• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.103-116
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• 2009

This study aims to investigate the process of family distress to family crisis in multi-cultural families based on Hill's ABCX model. For this study, the qualitative study with depth interview was conducted with 8 multi-cultural families(e.g. husband, wife, child and elderly parent). The depth interview contents were marriage process, family relation or family interactions, social adaptation process, and social services needs. Results showed the followings: First, multi-cultural families had multiple distressors so that these distressors made multi-cultural families vulnerable to family crisis. Second, Hill's ABCX model explained the process of family distress to family crisis in the multi-cultural families in that they had few resources(both individual resources and family resources) and even worse they had negative cognitions about their own multi-cultural family systems. This situation made them difficult to solve their problems and to cope with their distressors. Third, major distressors in multi-cultural families were founded in this study. These were different cultural gap, communication difficulties, social discrimination to multi-cultural families, and lack of social support networks. Discussion will address suggestions about effective family policies for multi-cultural families in order to make them resilient to family crisis and help to well-adjusted in the korean society.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.649-663
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• 2013

As cultural diversity has gained a great deal of attention and the social fabric of Korean society is redefined, the number of studies on multi-cultural family homes has been growing in the area of human ecology, but relevant research is rarely found on the subject of housing. While the emphasis of housing research is on multidisciplinary approaches and empirical research is highly valued, a theoretical and methodological platform for discussing the new rising agenda of multi-cultural family homes is lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore approaches to and to discuss the issues in research for multi-cultural family homes in terms of housing theories and multidisciplinary approaches. To understand the housing related needs of multi-cultural families, this study highlights social constructionism, the ecological perspective, and feminist epistemology. These three multidisciplinary approaches were useful for generating an ontological analysis of multi-cultural family homes. Further, this study highlights two housing related theories, the microsociological and housing pathways approaches, for dealing with multi-cultural family homes. In conclusion, the five approaches were useful for exploring issues in housing research on multi-cultural family homes with appropriate research methods like hermeneutics, quantitative, and qualitative methods, and field research. Insights into using perspectives and holistic approaches might be useful for solving the problems of multi-cultural family homes in Korea.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.85-101
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• 2009

The Multi-cultural Family Support Center provides various educational programs and services for multi-cultural families. However, there are controversies regarding integration and assimilation, ethnic identity and ethnocentrism, and state-sponsored multi-culturalism. From the home economist's perspective, it was necessary to explore the direction of integration of family life culture in the multi-cultural society. This study concluded that there is a necessity to accept foreign culture and create a new culture while still maintaining their and our own cultural identity respectively. For this purpose, integration and assimilation must progress side by side to maintain the cultural identity and stability of multi-cultural families. But, women migrants are to adapt in their everyday life, they need to attend a Korean-language course and take part in a traditional Korean culture program such as having an assimilational characteristics. Also for the happiness of multi-cultural families ultimately not for the confronted problems, it requires sometimes education of changing migrants' own traditional customs and life culture partly. In this sense, educational and cultural programs held by Multi-Cultural Family Support Center are meaningful and their importance in adapting into everyday life must be recognised by all of us.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.23-47
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate social workers' personal experiences providing social support to multi-cultural family in a multi-cultural family center. The data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 social workers at the multi-cultural family center, and were analyzed using a phenomenological research method. The major findings were as follows : The social workers' personal experiences with and understanding of social support were classified as 4 categories : 'source of emotional support to the multi-cultural family', 'diverse and systematic educational support', 'excessive demands on material support', and 'daily life support and connection with community network'. The social workers recognized emotional and educational support as essential factors in providing social support to multi-cultural family. However, the social workers' perceptions of material support derived from negative personal experiences stemming from excessive demands and misunderstanding for material support. These results showed that social workers at the multi-cultural family center provided multi-cultural families with social support and that they interacted with community support system and multi-cultural families to increase their satisfaction.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.573-586
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to review the conceptual framework of social constructionism and critical social constructionism in the research area of multi-cultural family homes, using a literature review. Fopp argued that social constructionism had an objectivation problem that only considered the actor side as a policy object; therefore he suggested a weaker social constructionist perspective with moderate relativism and the application of feminist epistemology to marginal life for maximizing objectivity. This article explores a conceptual framework for studying the reality of housing of multi-cultural families in Korea in the light of constructionist ideas and presents a review of empirical positivist data to support the framework. Based on results, using the social constructionist framework, five contexts (structural, institutional, organizational, operational, and intersubjective) were reviewed and ideas were suggested to develop an appropriate future situation for multi-cultural family homes. For a weaker social constructionist framework, three National Survey of Multi-Cultural Family Homes data sets were reviewed to determine the real condition of multi-cultural family homes. Further, from a feminist perspective, the empirical data of marginalized multi-cultural family homes were reviewed from the perspectives of gender inequality of decision making, cultural adaptation, and differentiation in housing related areas. In conclusion, two perspectives were useful for understanding multi-cultural family housing in Korea but must be compensated with substantial empirical data for a holistic approach.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.81-103
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• 2013

Under the influence of globalization, South Korea has seen a sharp rise in interracial families. South Korean society faces various difficulties since it has not prepared for the stable settlement of families. Therefore, it is necessary to initiate marital education for the settlement of multi-cultural families in a healthy and democratic way. This researcher has developed a marital education program for multi-cultural families. To reflect the special characteristics, this work required the investigation of multi-cultural families in Gyeongsangbuk-do. The purpose of this work is to improve conjugal relations among multi-cultural families in a formative period of family relations to help those families to settle down early. The program consisted of four steps and 12 sessions. It featured an increase in application flexibility to an actual site by session, and includes a worksheet applicable to an actual site to understand the absence of communication and cultural differences in multi-cultural families during a formative period of family relations. In so doing, it was designed to easily perform nonverbal education. This work is expected to contribute to an improvement in conjugal relations of multi-cultural families in a formative period of family relations and help those families to settle down in a stable way.

• The Journal of Korean Society for School & Community Health Education
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-55
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• 2010

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the characteristics of health behavior and self-esteem and the relationship between the two factors among elementary school students with multi-cultural family background. Participants: Survey participants were 87 multi-cultural family children who lived in Seoul and Kyoungi areas and were registered in the local elementary schools. Methods: Data collection was conducted by face-to-face interview survey. Elementary education majored undergraduate students who participated in the education support program for multi-cultural family children in the Ministry of Education and Science and primary researcher of this study interviewed the target students and finished the survey questionnaire based on the students' responses. Survey included general characteristics, multi-cultural family characteristics, self-esteem, and (physical, mental, and social) health behavior. Results: 1. The self-esteem scores of the multi-cultural families children were greater in girl than boys among the children whose parents were graduated from college or more, and whose father had his job. The participants' health behavior scores were different by mothers' educational level. 2. The better they speak in English the greater the self-esteem scores. There was no statistical difference in health behavior scores by the participants' multi-cultural family background. 3. Self-esteem had moderate level correlation with health behavior (r= .56, p= .00) including all sub-categories of physical, mental, and social health. Conclusions: Positive self-esteem level is more sensitive to explain multi-cultural family children's health behaviors, which means that self-esteem is an important factor determining multi-cultural children's health behaviors and their health status in future. Therefore, more research to identify the factors related to health behaviors should be supported and the health promotion programs utilizing self-esteem should be developed for the child and youth with multi-cultural family backgrounds.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.21-38
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• 2009

This study examined the resilience factors of multi-cultural families using depth interviews. Thirty-one multi-cultural families(totaling 98 individuals) were interviewed on a range of issues, including the process of marriage, the attitude of international marriage, family relations, social networks, the process of social adaptation, and their needs for specific social services. The resilience theory was used to categorize resilience factors, multi-cultural families. Analysis of results from depth interviews identified three broad resilience factors. The first was related to for belief systems which included 'family's common goal', The second was related to family functioning systems which included 'family cohesion', 'family adaptability', and 'satisfaction for role-expectation'. The third was related to social networking which included 'satisfaction from social activities'. These resilience factors helped multi-cultural families cope with stressful events and risk situations related to every day life. Results from this study imply that multi-cultural families possess the abilities to lead a meaningful and healthy life-style regardless of obstacles such as communication difficulties, cultural differences, and societal stigma.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.391-404
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• 2015

This study examined job satisfaction and relevant variables for multi-cultural family home-visiting educators. The selected study subjects were 192 home-visiting educators who work at Multi-Cultural Family Support Centers in the Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheongnam-do areas. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS ver. 18.0. The main results were as follows. First, the job satisfaction level in multi-cultural family visiting educators stood at 3.29 points, subjects' age, averagely monthly income, marital status, and activity career were shown to influence generally upon job satisfaction, self-efficacy, job stress, and cultural competency. Job satisfaction was high in groups with: a high age, small career, low averagely monthly income, and married. Second, self-efficacy and job stress were big in the job satisfaction of multi-cultural family visiting educators. The same outcome as the existing prior research was indicated. Cultural competency was not significant. Third, an examination of relative influence upon job satisfaction in home visiting educators indicated that the explanation power was 29.0%. Significant influential variables included academic background, marital status, self-regulation, and role ambiguity. Self-regulation was greater for those with lower academic backgrounds and unmarried. Job satisfaction was higher in the lower role ambiguity. Thus, the same outcome as the existing prior research was indicated. Cultural competency wasn't indicated to be significant. This has significance in having shown characteristics of job satisfaction in multi-cultural family visiting educators.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.89-101
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• 2010

Increased multi-cultural families over the recent decade have led to more studies on the current situations and problems they face. Fathers in multi-cultural families are supporters who can help their migrant wives adapt their new surroundings; however, it is difficult to find studies on them as their roles as fathers in multi-cultural families have been overlooked. This study develops educational programs for fathers in multi-cultural families and analyzes the effect of the educational programs. The educational program development for fathers in multi-cultural families was based on consideration of related articles, studies, and reports. The effect analysis for the educational program for fathers in multi-cultural families was performed through the investigation of 'self-esteem' and 'parent self-confidence' about educated fathers in multi-cultural families. The educational program for fathers in multi-cultural families was composed of 5 themes which can improve their self-esteem, understand the father's role and function, learn the skills of playing and conversation with their children and express the father's thoughts for his own family using positive methods. We educated 12 fathers in multi-cultural families through the development of the program over 5 weeks to verify the effect of educational programs for fathers in multi-cultural families. The results showed the following : The level of father's self-esteem in multi-cultural family increased 124% and the level of parent self-confidence increased 141%. In conclusion, the educational effect for fathers in multi-cultural family exists and their desire for a successful multi-cultural family increased through the educational programs.