Pathways from non-Korean mothers' cultural adaptation, marital conflict, and parenting behavior to bi-ethnic children's school adjustment in South Korea

a r t i c l e i n f o We explored the pathways from attitude towards cultural adjustment (separation, assimilation, and integration), marital conflict, and parenting practices of mothers of non-South Korean families on their children's school adjustment in South Korea. One hundred-and-fifty-four Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese mothers and their children (3rd–6th grade) from Gyeonggi province participated in the study. Questionnaires measuring mothers' attitudes toward cultural adjustment, marital conflict, and parenting practices were administered to the mothers. We analyzed data using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We found that mothers' assimilation and separation did not affect children's school adjustment. However, integration of the mothers had indirect effect on children's school adjustment through marital conflict and parenting practices. Accultur-ated mothers had lower level of marital conflict, which in turn had a higher positive effect on children's school adjustment. It is imperative that culturally relevant programs that enhance positive marital relationships and parent–child relationships among culturally diverse families be developed. In recent years, South Korea has been confronted with an unprecedented rapid socio-demographic shift. Previously recognized as a homogeneous , agrarian-based country, the recent demographic features of South Korea reveal that the country has become more ethnically diverse (Chun, 2008), and for the first time, 'multiculturalism' and 'diversity' have been a major focus in South Korea. the number of children of interracial and inter-ethnic (i.e., between South Korean and other Asian) marriages in South Korea has also increased with 83.4% of these children being elementary school students. Also, the number of middle and high school students of mixed race and ethnicity in South Korea is projected to increase within two to three years (Kang, 2008). Children of mixed heritage often experience cultural identity conflict in school and are more likely than South Korean children to experience school adjustment problems (H. Regrettably, these children frequently experience discrimination by the mainstream society due to South Korea's emphasis on racial and ethnic homogeneity (dan'il minjok) (Kang, 1999). Because children's school adjustment is significantly associated with educational success and assimilation into mainstream society, there is a critical need for understanding school adjustment problems experienced by children of mixed heritage. Although studies on school adjustment of children of mixed heritage in South Korea have emerged in recent years, there is a paucity of empirical research the on pathways that explain factors that are related to school adjustment of these children (In, 2002; Yu, 1998). Considering the …