In the 21th century, the Republic of Korea has joined the ranks of those multi-cultural societies where various races and ethnic groups co-exist. As the number of foreigners living in the Republic of Korea increases, international marriages and multi-...
In the 21th century, the Republic of Korea has joined the ranks of those multi-cultural societies where various races and ethnic groups co-exist. As the number of foreigners living in the Republic of Korea increases, international marriages and multi-cultural families comprised of foreign workers and their children have increased rapidly in number. Because the Republic of Korea is a strongly homogeneous nation, children of multi-cultural families face such problems as a sense of alienation and maladjustment caused by ethnic prejudice and discrimination, a decline in verbal ability, and confusion in their self-identities. Therefore, social and educational concerns for such children have become important issues.
The premise of this study is that the development of team leadership to facilitate harmonious interaction with group members would be a positive influence on the school and social lives of children. Based on this premise, the study will test the influence of self- efficacy on team leadership. The purpose of the study is to provide basic data regarding educational support for the children of multi-cultural families so that they can develop as prosperous members of society. The specific questions examined in the study are the following:
1. Do the self-efficacy and team leadership skills of the children of multi-cultural families differ based on their general characteristics such as gender, school grade, economic status, type of parents, and mother country of parents?
2. How does the self-efficacy of the children of multi-cultural families influence their team leadership?The participants of this study and analyses comprises students who are in primary or middle schools located in Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi-Do, and Chungcheongnam-Do, who are at the same time, the children of multi-cultural families formed by international marriages or through the immigration of foreign workers. The researcher used a modified team leadership scale in order to make the scale suitable for the participants and their environment. The scale is based on the ‘Self-efficacy Scale’ (Lee, 2005), which was modified from the scale developed by Ah-Young Kim (1997) to measure the self-efficacy levels of the children, and also based on the ‘Collaborative Team Leader Survey’ developed by LaFasto & Larson (1996). SPSS version 12.0 was used for data analyses including descriptive statistics of the variables, t-test and ANOVA was used to compare differences between or among groups according to the variables given. Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was used to analyze correlations among the variables, and multiple regression analysis was used to measure influences among the variables.
The results of the data analyses are the followings.
The differences of the scores in the self-efficacy area and the scores in the team leadership area were statistically significant, according to gender of the children. Specifically, the self-regulatory efficacy scores of male participants in the self-efficacy area and all the scores of male participants in team leadership area were significantly higher than the scores for females. Regarding school grade, in the self-efficacy area, the self-confidence scores and task difficulty preference scores of middle school students were significantly higher than the scores for primary school students. The self-confidence scores of participants of higher economic status were significantly higher than the scores of participants from other economic statuses. The differences of the sum of scores in the team leadership area and of the managing performance scores in the team leadership area were statistically significant. Specifically, the scores of children of parents of the same nationalities were higher than the scores of the children of parents composed of one Korean and one foreigner. Regarding the mother country of the parents, in the team leadership area, the scores of children whose parents’ mother countries was Mongolia were respectively higher.
The researcher adopted multiple regression analysis in order to measure the influence of self-efficacy on team leadership, using team leadership of the as a dependent variable, using self-efficacy as an independent variable, and using general characteristics such as gender, school grade, economic status, and parental type as control variables.
Through multiple regression analysis using self-efficacy as an independent variable and through using control variables, the researcher found that the influence of self-efficacy on team leadership was statistically significant (p<.001). In order to measure the influence of self-confidence, self-regulatory efficacy, and task difficulty preference (which are factors in the self-efficacy area)on team leadership, the researcher adopted multiple regression analysis using these factors and control variables, finding that the influence of self-regulatory efficacy on team leadership was statistically significant (p<.001). The researcher adopted multiple regression analysis to inspect the influences of these factors in the self-efficacy area on those factors related to the team leadership area. The results show that, self-regulatory efficacy alone among the factors in the self-efficacy area have a statistically significant influence on all factors in the team leadership area (p<.001). Additionally, self-confidence in the self-efficacy area has significant influence on managing performance in the team leadership area.
The study results are interpreted academically as follows.
First, the study provides an empirical basis from which we can illustrate the characteristics of the children of multi-cultural families. The results of these analyses comprise basic data which can be used in further studies related to the children of multi-cultural families.
Second, by inspecting the levels of self- efficacy and team leadership among the children, the researcher illustrates the empirical basis which allows comparison with similar levels among children in the general population. Through these comparisons, we can find related concerns among the children of multicultural families as well as find new strategies of educational support for the children.
Third, under the premise that harmony and adaptation in group activities during their school lives can improve the social lives of these children, the researcher defined the concept of team leadership as that ability which leads to common goal achievement through intensive interaction and cooperation with team members in group activities. The concept of team leadership utilized in this study could also be used in other studies to measure how the social abilities of general adolescents manifest in various groups.
Fourth, the researcher analyzed the influences of general characteristics and self-efficacy of the children on their team leadership, and found that self-efficacy had a significant influence on team leadership. In other words, individual self-confidence and beliefs regarding successful performance could have positive roles in developing the social abilities that allow children active participation in group activities. Based on the results of this study, the researcher strongly suggests that the children of multi-cultural families should be provided with educational and social support which allows them higher levels of self-efficacy, self-confidence, and self-regulatory efficacy so that these children can not only solve such problems as a sense of alienation and maladjustment, but can also have positive social interaction with others.