Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

More documents

Recommendations

Info

During their interviews all four teachers revealed gapsin their knowledge about the Korean children and theirfamilies’ circumstances. Three teachers were unawarethat the children were living in Australia with only theirmothers and siblings. There was also an apparentmismatch between teachers’ perceptions and mothers’perceptions about the English language abilities of newKorean students. In all cases the teachers reportedthat the children came to Australia with ‘no English’,though two children had received intensive privateEnglish tuition for nearly six months before arrival.These findings indicated that some educators need tobecome better informed about the educational contextof the international students in their classes (Gay, 2002;Kwon et al., 2010). Deeper understanding would alsoreinforce development of stronger teacher–parentrelationships (DEEWR, 2009; Handscombe, 1994).Educational and cultural experiencesJae Hoon’s experience shows the importance ofinternational students’ accessibility to other studentsfrom the same country. Only after the teacher introducedhim to other Korean students did Jae Hoon begin todisplay signs of cultural adjustment. Consistent withSonderegger & Barrett (2004), his anxiety decreasedonce he formed relationships with these students.The two children who had received intensive Englishtuition in Korea were reported as showing signs ofquicker cultural adjustment. However, that thesewere the two eldest children may be relevant. Allfour children’s self-description indicated that duringthe early weeks at school in Australia they had poorself-esteem regarding English language skills andexperienced varying levels of anxiety. The mothers andteachers said the children’s process of acculturationwas ameliorated by social support from peers andteachers (Sonderegger & Barrett, 2004).Serendipitous findings involved the needs of the mothers.The families in this study had no contacts in Australia priorto arrival and needed to generate new social networks.Problems of social isolation were significant, particularlyfor one mother who arrived with no English skills.RecommendationsIn this study, three teachers expressed frustration atwhat they perceived to be limited language supportfor the Korean students in their classes. Since Englishlanguage difficulties are a barrier to cultural adjustment,the children may benefit from an initial intensivelanguage course similar to the New Arrivals programs.Korean students’ mothers may also benefit fromaccess to language support.Teachers voiced concern about lack of teacherprofessional development regarding internationalstudents. Professional development opportunitieswhich will increase cultural competence by learningabout Korean society, culture and the educationsystem could benefit teachers. In order to developstrong partnerships with the families, early childhoodeducators of Korean students should familiarisethemselves with the culture and circumstances oftheir students’ families. This could be achieved throughwelcome activities at the school, in addition to clearcommunication about the children’s education historyat the time of enrolment. Australian teachers couldinitiate teacher–parent relationships by acknowledgingthe central role of rote-learning in Korean education anddiscussing with Korean families why textbooks andhomework are not used with young Australian learners.Lists of Korean churches, shops and social organisationsin South Australia, translated into Korean, could also bemade available through schools to promote culturaladjustment for the whole family through a networkbased on shared linguistic and cultural background.School principals may facilitate smoother transitionby placing Korean children in classes with otherKorean students. The experiences of Korean mothersaccompanying young children on student visas may bean area for further investigation.Given the increasing number of Korean students enrollingin DECS schools (SA DECS, 2010) a larger, qualitativestudy is required to increase Australian educators’understanding about the cultural adjustment needs ofthese students. A large-scale study may also considerhow the presence of Korean international studentsaffects teaching approaches, learning experiences, andrelationships between teachers and other students.LimitationsThe case-study approach used meant only the viewsof full-fee-paying, international students were included.It was only possible to obtain a maternal perspectivebecause of geographic separation of parents. Languagedifferences may have affected the findings as parentparticipants all used a combination of Korean and Englishand the researcher relied on an interpreter. The interpreteralso acknowledged difficulty translating some words forwhich there is no equivalent meaning in Korean.This research was undertaken to fulfil the requirementsof the author’s Honours study and the sample size waslimited owing to time restrictions. Care should be takenin generalising the findings because of the small numberof participants and the limitations of purposive sampling.ConclusionThis study indicates that a number of factors mayfacilitate, or impede, the cultural adjustment ofKorean children transitioning into South Australianjunior primary schools. English language difficulties16A u s t r a l a s i a n J o u r n a l o f E a r l y C h i l d h o o d
immediately impact on children’s capacity tocommunicate, causing complications for newly arrivedstudents as they commence relationships with peersand teachers. Social interaction affects development ofself-esteem and identity, therefore it is crucial to providean environment in which Korean children will establishpositive relationships as quickly as possible. Earlychildhood educators need to provide ample opportunitiesfor English language learning, including significant levelsof explicit instruction, rather than relying on immersion.After a number of months attending school in SouthAustralia the children in this study were found tohave adapted reasonably well to Australian teachingapproaches. However, to ensure successful and rapidcultural adjustment to Australian education settingsfor future students, educators should ensure theyunderstand the kinds of experiences children have hadprior to arrival in Australia. In conjunction with increasedknowledge about Korean culture, teachers will beable to confidently offer sensitive support to Koreaninternational students. The creation of this awarenessand knowledge is not solely the responsibility ofteachers but needs to be addressed by policy-makersthrough provision of professional developmentopportunities for staff working with Korean students,and increased funding for English language programs.AcknowledgementsThe author thanks the children, parents and teachers whoso thoughtfully participated in the study; Eun-Joo Lee forher assistance with participant recruitment and interpreting;and Dr. Victoria Whitington for her valued guidance.ReferencesArmitage, L. (1999). Factors affecting the adjustment ofKoreans studying in Australia. Queensland: SwinburneUniversity of Technology.Australian Government Department of Education, Employmentand Workplace Relations (DEEWR) (2009). Belonging, being &becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia(p. 16). Canberra: DEEWR.Billman, N., Geddes, C., & Hedges, H. (2005). Teacher-parentpartnerships: sharing understandings and making changes.Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 30(1), 44–48.Bodrova, E., Leong, D. J., Hensen, R., & Henninger, M.(2000). Imaginative, child-directed play: leading the way indevelopment and learning. Dimensions of Early Childhood,28(4): 25–30.Butcher, A. P. (2004). Educate, consolidate, immigrate:educational immigration in Auckland, New Zealand. AsiaPacific Viewpoint, 45(2): 255–278.Coelho, E. (1994). Social integration of immigrant and refugeechildren. In F. Genesee (Ed), Educating second languagechildren: the whole child, the whole curriculum, the wholecommunity (pp. 301–327). Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPress.Dockett, S., & Perry B. (2005). Researching with children:insights from the Starting School Research Project. Early ChildDevelopment and Care, 175(6): 507–521.Dooley, K., (2003). Reconceptualising equity: pedagogyfor Chinese students in Australian schools. The AustralianEducational Researcher, 30(3): 25–42.Farver, J. M., Kim, Y. K., & Lee, Y. (1995). Cultural differencesin Korean- and Anglo-American preschoolers’ social interactionand play behaviours. Child Development, 66: 1088–1099.Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching.Journal of Teacher Education, 53(2): 106–116.Handscombe, J. (1994). Putting it all together. In F. Genesee(Ed), Educating second language children: the whole child,the whole curriculum, the whole community (pp. 331–356).Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Hill, S. (1994). Cooperative communities in early childhood.Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 19(4): 44–48.Kim, U., & Choi, S-H. (1994) Individualism, collectivism, andchild development: a Korean perspective. In P. M. Greenfield& R. R. Cocking (Eds), Cross-cultural roots of minority childdevelopment (pp. 227–257). New Jersey: Lawrence ErlbaumAssociates Inc.Kim, K. H. (2004). Expanded opportunity, persistent inequality:social class and gender differentials in school transitions inKorea, Paper presented at the Association Coreenne d’EtudesPolitiques Francaise’s International Conference. Japan: Centerfor the Study of Social Stratification and Inequality.Kwon, O. Y. (2000). Australia-Korea relations in education:issues and prospects. Korea Papers, 2: 6–31. Nathan, Qld:Australian Centre for Korean Studies.Kwon, K. Y., Suh, Y., Bang, Y-S., Jung, J., & Moon, S. (2010).The note of discord: examining educational perspectivesbetween teachers and Korean parents in the U.S. Teaching andTeacher Education, 26: 497–506.Lee, J., Park, E., & Kim, H. (2000). Literacy education in Korea:a sociocultural perspective. Childhood Education, 76(6): 347–351.Lim, L., & Renshaw, P. (2001). The relevance of socioculturaltheory to culturally diverse partnerships and communities.Journal of Child and Family Studies, 10(1): 9–21.MacNaughton, G., Rolfe, S. A., & Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2001).Doing early childhood research: international perspectives ontheory and practice. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative dataanalysis: an expanded sourcebook (2nd edn). Thousand Oaks,Cal: SAGE Publications.Nelson, B. (Minister for Education, Science and Training)(2003). Engaging the world through education: ministerialstatement on the internationalisation of Australian educationand training. Canberra: Department of Education, Science andTraining, Commonwealth of Australia.Nunan, D. (2003). The impact of English as a global languageon educational policies and practices in the Asia-Pacific region.TESOL Quarterly, 37(4): 589–613.Okagaki, L., & Diamond, K. E. (2000). Responding to culturaland linguistic differences in the beliefs and practices of familieswith young children. Young Children, 55(3): 74–80.Park, S., & Lahman, M. K. E. (2003). Bridging perspectivesof parents, teachers and co-researchers: methodologicalreflections on cross-cultural research. Reflective Practice, 4(3):375–383.Vo l u m e 3 6 N u m b e r 3 S e p t e m b e r 2 011 17
Page 3 and 4: 1.5 Display, download or print the
Page 5 and 6: Volume 36 Number 3 September 2011Jo
Page 7 and 8: Curriculum guidelines for early lit
Page 9 and 10: ■■Know that print carries meani
Page 14 and 15: Korean children’s cultural adjust
Page 16 and 17: The Early Years Learning Framework
Page 18: Kyung Min said listening in class w
Page 23 and 24: Child participation in the early ye
Page 25 and 26: their kindergarten day. A study by
Page 27 and 28: the overall organisation, routines,
Page 29 and 30: Council of Australian Governments (
Page 31: Learning to measure length in the f
Page 34 and 35: ■■a 40-minute, one-on-one inter
Page 36 and 37: ■■72 per cent of the project sc
Page 38 and 39: In other words, the difficulties th
Page 40 and 41: An analysis of New Zealand’s chan
Page 42 and 43: Before five also gave equivalent st
Page 44 and 45: some evidence that curriculum effec
Page 46 and 47: achievement; aiding transition to s
Page 49 and 50: ‘It’s a mystery!’A case study
Page 51: analysis of discourse the children
Page 56 and 57: ange of objects on the floor (such
Page 58 and 59: Observation and recording informati
Page 60 and 61: ‘I’m making it different to the
Page 62 and 63: Purpose and theoretical frameworkIn
Page 64 and 65: The fingers were reaching out acros
Page 66 and 67: Figure 7. ‘I take this lovely lad
Page 68 and 69: Here, Rachel used substitution to r
Page 70:
Evaluating the feasibility, effecti
Page 73 and 74:
Table 2. Descriptive characteristic
Page 75 and 76:
The children in this study were fro
Page 77 and 78:
Vol. 36 No. 3 September 2011Austral
Page 79 and 80:
implement the curriculum effectivel
Page 81 and 82:
Table 2. Mean differences between H
Page 83 and 84:
can be regarded as one of the infor
Page 85 and 86:
Ganser, T. (2000). An ambitious vis
Page 87 and 88:
(Buckhalt et al., 2009). Reduced qu
Page 89 and 90:
invited families having difficulty
Page 91 and 92:
Table 3. Mean hours of mother and f
Page 93 and 94:
A reduction in night wakings might
Page 95 and 96:
A preliminary exploration of childr
Page 97 and 98:
adult support necessary for its eff
Page 99 and 100:
Children’s cortisol and alpha-amy
Page 102 and 103:
Connor, C., Son, S.-H., Hindman, A.
Page 104 and 105:
Equity of access:Requirements of In
Page 106 and 107:
excursions, which have been reporte
Page 108 and 109:
We need a bus but we also need a st
Page 110 and 111:
Appropriate child careIndigenous fa
Page 112 and 113:
Australian Institute of Health and
Page 114 and 115:
The Mosaic Approach relies on child
Page 116 and 117:
participants (Altrichter, Posch, &
Page 118 and 119:
distance. This involved trying to b
Page 120 and 121:
Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2003). Ch
Page 122 and 123:
experiences (Bandura, 1997). Belief
Page 124 and 125:
the curriculum while on their profe
Page 126 and 127:
Exploring and evaluating levels of
Page 128 and 129:
Level 2: Attending to feelingsThis
Page 130 and 131:
This process to ensure coder stabil
Page 132 and 133:
DiscussionStructured reflective pro
Page 134 and 135:
Rock, T. C., & Levin, B. B. (2002).
Page 136 and 137:
issues encountered in their caring
Page 138 and 139:
pertaining to the impact and suppor
Page 140 and 141:
Parents felt the policies involving
Page 142 and 143:
and access suitable carers because
Page 144 and 145:
Ievers, C. E., & Drotar, D. (1996).
Page 146:
www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.auE
show all

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?