes 3 = Often

<Children’s Depression>

How often durmg' the m week:

 

1) I did not feel like eating; my appetite was poor.

4 = Rarely 3 = Some of the time 2 = Occasionally

(1 or 2 days) (3 or 4 days)
2) I could not “get going.”
4 = Rarely 3 = Some of the time 2 = Occasionally
(1 or 2 days) (3 or 4 days)
3) I felt depressed.
4 = Rarely 3 = Some of the time 2 = Occasionally
(1 or 2 days) (3 or 4 days)
4) I felt sad.
4 = Rarely 3 = Some of the time 2 = Occasionally
(1 or 2 days) (3 or 4 days)
<Self-conﬁdence>
1) I like to do schoolwork
l = Usually No 2 = Sometimes

2) I’m relaxed when I am at school
1 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes

3) I feel calm when I am at school

55

4 = Almost always

4 = Almost always

4 = Almost always

1 = Most ofthe time
(5 to 7 days)

1 = Most ofthe time
(5 to 7 days)

1 = Most of the time
(5 to 7 days)

1 = Most of the time
(5 to 7 days)

3 = Usually Yes

3 = Usually Yes

1 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes
4) I like to answer questions in class

1 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes
5) I’m sure of myself at school

1 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes
6) I am unhappy at school

3 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes
7) I worry a lot when I am at school

3 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes
8) I don’t like being in school.

3 = Usually No 2 = Sometimes

Independent Variables
E_nglish Proﬁciency Index

1) How well do you speak English?

1 = Not at all; 2 = Not well; 3= Well; 4 = Very well

2) How well do you understand English?

1 = Not at all; 2 = Not well; 3= Well; 4 = Very well

3) How well do you read English?

1 = Not at all; 2 = Not well; 3= Well; 4 = Very well

4) How well do you write English?

1 = Not at all; 2 = Not well; 3= Well; 4 = Very well

Peer Relationships Scale

56

3 = Usually Yes

3 = Usually Yes

3 = Usually Yes

1 = Usually Yes

1 = Usually Yes

1 = Usually Yes

l) I have a lot of Korean friends

1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree
2) I have a lot of American friends

1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree
3) Classmates tease me

4 = Strongly disagree 3 = Disagree 2 = Agree
4) I wish I had more ﬁ'iends at school

4=Stronglydisagree 3=Disagree 2=Agree
5) I wish I had more friends to play with in my neighborhood

4 = Strongly disagree 3 = Disagree 2 = Agree
6) I make ﬁ'iends easily

1 = Strongly disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Agree

7) I am often lonely.

4 = Strongly disagree 3 = Disagree 2 = Agree

Family Warmth Scale

1) My parents and I do a lot of things together.

4 = Strongly agree

4 = Strongly agree

1 = Strongly agree

1 = Strongly agree

1 = Strongly agree

4 = Strongly agree

1 = Strongly agree

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree

2) My parents love me a lot

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree

3) My parents feel proud of me when I do something well

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree

4) I feel happy at home

57

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree
Pmmt-CMLCoMiQSCﬁ:

1) I’m often in trouble with my parents because of our different ways of doing things.
4 = Not true at all; 3 = Not very true; 2 = Partly true; 1 = Very true

2) My parents are usually not very interested in what I have to say.

4 = Not true at all; 3 = Not very true; 2 = Partly true; 1 = Very true

3) My parents do not like me very much

4 = Not true at all; 3 = Not very true; 2 = Partly true; 1 = Very true

_S__<_:_h_ool Experienees Scale

1) I have positive relationships with teachers

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree
2) I am satisﬁed with my school achievement

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree
3) I am getting good grades in school.

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree
4) My teachers care about me.

4 = Strongly agree 3 = Agree 2 = Disagree 1 = Strongly disagree

5) Some of my teachers are not very nice to me.

1 = Strongly agree 2 = Agree 3 = Disagree 4 = Strongly disagree

58

APPENDIX C

Parent Survey Questionnaire

S9

 

Parent Survey Questionnaire

Date:

 

Thank you for taking time to complete this questionnaire.

This is SunJin Oh. I’m a second grade teacher in the Korean Language School. This
survey is to identify factors inﬂuencing your children’s adjustment while living in the
US. The following questions have no right or wrong answers. Your responses will be
conﬁdential. Please provide candid answers. For each question, check the one response.

Adjustment Scale of your child
Directions: Read each statement and circle how you describe your child:

1) He / She is satisﬁed with his / her life in the US.
Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree

2) He / She gets along well with American children

Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
3) He / She has positive relationships with teachers.

Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
4) I am satisﬁed with his / her school achievement.

Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
5) He / She has positive feelings about speaking two languages.
Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
6) He / She would rather live in Korea

Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
7) He / She has had a difﬁcult time adjusting to the US. school.
Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree
8) He / She wishes he / she had more ﬁiends.

Strongly agree Agree Unsure/don’t know Disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Strongly disagree

Family Background Information
I would like to close with some general important questions about your background.

1. Child’ name

 

2. Birth date

 

b.)

. Age of the child

 

4. Grade of the child

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Sex of the child: Male Female

6. Your child was born in: Korea US

7. How many years have your child lived in the United States?
years and months

8. I am the Mother Father

 

9. What is your child’s primary language at home?

(1) At home he/she speaks only English

(2) At home he/she speaks only Korean

(3) At home he/she speaks mostly Korean, some English

(4) At home he/she speaks mostly English, some Korean

(5) At home he/she speaks both English and Korean, equally

10. Which language is usually spoken in your home with your children?
(1) We speak only English at home

(2) We speak only Korean at home

(3) We speak mostly Korean, some English

(4) We speak mostly English, some Korean

(5) We speak both English and Korean at home, equally

11. Are you currently employed?
(1) Yes (2) No

12. If yes, are you working full-time or part-time?
(1) Full-time (2) Part-time

13. What is your job?

(1) Unemployed

(2) Unskilled worker

(3) Skilled worker

(4) Owner of small business, clerical, sales, technician

61

(5) Administrative personnel, small independent business, minor professionals
(6) Business managers, proprietors of medium sized business
(7) Executives and proprietors of large concern, major professionals

14. What is the highest level of forum] school that you have completed?
(1) Less than High school

(2) High school degree

(3) Associate degree

(4) Bachelor degree

(5) Master degree

(6) Doctorate / Professional (PhD, MD, JD, etc...)

 

(7) Other (Please Specify)

15. Is your spouse/partner curremly employed?

(1) Yes (2) No

16. If yes, is your spouse/partner working full-time or part-time?
(1) Full-time (2) Part-time

17. What is your spouse/partner’s job?

(1) Unemployed

(2) Unskilled worker

(3) Skilled worker

(4) Owner of small business, clerical, sales, technician

(5) Administrative personnel, small independent business, minor professionals
(6) Business managers, proprietors of medium sized business

(7) Executives and proprietors of large concern, major professionals

18. What is the highest level of formal school that your spouse/partner has completed?
(1) Less than High school

(2) High school degree

(3) Associate degree

(4) Bachelor degree

(5) Master degree

(6) Doctorate / Professional (PhD, MD, JD, etc...)

(7) Other (Please Specify)

 

62

APPENDIX D

UCRIHS Approval

63

 

OFFICE or
RESEARCH
ETHICS AND
STANDARDS

University Committee on
Research lmrolvlng
Human Subjects

Michigan State University
202 Olds Hall

East Lansing. MI

48824

517/355-2180

FAX: 517/4324503

Web: mmsuedu/user/ucrihs
E-Mail: ucrihs@msu.edu

The Michigan State University
IDEA ls institutional Diversity.
Excel/m in Action.

MSU Is In aﬂimratiieaction.

atrial-opportunity Instin/tion.

MICHIGAN STATE

 

UNIVERSITY

February 6, 2003

TO: Tom LUSTER
13 G Human Ecology
MSU

RE: IRB# 03-040 CATEGORY: EXPEDITED 2-7

APPROVAL DATE: February 6, 2003
EXPIRATION DATEzJanuary 6, 2003

TITLE: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ADJUSTMENT OF KOREAN CHILDREN
WHO LIVE IN THE US.

The University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects' (UCRIHS) review of this
project is complete and I am pleased to advise that the rights and welfare of the human
subjects appear to be adequately protected and methods to obtain informed consent are
appropriate. Therefore. the UCRIHS approved this project.

RENEWALS: UCRIHS approval is valid until the expiration date listed above. Projects
continuing beyond this date must be renewed with the renewal form. A maximum of four such
expedited renewals are possible. Investigators wishing to continue a project beyond that time
need to submit a 5—year application for a complete review.

REVISIONS: UCRIHS must review any changes in procedures involving human subjects. prior
to initiation of the change. If this is done at the time of renewal, please include a revision form
with the renewal. To revise an approved protocol at any other time during the year, send your
written request with an attached revision cover sheet to the UCRIHS Chair. requesting revised
approval and referencing the project's IRB# and title. Include in your request a description of
the change and any revised instruments, consent forms or advertisements that are applicable.
PROBLEMSICHANGES: Should either of the following arise during the course of the work.
notify UCRIHS promptly. 1) problems (unexpected side effects, complaints, etc.) involving
human subjects or 2) changes in the research environment or new information indicating
greater rlsk to the human subjects than existed when the protocol was previously reviewed and
approved.

If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at (517) 355-2180 or via email:
UCRIHS@msu.edu. Please note that all UCRIHS forms are located on the web:
http://www.msu.eduluser/ucrihs

 

Ashir Kumar, MD.
UCRIHS Chair

AK: jm
cc: sunjin ch

1449 Spartan Village APT H
East Lansing, MI 48823

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