Determinants of School Life Adaptation for Multicultural Children and Adolescents from an Ecological Systems Perspective

This study was conducted to examine the factors influencing the school adaptation of multicultural children and adolescents from an ecological systems perspective. The aim was to propose intervention strategies to enhance the school life adaptation of multicultural children and adolescents. For this purpose, data from a study on the adaptation status and support measures for children of multicultural families in the Busan area conducted by Choi Jeong-Rak et al.(2021) was utilized for analysis. The research analysis data consisted of a total of 402 participants, including 190 elementary school students, 126 middle school students, and 86 high school students. The results of the study are as follows: First, among the individual system factors, current academic performance and Korean language proficiency self-esteem positively impacted the school life adaptation of multicultural children and adolescents. Second, among the microsystem factors, relationships with friends, relationships with teachers, and the Korean language proficiency of foreign parents were found to have a positive impact on the school life adaptation of multicultural children and adolescents. Based on these findings, intervention strategies were suggested for direct interventions targeting multicultural children and adolescents and for indirect interventions through parental or social support to improve their school life adaptation.