Korea Business Review

Korea Business Review

Edited by: Hyoung-Goo Kang Print ISSN: 2951-3596 Online ISSN: 2951-360X © THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. Frequency: Quarterly (four times per year): February 28, May 31, August 31, and November 30
Cover
Latest Issue Vol. 60, No. 5 2025

Article Info

An Examination of Community Support Programs for Bicultural Heritage Children in South Korea — A Case Study of Family Centres in Gyeonggi Province

Jiyoung Kim

Monash University

Korea Business Review 60Vol. 5No. pp.195-222 (2025)

DOI: 10.20880/kler.2025.60.5.195

Abstract

This study examines the current status and future prospects of support programs that facilitate heritage language (HL) education among bicultural children in South Korea. As the number of bicultural families continues to rise (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 2025), maintaining HL proficiency has become increasingly vital for fostering cultural and linguistic identity, promoting self-esteem, and supporting children’s adaptation to Korean society. To explore HL maintenance efforts, this study employs a web-based descriptive and content analysis approach, collecting and analysing information from the webpages of 31 Family Centres located in Gyeonggi Province, the region with the largest population of marriage migrants. The findings indicate that 24 out of the 31 centres offered HL support programs, while the remaining seven centres did not provide any related services. In addition, the HL programs currently offered are predominantly focused on Chinese and Vietnamese, reflecting the linguistic backgrounds of the major marriage migrant groups in the region. In conclusion, the study aims to contribute to the enhancement of HL education for bicultural children by identifying the limited opportunities available for them to learn and maintain the HL and culture of their foreign-born parent. These findings suggest that children whose HL belongs to less commonly supported language groups may face further constraints, highlighting the need to expand both the accessibility and linguistic diversity of HL education within South Korea’s rapidly diversifying multicultural context. Ultimately, the study offers valuable insights for community and governmental stakeholders seeking to maximise the benefits of HL education.

Keywords

Multicultural familybicultural familyheritage languageheritage language educationfamily centres

References

  1. [1] [학술지(정기간행물)] Cummins, J./Heritage language teaching in Canadian schools/Journal of Curriculum Studies/1992/24(3)/281~286//10.1080/0022027920240306
  2. [2] [학술지(정기간행물)] Hong Yonghee/A case study on the teaching of the Cambodian language by parents to children of Cambodian multicultural families/Multicultural Education Studies/2017/10(4)/85~126//
  3. [3] [학술지(정기간행물)] Jeong, Young-joo/A Study on the Effects of Korean Language Proficiency of Children from Multicultural Families on Their School Life/Welfare & Cultural Diversity Studies/2019/12(1)/1~21//
  4. [4] [학술지(정기간행물)] Kim Jiyoung/Parental perceptions towards heritage language education for bicultural children in South Korea: Interviews with non-Korean parents from bicultural families/Korean Linguistics/2023/19(2)/163~189//10.1075/kl.00005.kim
  5. [5] [학술지(정기간행물)] Kim Myoung Kwang/The Bi-lingual education for Multi-cultural family/The Journal of Korean Language Education Research/2016/4/23~40//
  6. [6] [학술지(정기간행물)] Mo Kyung-hwan/Current status and future directions of language education policy for linguistic minority students/Multicultural Education Studies/2015/8(3)/197~226//10.14328/MES.2015.9.30.197
  7. [7] [학술지(정기간행물)] Paola Escudero/Needs and demands for heritage language support in Australia: results from a nationwide survey/Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development/2023//~//10.1080/01434632.2023.2189261
  8. [8] [학술지(정기간행물)] Park M. Y./Changing attitudes toward heritage language education: a longitudinal study of marriage-migrant mothers in South Korea/International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism/2024/27(8)/1114~1127//10.1080/13670050.2024.2340007
  9. [9] [학술지(정기간행물)] Park S. M./Parents’ attitudes toward heritage language maintenance for their children and their efforts to help their children maintain the heritage language: A case study of Korean-Canadian immigrants/Language, Culture and Curriculum/2007/20(3)/223~235//10.2167/lcc337.0
  10. [10] [학술지(정기간행물)] Park Sehi/A Study on Dual Language Education for Multicultural Students -Focused on Identity Texts Project-/The Journal of Humanities and Social science/2022/13(5)/1297~1311//10.22143/HSS21.13.5.91
  11. [11] [학술지(정기간행물)] Won, Jin Sook/Exploring Language Education Policies for Our Society’s Language-Minority Children in Multicultural Era/Urimal/2014/39/25~57//
  12. [12] [학술지(정기간행물)] TİRYAKİOL, S./Turkish Heritage Language Programs for Immigrant Children in the United States: The Current State and Opportunities/RumeliDE Dil ve Edebiyat Araştırmaları Dergisi/2023/34/457~471//10.29000/rumelide.1316209

Korea Business Review · THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION.

Print ISSN 2951-3596 · Online ISSN 2951-360X

Privacy PolicyTerms of UseContact UsKMA Homepage

TEL : 010-2672-3919 EMAIL : kbr2editor@gmail.com 계좌번호 : 신한 140-009-175743 예금주 : (사)한국경영학회 COPYRIGHT ⓒ 2023 THE KOREAN ACADEMIC SOCIETY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION. All rights reserved