Study on the Cooperation between the School and Home regarding Education for Children of Multicultural Families in Korea: Multicultural Education Policies and Efforts in Ansan City

Abstract

  This paper examines the level of cooperation between the school and home regarding education for children of multicultural families in Korea. In order to determine the effectiveness of such cooperation and any pertinent issues, this paper first investigates the background and circumstances of multicultural education policies in Korea and then analyzes the multicultural education program at the Won-Il Elementary School in Ansan City (Gyeonggi Province).

  In this paper, we observe the following: First, as a result of globalization and the consequent increase in foreign workers and immigrants through marriage, Korea has enacted laws regarding multiculturalism, such as the Act on the Treatment of Foreigners in Korea and Support for Multicultural Families Act. Based on this situation, various multicultural policies are being implemented by each ministry of the central government in cooperation with local governments. Second, the Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology considers multicultural education policies important for supporting the education of children from multicultural families. The Ministry designates and manages each local school enrolling children from multicultural families as a research school of multicultural education. Third, multicultural education activity conducted in a special class in Won-Il Elementary School in Ansan, Gyeonggi-do is examined from the following viewpoints: (1) establishing and maintaining the social adjustment and identity of minority students, (2) promoting education through mutual human understanding, and (3) promoting the development of mutual cultural understanding.