The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of social support on the relationship among the acculturation stress of children from multicultural families, their internalizing problems and school adjustment in Korean society. The subj...
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of social support on the relationship among the acculturation stress of children from multicultural families, their internalizing problems and school adjustment in Korean society. The subjects in this study were 188 third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade students of multicultural families in 32 different elementary schools in South Gyeongsang Province, on whom a survey was conducted.
The findings of the study and the implications of the findings were as follows:
First, acculturation stress was identified as one of major variables to affect the internalizing problems of the children from multicultural families. It suggests that multicultural education should be included in the school curriculum.
Second, the school adjustment of the children from multicultural families were under the positive influence of friend support and teacher support, and the internalizing problems had a negative impact on that. Specifically, friend support exerted a larger influence on school adjustment than teacher support.
Third, social support had a mediating effect on the relationship between the children's acculturation stress and school adjustment. Therefore homeroom teachers should have counseling with mothers of students from multicultural families to grasp their psychological state, to help them build a more friendly relationship with their peers and ultimately to facilitate their school adjustment.
The findings of the study made it clear that acculturation stress was one of variables to impact on the internalizing problems of the children from multicultural families, and that friend support was one of primary variables to affect their school adjustment. And this study is meaningful in that it raised awareness of the importance of friendly peer relationship for the successful school adjustment of children from multicultural families and suggested the necessity of multicultural education that prizes cultural diversity.