This study examines the extent to which viewpoints of Family Strength on the axis of the whole family are related to the School Maladjustment, considering that the prior research has not performed in this area.
The purpose of this study as follows.
First, the adjusted measure of Family Strength was developed for adolescents better understanding, while that of the existing used to have various problems.
Second, As a plan to prove the close relationships between the Family Strength and School Maladjustment, the influence and expecting processes according to it were done to confirm that Family Strength is most likely to dominate the adolescents' Maturation and dynamize the relationship among classmates or teachers all the more.
To achieve such a purpose of study, there itemized the measure consisted of Family Strength. The research for the development of measure made an analyze the data of 1,954 students out of 2,000 students arranged from 2nd grade to 11th grade, while a total of 300 students( Primary, Junior high, High school students) are collected for the itemization. Using the developed measure through Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmative Factor Analysis, a total of 357 surveys were conducted to prove the relationship with the existing Family Strength's measure, and in the case of 2,298 students, the Family Strength was tested to analyze out the possibility which it may be likely to influence onto the School Maladjustment. Next follows in reviewing the result of this study.
1. The Family Strength Concept recognized by adolescent was applied to
complement the existing measure.
Since the existing questionnaires are not easy for adolescents to understand, if applied, there needs to be reinterpreted or amended, which may have an effect on the reliability as it originally intends to be. As a result, the most significant thing is that the measures are comprised of sub-categories and questions which do not make feel inferior to the exceptional families, such as, poor class, structural or functional single parent family.
The measure analysis demonstrates that adolescent intends to define as they feel on the basis of their subjective elements("be satisfied", "full of laughing", "express the loving", "much interested in their family member", etc.) and express relation-focusd and relation-based attitudes("do not give any stress to each other", "No problems", "rarely get angry") regarding the concept of Family Strength. Additionally, they intend to represent the process and methods how they maintain and adjust with their specific attitudes.(“eat out together”, “do the exercise together”, “make a conversation a lot”). Therefore, the ultimate measure instrument revised by EFA and CFA was developed after sub-categories has set up for Family Strength on the basis of ecological views. This measure instrument are applied to accept the theoretical approaches, such as, general systems theory, ecological model, feminism model, conflict theory, exchange theory, symbolic interactionism, in order to explain the Family Strength. Family Strength is consisted of 3 sub-factors, that is " unified family atmosphere", "balanced conflict", " activity share". It is confirmed that these factors are effective to solve the drawbacks which appeared in the process of the existing Family Strength measure instrument, specially, due to the lack of theoretical measure. This study shows that there are some similarities but characteristic differences only applied to adolescent compared to the Family Strength for the existing adult.
It appears well that those similarities, such as , devotion, consideration, conversation, common goals, Strength, solution, are conceptualized as Family Strength.(Otto, 1962; Walsh, 1982; Olson & DeFrain, Curran, 1983; Yu, 2004; Yu, 2004). According to this research, we can realize the similarities between the concept of Family Strength and that of the existing adult Family Strength measure, however, there are some characteristic parts only applied to adolescents("do not want to be part in any circumstances")
2. Reliable measure for Family Strength is developed by the identification of its validity and reliability.
Previous researches on the measure development revealed that there seemed no such an experimental approaching method. Indeed, the measure development based on the theory can show us far more validity and reliability, therefore, the experimental approaching method with theoretical support is vitally important(Kim, 2007). According to this study, the developed measure is possibly applied to various researches, along with adolescents as well as school maladjustment on the point of theoretical support. Although most measure instruments which are developed in Korea suggest validity and reliability, there are still lack of practical researches including an entire analyzing process, showing that only a part of validity from EFA and reliability from Cronbach'α. This study, however, examined that the experimental method is applied to the concept of Family Strength for adolescents, and at the same time, the data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Sciences in order to complement the matters of validity and reliability on the existing measure instrument. For this study, the sub-categories for Family Strength were set up in related to EFA, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, reliability analysis and CFA as well, for the purpose of the possible relationship and accuracy among them.
As a result of Analysis, there are a number of implications that can be drawn from the study to enhance reliability and validity and promote the utility of the Family Strength with regard to adolescents.
3. Family Strength has differences in accordance with gender, family structure, grade.
Both of Family Strength and sub-categories have specific differences regarding the gender, family structure, grade. As for family atmosphere and activity share , schoolgirl has higher mean than schoolboy does regarding the gender, As for conflict control, the number shows that schoolboy is higher than schoolgirl. As for Family structure, The number of normal family is higher than that of single parent family with regard to atmosphere, conflict control, activity share. As for grade, The number of Primary students is higher than that of middle school or high school students with regard to atmosphere, conflict control, activity share.
Consequently, it is confirmed that schoolgirl has more conflict with her parents than schoolboy does in general.
In addition, the study support the fact that the lower the grade is, the more activities students has with their parents and even a unit of whole family(Lee, 2003). Although the difference of sub-categories are shown in each grade, researches from Lim and Lee(2006) suggested that elderly high school students needs to be arranged in school counsel, individual counsel, family care, providing a title of Family Strength which may influence on their school adjustment regardless of academic or commercial high schools.
Specially, as for the marriage type, the same result of the research reveals that normal family has the higher number in Family Strength than single parent family including family relationship, value system share, communications, etc. The results of the study shows that Parents' divorce after the marriage can be harmful to Family Strength and, worse of all, caused adolescents to accept it with lower or negative attitude. The research carried by Kim et al(2005) remarks that greater emphasis needs to be placed on providing a family- dimensional Practical Nurture under the basis of the Family Strength questions toward their educational area, in which students can lead a better accommodation and satisfaction. Hence this study on maladjustment was analyzed by using the measure which enables to review the relationship of the whole family, along with family's ability rather than family-children based.
4. The factors affecting school maladjustment have something to do with Family Strength.
The factors affecting school maladjustment was observed to look for the relationships between teachers and friends fitted with Family Strength in the same structure.
It was confirmed that Family Strength plays the vital factor on affecting the school maladjustment through this research. In general, such a result that school maladjustment has something to do with Family Strength is nearly corresponded to that of research carried out by Lim and Lee(2006), Park and Whang(2007). In terms of the most important Prediction Variables, Family Strength, that has an effect on maladjustment, teachers and friends, was all but shown for schoolboys and schoolgirls,
In addition, within the same structure, It is also shown that Family Strength is ultimately associated with friends, teachers and school maladjustment
These results agreed the fact that the more positive adolescent perceives Family Strength(Bea, 1998; Lee, 1999; Lee, 2002).
In particular, the research was drawn that in the case of broken family, family's positive intervention can reduce the negative effect on adolescents carried out by (Lee, 2001; Kuyn, 1998). Such a point that Family Strength has a close interaction was accorded with the results of researches carried by Hong(2006), Kim(2006), Lim(2006), Ha2004), Moon(2004) and Henggler, et al(1992).
Above all, most researches has been examined regarding the relationships of teachers and students in accordance with Family Strength.(Kim, 2007; Lee, 2006; Kim et al., 2006; Ju, 2005; Choi, 2002).
In other words, it is confirmed that the higher level of Family Strength contributes to a good relationship with friends and a positive perception for teachers. However it was observed that when the relationships in related to friends and teachers are viewed as prediction factors, Family Strength has a positive effect on both friends and teachers, which means it can lower the level of school maladjustment. That is, the students who recognize their family in a positive way can accomodate in another systems in a positive attitude as well. Each of the independent systems, friends, teachers and Family Strength are all interacted with each other and have an positive effect on students' school life. Accordingly, through this studies, adolescents needs to be trained to enhance his self-esteem, and at the same time, not only a internal factor but also an environmental factor must be considered in order to improve the quality of the relationships between friends and teachers. Besides, for the qualitative improvement on the aspect of relationship, parent oriented education and various programs, with which lead to Family Strength increase, must be accompanied. Olson and Defeain(1994) have asserted that Strengthy family system is consisted of individual values, endeavors and the interaction between the extended social systems which belongs to the family. and in the long run, it can affect another systems immediately.
Therefore, this study shows that when we regard Family Strength as an important factor to school adjustment, student oriented perception needs to be reviewed better than parent oriented perception in related to school maladjustment.