Korean American College Students Research Articles

Immigrants’ attitudes towards varieties of American English

Abstract Native speakers of English commonly perceive some social variants of their language to be more prestigious than others. It is less clear, however, whether nonnative English speakers from immigrant communities come to internalize similar language stereotypes. The present study analysed, through a language attitude survey, a total of 40 Korean American college students’ reactions to tape-recorded samples of five socially stratified varieties of English commonly heard in the U.S. Results indicated that Korean American college students perceived a Standard American English (SAE) typical of broadcast English in the U.S. most favourably. Nonstandard varieties (regional and ethnic dialects), especially African American English, were judged as less favourable. SAE and its speaker was associated with positive qualities on rating scales, while nonstandard guises were rated less favourably on the same characteristics. This study provides a greater understanding of how different English varieties are perceived by an immigrant community in the U.S. and invites future studies of English language attitudes in other minority communities.

‘I was scared at first, but not anymore’: interpersonal contact and attitudes toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities among Korean American adolescents and young adults

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore experiences of naturalistic interpersonal contact with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and attitudes toward persons with IDD among Korean American adolescents and young adults. In interviews with 12 Korean American high school and college students, Korean American participants reported six common themes regarding their experiences of interpersonal contact with persons with IDD: 1) affective attitude, 2) behavioral attitude, 3) cognitive attitude, 4) communication with persons with IDD, 5) moments of having a positive attitude, and 6) comparisons of attitudes in the United States and Korea. Recommendations for research and practical implications are discussed.

Culture Moderates the Relationship between Family Obligation Values and the Outcomes of Korean and European American College Students.

Family obligation values have been described as an important element of collectivistic cultures that are related to the development of positive emotional well-being and motivation in high school and college students. The present study tested the hypothesis that culture moderates the relationship between family obligation values and the outcomes of Korean (n = 249) and European American (n = 251) college students. The results provided support for this hypothesis. Specifically, for Koreans, family obligation values were significantly and positively correlated with descriptions of parents as being more supportive of the self-determination of their children, which was found to mediate the relationship between family obligation values and student outcomes. Furthermore, family obligation values were more strongly associated with the motivation, self-esteem, and depression of Koreans than European Americans. European American students expressed lower family obligation values and the intensity of these values were unrelated to their emotional well-being. Family obligation values were positively correlated with reports of self-determined motivation for Korean students, and negatively correlated with reports of self-determined motivation for European American students. The results are discussed in terms of cultural moderation and self-determination theory.

Challenges and Lessons Learned From a Mobile Health, Web-Based Human Papillomavirus Intervention for Female Korean American College Students: Feasibility Experimental Study.

BackgroundMobile health (mHealth) and Web-based research methods are becoming more commonplace for researchers. However, there is a lack of mHealth and Web-based human papillomavirus (HPV) prevention experimental studies that discuss potential issues that may arise.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the feasibility of research procedures and discuss the challenges and lessons learned from an mHealth and Web-based HPV prevention experimental study targeting female Korean American college students in the United States.MethodsA pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in an mHealth and Web-based platform with 104 female Korean American college students aged 18-26 years between September 2016 and December 2016. Participants were randomized to either the experimental group (a storytelling video intervention) or the comparison group (a nonnarrative, information-based intervention). Outcomes included the feasibility of research procedures (recruitment, eligibility, randomization, and retention).ResultsFrom September 2016 to October 2016, we recorded 225 entries in our initial eligibility survey. The eligibility rate was 54.2% (122/225). This study demonstrated a high recruitment rate (95.6%, 111/122) and retention rate (83.7%, 87/104) at the 2-month follow-up.ConclusionsFindings from this study demonstrated sufficient feasibility in terms of research procedures to justify a full-scale RCT. Given the increased possibility of invalid or misrepresentative entries in mHealth and Web-based studies, strategies for detection and prevention are critical.Trial RegistrationISRCTN Registry ISRCTN12175285; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN12175285

Does Culture Matter? A Qualitative Inquiry of Helicopter Parenting in Korean American College Students

The purpose of this study was to examine college students’ culturally-mediated perceptions, prevalence, and experiences of helicopter parenting and its potential impact on their development. Using an online survey platform, we conducted an online survey of 40 Korean American college students in three large universities in the Southeastern region of the U.S. The majority of the participating Korean American college students acknowledged the negative aspects of helicopter parenting and its negative impact on various outcomes in students while recognizing the parents’ benevolent intent and positive effects on academics and career preparation. The findings were mostly consistent with previous research but added rich description and cultural nuance and meaning of helicopter parenting and its perceived impacts on various developmental outcomes to the current literature.

“Success Is Relative”

Previous studies have pursued whether there is an inverse relationship between levels of achievement and students’ perceptions of their success. We find that these academic paradoxes exist but that they need to be analyzed in a manner that does not look only at structure or culture and that remaps what falls under both of these categories. Comparing in-depth interview data of middle-class Korean American and Mexican American college students who have realized a similar outcome, enrollment in a higher tier University of California school or rough equivalent, this study examines how the interplay of structural dimensions—class and ethnic factors such as social location and social capital—as well as cultural dimensions—ethnic expectations, reference groups, and emotional support—shapes the modes and mechanisms by which students feel “successful.” Our study reveals that meaning-making processes influenced by this structural-cultural interplay yield paradoxical outcomes when analysts move beyond a single or objective focus on academic achievement. We conclude with a discussion of how scholarship on immigration, race/ethnicity, and education can move in this direction of complicating the definitions and measures of academic success.

Cultural Influences on Binge Drinking among Korean American College Students

폭음은 대학생들에게 일반적이면서도 위험한 행동이며, 특히 소수민족 대학생들은 문화적응 과정에서 폭음의 위험에 노출될 가능성이 높다. 그럼에도 불구하고, 대학생 폭음에 대한 연구는 미비하며, 문화 관련 요인이 소수민족 대학생의 폭음에 미치는 영향에 대한 연구는 극히 제한적으로 이루어졌을 뿐이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 가족 요인과 문화적응 요인을 포함하는 문화 관련 요인이 재미교포 대학생의 수시폭음과 상습폭음에 미치는 영향을 탐색하고자 한다. 연구표본은 미국 UCLA IRB 승인을 받아 편의추출방법으로 확보한 로스앤젤레스 지역의 재미교포 남녀 대학생 448명이었으며, 자기기입식 설문지를 통해 응답한 자료를 다항로지스틱 회귀분석방법으로 분석했다. 연구결과, 문화 관련 요인은 재미교포 대학생의 수시폭음에 유의한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타나서, 가족 대처 일관성이 낮을수록, 그리고 영어 차원의 언어 문화적응 수준이 높을수록 수시폭음자가 될 가능성이 증가하였다. 그러나 상습폭음자가 될 가능성에 대한 문화 관련 요인의 영향은 유의하지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 연구결과를 바탕으로 재미교포 대학생의 폭음 예방과 조기개입을 위한 실천적 함의를 논의했다.

Assessing Acculturation Over Time: A Four-year Prospective Study of Asian American Young Adults.

Acculturation is commonly defined as a dynamic and multidimensional process in which individuals and groups change over time when coming into contact with another culture. Despite the emphasis on acculturation as a process of change over time, few researchers have directly assessed this hypothesis. The current study first identifies and then examines "stable" and "dynamic" dimensions of acculturation within a 4-year prospective study of 433 first- and second-generation Chinese- and Korean-American college students. Separate growth model analyses revealed significant linear change for first-generation students toward greater U.S. acculturation. In comparison, tests of linear and quadratic change for second-generation students were not significant. When stratifying by gender, acculturation increased for women but there was no significant change in acculturation for men. While all students reported increases in alcohol consumption over the study period, changes in acculturation predicted changes in alcohol consumption only for women. Chinese men showed greater increases in alcohol consumption than Korean men but there was no effect for ethnicity among women. There was significant individual variability in the models, which underscores the importance of examining change prospectively through within and between person analyses. The findings highlight the importance of examining acculturation changes over time for different migrant groups with implications for further development of acculturation measures, research methodologies, and health interventions. More prospective research designs of acculturation are needed to examine changes in health behavior and overall adaptation across migrant groups at varying stages of development.

Korean American College Students’ Language Practices and Identity Positioning: “Not Korean, but not American”

This article explores the intersection between language practices and ethnic identity for 8 second-generation Korean American learners who were participating in a Korean-as-a-foreign-language (KFL) class at a U.S. university. This study aims to examine the fluid nature of ethnic identity by examining how Korean heritage learners negotiate, construct, and position themselves in the landscape of American-ness and Korean-ness, through language practices. The data are drawn from observations, semistructured interviews, and audio-recorded classroom interaction during one academic year in a college-level KFL class. Findings show that the heritage learners employ the two available codes for different communicative purposes: English is used as a primary communication tool, and Korean is associated with their childhood memories, food, and kinship. Furthermore, their use of linguistic devices, such as pronouns, indexes their ever-changing relational positioning of themselves in a third culture, where they have taken on aspects from both.

Impacts of diaspora travel on ethnic identity development among 1.5 generation Korean-American college students

This research project was designed to explore the impacts of the most recent trip to Korea on ethnic identity development among 1.5 generation Korean-American college students. The study employed 18 in-depth semi-structured interviews with Korean-American college students at a major university in the Midwest, USA. The data collection was conducted between December 2010 and February 2011. The findings of the study revealed that Korean-American college students exhibited different levels of ethnic identity prior to their most recent trip to Korea and described themselves as either Koreans, Korean-Americans, or Americans. Travel to Korea played important roles in (re)developing their ethnic identity. Those who identified themselves as Korean prior to the trip either confirmed their ethnic identity or changed their identity to Korean-American. Those who considered themselves Korean-American retained their ethnic identity, while those who thought of themselves as American altered their identity to Korean as a result of the travel.

Perceived and actual competence and ethnic identity in heritage language learning: a case of Korean-American college students

A growing body of literature has explored issues surrounding the maintenance and development of a minority heritage language among immigrants and their children in relation to their ethnic identities in multi-ethnic societies. However, most of the studies either have alluded to heritage learners' language competence by way of their attitudes and ideologies toward their heritage and language maintenance or have addressed their competence by way of self-assessment measures alone. This study examines the interrelationship between Korean heritage learners' perceived and actual competence in Korean vis-à-vis their ethnic identity orientation. Thirty second-generation Korean-American participants completed questionnaires on their language background, ethnic identity orientation, and self-assessment of their speaking and writing skills in Korean. Their speech and writing samples in Korean were elicited with picture stimuli. Results suggest that there was a strong correlation among the subjective and objective assessment of the heritage learners' Korean language skills and their Korean ethnic identity. It was also suggested that the heritage learners who have a strong Korean identity tend to have better competence in Korean, meaning that the strong Korean identity serves as a self-enhancing bias in their self-assessment of the Korean language.

P01-544 - The correlation between acculturation stress and acculturation dreaming process

AimThe purpose of this study was to test the correlation between acculturative stress scale and acculturation dream scale and to verify previous research outcomes.Methods165 Korean American undergraduate and graduate students (M age = 23.3, SD = 4.1) participated in this study. They submitted the most recent dreams and assessed acculturative stress scale. Total 165 dreams were coded by “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale” (Lee, Sang Bok, 2005: Psychological Reports, 96, 454–456). The hypothesis was that the group members having higher acculturative stressscale would have lower acculturation dream scale than the group members with lower acculturative stress scale.ResultsThe first generation Korean American students group (n = 80, M age = 23.4, SD = 4.2) had higher acculturative stress level and lower acculturative dream scale when compared with the second generation Korean American college student group (n = 85, M age = 23.6, SD = 4.3). The t-test on the two group comparison was significant on acculturative stress level (p < 0.001) and “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale” (p < 0.001). It was proven that day time acculturative stress situation had an effect on the night-time dreaming neurocognitive activities, i.e., unconscious acculturation process (Lee, Sang Bok, 2006: “Acculturation Scale for Korean American College Students,” Psychological Reports; Lee, Sang Bok, 2006: “Asian Values Scale - Comparisons of Korean and Korean-American High School Students,” Psychological Reports).ConclusionThe multiple domains of acculturative processes need to be explicated in terms of “multicultural hermeneutics” (Lee, Sang Bok, 2003: “Working with Korean-American Families - Multicultural Hermeneutics,” The American Journal of Family Therapy, 31, 159–178) and of real life experience mapping.

P02-478 - The Sang Bok Lee traumatic dream scales for Korean college students

AimTo develop and validate traumatic dream scales by further utilizing The Sang Bok Lee Neurocognitive Dream Orientation Scales (Lee, Sang Bok: 2010, European Psychiatry) assessing the narrative dream contents.Methods2450 dream were collected form 870 Korean college students, Yongin, South Korea: 445 males (M age = 20.48 years, SD = 1.35) and 425 females (M age = 20.12, SD = 1.24). The collected dreams were analyzed by The Sang Bok Lee Traumatic Dream Scales that were designed to differentiate ordinary dreams from traumatic and PTST-related dreams.The traumatic dreams were hypothesized as having frequently recurrent, unexpected, emotionally dreadful, and not actively coped by the dreamers.Results759 dreams (31%) of 2450 collected dreams were found as traumatic or very/extreme anxious according to The Lee Anxiety Dream Scale (Mean = 4.56). Strong positive correlation was found between 759 traumatic dreams and independent variables of traumatic dream content (unfamiliar: r = .86, p = .0001; accidental: r = .81, p = .0001; dreadful: r = .93, p = .0001, and not coped by the dreamer: r = 0.86, p = .0001).ConclusionThe contents of The Sang Bok Lee Traumatic Dream Scales were developed and validated; the results were associated with the previous publications - “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale for Korean-American College Students” (Lee, Sang Bok, 2005: Psychological Reports, 96, 454–456), The Sang Bok Lee Neurocognitive Dream Orientation Scales for Screening Traumatic and PTSD Related Dreams, and The Lee Anxiety Dream Scales.

A Study on Body Image Perception and Eating Disorders by Birth-Place and the Length of Residence in USA in Korean American College Students

This study was conducted to compare the body image perception, weight control experiences and the eating disorders according to where they were born, and the length of residence in USA among Korean-American college students. Three hundred college students participated in the study: 144 males and 156 females, 122 America-born (AB) and 171 Korea-born (KB) who live in New York City and New Jersey. Subjects responded to a self-administered questionnaire. The results showed that the ratio of overweight (23.2%) and obesity (26.8%) of males was higher than females'(16.1% and 6.3%, respectively). There were no significant differences according to born-place or the length of residence in USA of KB. People who had tried to control their weight were 58%. The ratio of weight control experiences of females (72.4%) was higher than males’ (42.4%) as well as people who were normal or underweight than who were overweight or obesity. There were no significant differences according to born-place or the length of the residence in the USA of KB. In body image perception, the subjects who were normal and underweight overestimated their body figure, and the subjects who were overweight and obese underestimated their body figure. The desired and ideal figure of female students was significantly thinner than the current figure and also that of male students. There were no significant differences according to born-place or the length of the residence in USA of KB. The ratio of eating disorder was 8.7%, and females had higher percentage than males. And shorter they lived in USA, the percentage of eating disorder was higher. (Korean J Community Nutr 16(1) : 113~125, 2011)

Comparing the Ethnic Identity and Well-Being of Adopted Korean Americans With Immigrant/U.S.-Born Korean Americans and Korean International Students

This study compared the ethnic identity and well-being of Korean Americans who were adopted internationally with immigrant/U.S.-born Korean Americans and Korean international students, as well as the relationship between ethnic identity and well-being for each group. One-hundred seven college students completed measures of ethnic identity and subjective well-being. Immigrant/U.S.-born Korean Americans had higher ethnic identity scores than the other two groups. Immigrant/U.S.-born Korean Americans also had higher positive affect scores than international students. Ethnic identity was positively correlated with positive affect for all three groups (r = .27 to .34) but was negatively correlated with negative affect for international students (r = –.44). Overall, the results suggest that ethnic identity, although slightly lower than in non-adopted peers, is relevant to the well-being of adopted Korean American college students.

P01-330 - Dreaming brain and acculturative mind

Author intends to explicate dreaming brain and mind interactions by interpreting the neurophenomenology of dreaming brain as well as by analyzing the narratives of collected dream data. The author articulates acculturative dreaming mind by demonstrating two empirical research outcomes and suggests some analogical connections between dreaming brain and acculturative dreaming mind.The author explored an acculturative dreaming model by analyzing dream data that show an unconscious self-adaptation or acculturative self-process. The author designed “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale” (Lee, Sang Bok, 2005: Psychological Reports, 96, 454-456) to analyze the location of each dream by evaluating the dream content. A two-sample t test on the mean score of the “Lee Acculturation Dream Scale” indicated significant difference between men and women (Lee, 2005).In terms of domain-specific dreaming mind the author analyzed the dreamers’ anxiety level by evaluating the dream content. A sample t test on the “Lee Cross-cultural Anxiety Dream Scale”(Lee, Sang Bok, 2008) means showed significant difference between the two groups(p< 0.001): Korean college students group (N=93, M=1.7, SD=1.2) and Korean-American college student group (N=165, M=2.3, SD=1.5). In this study, Korean American college students, who were experiencing cross-cultural life situation and under acculturation process in the USA, showed more anxiety in their dream contents than Korean college students.Dreaming brain and mind need to be recapitulated as having inherently acculturative function regardless of cultural origins, value or life-style difference.

Asian cultural values gap, cognitive flexibility, coping strategies, and parent-child conflicts among Korean Americans.

The study examined Korean American college students' perceived Asian cultural values gap between themselves and their parents, cognitive flexibility, and coping strategies. The relationships between these factors were studied with the intensities and types of parent-child conflicts. The results indicated that the participants adhered less strongly to Asian values than their parents. When faced with conflicts, the participants reported using problem solving coping strategy to the greatest extent, followed by social support coping strategy, and then avoidance coping strategy. Simultaneous regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between the participant-perceived parent-child values gap and the intensity of conflicts, particularly in the area of dating and marriage. There were inverse relationships between cognitive flexibility and the intensity of conflicts, specifically in the area of dating and marriage. A positive relationship was observed between the use of social support coping strategy and intensity of conflicts. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a significant interaction effect in which participant-perceived parent-child values gap and cognitive flexibility were related to increased frequency of dating and marriage conflicts.

Heritage Language and Ethnic Identity: A Case Study of Korean-American College Students

The current study explores how heritage language proficiency affects the ethnic identity of four Korean-American college students who have maintained a high level of heritage language proficiency. Findings from in-depth interviews are consistent with previous studies which show close relationships between heritage languages and ethnic identity, yet the study reveals that a high level of heritage language proficiency is not necessarily associated with a heightened sense of ethnic identity for the selected students. Interview data suggest that participants’ perceived expectations from society in general contribute to identity conflicts. A path to maintaining heritage language should start from creating a safe environment, especially in schools where heritage language speakers are protected from negative stereotypes.

Asian cultural values gap, cognitive flexibility, coping strategies, and parent-child conflicts among Korean Americans.

The study examined Korean American college students' perceived Asian cultural values gap between themselves and their parents, cognitive flexibility, and coping strategies. The relationships between these factors were studied with the intensities and types of parent-child conflicts. The results indicated that the participants adhered less strongly to Asian values than their parents. When faced with conflicts, the participants reported using problem solving coping strategy to the greatest extent, followed by social support coping strategy, and then avoidance coping strategy. Simultaneous regression analyses revealed a positive relationship between the participant-perceived parent-child values gap and the intensity of conflicts, particularly in the area of dating and marriage. There were inverse relationships between cognitive flexibility and the intensity of conflicts, specifically in the area of dating and marriage. A positive relationship was observed between the use of social support coping strategy and intensity of conflicts. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed a significant interaction effect in which participant-perceived parent-child values gap and cognitive flexibility were related to increased frequency of dating and marriage conflicts.

Patterns of Alcohol Use and Attitudes Toward Drinking Among Chinese and Korean American College Students

ABSTRACT This study examined the alcohol consumption patterns and cultural attitudes toward drinking among Chinese and Korean American college students in California. Data were collected from a total of 294 participants comprising 127 Chinese and 167 Korean college students. Some of the major findings revealed that distinct ethnic and gender differences existed in the use of alcohol and attitudes toward drinking. Korean students in the study generally drank more frequently and consumed greater amounts of alcohol than their Chinese counterparts. Female participants were likely to drink less frequently and in smaller quantities than their male counterparts regardless of ethnicity. Korean students were more likely to view drinking as a socially acceptable practice and a means of facilitating social interactions than their Chinese counterparts. Culturally appropriate campus-wide strategies were presented for prevention and intervention of alcohol abuse on college campuses.