Mother-Child Social Cognition Among Multicultural Families in South Korea.

Objective: Despite the rapidly growing number of multicultural families in South Korea, factors influencing parenting and mother-child interactions have not been well-understood. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to have examined how maternal social-cognitive capacity is associated with children's social cognition (e.g., theory of mind and emotion recognition) among multicultural families dwelling in South Korea. Methods: Forty-seven multicultural mother-child dyads were recruited. The comprehensive measures on social cognition were administered to both the mothers and children, and social functioning and emotion regulation were administered to the children. Results: A series of hierarchical regressions indicated that mothers' social cognition significantly explained children's ability to recognize static and dynamic emotional expressions, accounting for 27 and 34% of the variance, respectively. Furthermore, mothers' social cognition was significantly correlated to children's social functioning and emotion regulation. However, mothers' social cognition and children's theory of mind were non-significantly related. Discussion: The current study examined the effects of social cognition of immigrant mothers on their children's socio-emotional development. As the findings indicated an important role of maternal factors (i.e., social cognition) for children's social cognition and their functions, psycho-social approaches (e.g., social cognition parenting education and training) should be incorporated in services for multicultural families.

The Relationships Between Hardiness and Life Satisfaction or Expectation of Korean Multicultural Children: Focused on Mediating Effect of Acculturative Stress Moderated by Resilience.

This study identified the relationship between hardiness and life satisfaction or expectation of multicultural Korean children, and examined the mediating models of acculturative stress moderated by resilience on hardiness and life satisfaction or life expectation. The participants in the study were 201 male and female children from Korean multicultural families. PROCESS Macro 3.5 Model 14 was used for the analysis of the moderated mediating effects. The results revealed that hardiness and resilience were positively correlated with life satisfaction and life expectation, whereas acculturative stress was negatively correlated with life satisfaction and life expectation of multicultural children. In a moderated mediating model for life satisfaction, there was no interaction effect of acculturative stress and resilience, but a conditionally indirect effect of acculturative stress was only significant in groups with low resilience. In a moderated mediating model for life expectation, there was a significant interaction effect of acculturative stress and resilience, and a conditionally indirect effect of acculturative stress was only significant in groups with low resilience and with very high resilience. These findings suggest that only when multicultural children have low resilience, the mediating effect of acculturative stress is significant in relations of hardiness and life satisfaction, as well as hardiness and life expectation. In particular, resilience moderates the influence of acculturative stress on life expectations.

A Inclusão escolar de alunos multiculturais a partir da percepção dos pais / The school inclusion of multicultural students from parental perception / La inclusión escolar de alumnos multiculturales a partir de la percepción de los padres

Neste estudo exploratório foi investigada a experiência escolar de crianças e adolescentes multiculturais. Participaram pais e mães de 39 estudantes de ensino fundamental que já haviam vivido em outros países e residiam no Brasil. Por meio de um questionário com 27 questões foi analisado o processo de inclusão escolar dos estudantes multiculturais considerando tempo de estudo, tipo de escola, desempenho escolar, relação com professores e colegas, transição, aceleração e reprovação. O idioma de ensino foi destacado pelos pais como vantagem, quando se mantém desde a escola anterior, e como desafio, quando é diferente. Programas de formação em segunda língua, oferecidos complementarmente ao currículo regular, facilitam a inclusão desses alunos. A adequação entre ano letivo, currículo, idade e série é um imbróglio enfrentado no processo de transição de diferentes países que demanda acompanhamento da família e dos docentes e que se sujeita à flexilibilidade da instuição escolar. Observou-se a importância do clima escolar, que envolve o compartilhamento de expectativas, políticas e medidas práticas, e impacta o acolhimento, a formação de laços sociais e o desempenho acadêmico dos alunos multiculturais. Salienta-se a necessidade de políticas pedagógicas governamentais para a inclusão de alunos de origem estrangeira para garantir os princípios básicos de uma educação de qualidade.

This exploratory study investigated the school experience of multicultural children and adolescents. The participants were parents of 39 primary school students who had lived in other countries and were then living in Brazil. Through a questionnaire with 27 questions the process of school inclusion of the multicultural students was analyzed considering lenght of study, type of school, school performance, relationship with teachers and peers, transition, acceleration and school failure. The school's language was highlighted by parents as an advantage, when it was the same from the previous school, and as a challenge, when it was different. Second-language training programs, offered in addition to the regular curriculum, facilitate the inclusion of these students. The process of matching school year, curriculum, age and grade is a problem faced in the process of transition between different countries that demands follow-up of family and teachers alike and which depends on the flexibility of the school. It was observed the importance of the school climate, which involves the sharing of expectations, policies and practical measures, and impacts the reception, the formation of social bonds and the academic performance of multicultural students. It is highlighted the need for governmental pedagogical policies for the inclusion of foreign students to guarantee the basic principles of a quality education.

En este estudio exploratorio se investigó la experiencia escolar de niños y adolescentes multiculturales. Padres y madres de 39 estudiantes de enseñanza fundamental, que ya habían vivido en otros países y residían en Brasil participaron de la investigación. Por medio de un cuestionario con 27 preguntas se analizó el proceso de inclusión escolar de los estudiantes multiculturales considerando tiempo de estudio, tipo de escuela, desempeño escolar, relación con profesores y colegas, transición, aceleración y reprobación. El idioma de enseñanza fue destacado por los padres, como ventaja, cuando se mantiene desde la escuela anterior, y como desafío, cuando es diferente. Los programas de formación en segunda lengua, ofrecidos complementariamente al currículo regular, facilitan la inclusión de los alumnos. La adecuación entre el año escolar, el currículo, la edad y la serie es un imbróglio enfrentado en el proceso de transición de diferentes países que exigen acompañamiento de la familia y de los docentes y que depende de la flexibilidad de la enseñanza escolar. Se observó la importancia del clima escolar, que implica el compartir las expectativas, políticas y medidas prácticas; e impacta la acogida, la formación de lazos sociales y el desempeño académico de los alumnos multiculturales. Se destaca la necesidad de políticas pedagógicas gubernamentales para la inclusión de alumnos de origen extranjero, garantizando los principios básicos de una educación de calidad.