The Foster Parents Knowledge of the Different Culture - Coursework Example

Information Needs Assessment and Executive Summary Executive Summary:- International adoption very often results in identity crisis among the adoptedpopulation at a later stage in their lives and the foster parents do have a key responsibility in offering constant support and solace to their adopted children. The foster parents’ knowledge of the culture and language of the adopted children is a necessary prerequisite in this regard. The paper tries to make a probe into the Korean language needs of adoptive parents in the United States. For this purpose, the essay unearths the history of Korean adoption to the United States and special efforts have been put to highlight the language needs of both of the population groups under consideration-the adoptees and the foster parents. The literature review reveals that there is a strong relation between the Korean culture and its language; therefore, it is mandatory from the part of the foster parents to know in depth the culture and identity of the children they have adopted. The aim of the paper is to identify the needs and skills that are required of the foster parents to have proficiency in the Korean language and the essay pinpoints the most desirable ways by which Korean language acquisition is possible for the adoptive parents. Information Assessment of Korean language needs of adoptive parents and adoptees: Adoption has always been a sensitive issue as it involves psychological, biological, and ethnic and communication factors. When it comes to international adoption, linguistic and identity crisis dominates the adoption scenario as there are great disparities in the culture, identity, race and language of the foster parents and the adoptees. South Korea has been one of the forerunners as far as international adoptions are concerned. The nation has been the leading force that dominated the international adoption arena since 1958. The very concept of adoption was alien to the world nations prior to the 1950s. Adoption in Korea was an offshoot of the Korean war(1950-53); the war caused great poverty in the nation and the economic instability of the nation and the health related issues that the children had to undergo prompted many Koreans to resort to international adoption as they expected that adoption would provide the children with better opportunities and better living conditions. Most of the Korean children were adopted either by the U.S or European families and many of the thus adopted Korean children were either orphans or children born out- of- wedlock. The Korean Government began its official adoption services in 1954, as the president established children placement services in the nation. Ever since, the rate of adoption from the nation has been at an increasing rate and the Korean Government’s One Child Policy of 1986 has been instrumental for the growth of adoption in the nation. It has been estimated that there have been over 100,000 adoptions from South Korea since 1958. Official statistics make it clear that in 1990, South Korea was the leading nation from which majority of the U.S citizens adopted (37%), whereas by 2001 China and Russia replaced South Korea as the primary countries that offered most number of adoptees to the United States (Donaldson). However, the Korean population still forms one of the dominant sects of adopted population in the United States. One of the major issues faced by the foster parents and the Korean adoptees in the United States is how to deal with the diverse language, culture and identity that prevail among them and at times separate them. Understanding of the Population Group of foster parents who adopt Korean children into their family: The U.S foster parents who adopted Korean children consisted of single parents, widows, couples with no children or parents who have been deserted by their own biological children. There was an increasing demand for adoptees from Korea into the United States due to the insecure and unstable familial ties and subsequent increased rate of divorces in the States. All these factors led to the adoption of more than 98,000 Koreans into various U.S families and the official report from the South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare [1999] reveals that 58% of these adoptees were females (Caughman). As per the official statistics of the U.S. State Department, there is a gradual decline in the number of Korean adoptees to the United States from the year 2003 to 20007. The total number of Korean adoptees to the United States amounted to 1,790 in 2003, whereas it was reduced to 1716 in 2004, 1630 in 2005, 1376 in 2006 and the number of adoptees in 2007 was only 939 (Caughman). The number of adoptees from Korea to U.S.A is likely to decrease considerably in the years to come as Korea has developed as a nation and has acquired remarkable economic stability. The Korean language needs of the foster parents and the adoptees varied from family to family. There were many foster parents as well as adoptees who wanted to either to visit Korea, or to learn about its culture, tradition and language. For most of the foster parents, the process of learning the Korean language was a laborious task as there was considerable difference between the American English and the Korean language. Therefore, foreign language acquisition techniques best suited their cause to learn the Korean language. The role played by the number of bilingual language experts have also helped towards the achievement of this goal. There are a number of computer software that seek to teach Korean language to foreigners and the community programs and culture groups in the nation have also been advocates of the Korean language in the United States. Adoptees were provided with the opportunity to opt the Korean language as a choice for their language studies. The contributions made by the Korean Language and Cultural Center, in this regard, are praiseworthy. The center uses Montessori-based principles and seeks to impart the Korean language through effective learning activities, educational games and puzzles. In addition, Korean folk tales, songs, literature, and computer programs encourage the students to read, write, and speak Korean whereby they are able to experience their unique culture (Kim-Marshell). The centre puts special emphasis on the integration of Korean culture and traditions directly into the classroom and as a result the classroom resembled to that of a Korean community. It is essential to have a thorough understanding of the wealth of literature on Korean adoption to the U.S and the literature review tries to point out the basic tenants and trends of Korean language learning by both the foster parents and the adoptees. Literature Review:- Margie Perscheid (2007) argues that adoptive parents face great challenges if they do not share their children’s ethnic heritage. She believes that every adopted parent should respect and nurture his/her adopted Kid’s Korean race and heritage which would ensure better understanding and intimate relations among the two sects (Perscheid).The adoptive parents need to take their Korean children back to their homelands to make them proud of their rich culture and ethnic language. However, it would be really frustrating for the adoptees to visit their homeland without having grasp over the Korean Language. It is therefore mandatory from the part of both the foster parent and the adoptee to learn the Korean tongue through culture groups, community collaboration, adult education or online courses such as with the assistance of Rosetta stone. Korean movies, TV programs and Korean music offer best opportunity in this regard for the adopted children and the foster parents to get familiarized with the peculiarities of the Korean Language. The foster parents need to bear in their minds that the sense of belonging to the unique culture and race of Korea is what differentiate their children and this will always be a part of their lives. Rev. Sung Chul Park feels that “Korean adoptees raised by Anglo-American parents face tri-cultural identity issues: Korean, American, and adoptee” and the fact that they are “coming from a vastly different culture, different race, different language, and often being the only child of color in the childs home, school, or town” adds to this identity crisis (Park and Chul Park). The severity of this predicament increases when there is not a common language by which the foster parents can provide them support and encouragement. The Results of the Survey of the First Generation of Adult Korean Adoptees by Madelyn Freundlich and Joy Kim Lieberthal (2000) revealed that most of the adopted Koreans explored their Korean heritage through their involvement with organizations (46%) while others resorted to studying or reading about Korean history and culture (40%), traveling to Korea (38%), or through active association with Korean friends or the Korean community (34%). It is significant to note that only 19% of the respondents took initiative to learn Korean language. The survey results point to certain trends among the adoptees; however, the findings cannot be taken for granted as there were only 167 respondents who took part in the survey. 82% of the respondents who participated in the survey were females and 96% of the total population was residing in U.S.A. All the respondents were adopted during the period of 1956-1985 and the median age at the age of adoption was 2 years. (Freundlich and Lieberthal). David J. Silva (2002), in his journal article, points out the Western attitude towards the Korean Language. The indigenous Korean language is sidelined by the over dominating influence of the Chinese language in the nation. David makes it clear that it is a hectic task for a Westerner to learn the Korean language due to its “high degree of synonymy, its complex system of honorific forms, and a laundry list of other grammatical structures that contributed to its complexity (real or imagined): SOV word order, minimal use of personal pronouns, lack of verbal inflections for person and number, and so forth.” ( Silva). This apparent dissimilarity between the Korean language and the Western languages has posed great hurdles for the foster parents to acquire linguistic skills in the Korean tongue. Language courses in the community based language schools have been identified as the major source for the adoptees to learn their native Korean language. However, a study conducted by Jin Sook Lee revealed that even though most of the second generation Korean Americans who study in the universities do have an innate thirst to know their heritage Korean language, they find the existing language courses in the community based language schools quite inadequate to meet their linguistic needs (Sook Lee). A vast number of literatures speak volumes on the relationship between ethnic minority identity and ethnic languages. It has been proved that the greatest bond that unites communities and cultures is the common language shared by people. Baker and Jones (1998) believe that ethnicity is maintained and fostered through a common language, that is “through language, ethnic identity may be expressed, enacted and symbolized” (Baker & Jones, 1998, p. 113) (Baker and Jones). Thus the literature review convinces one of the interrelations between Korean language and Korean indigenous culture. Knowledge of the unique Korean identity of the adopted children is an essential prerequisite for the foster parents in their pursuit to learn the Korean language. The foster parents need to understand the identity crisis faced by the adopted Korean children in the United States; the occasional visits and short stays in the adoptees’ homeland offers an additional advantage for both the foster parents and the adoptees to know the Korean culture and identity more effectively and to acquire Korean linguistic skills more easily. Needs and Skills Identification: The specific needs and skills required for the Korean Language acquisition of adoptive parents include: *Need: Knowledge of the Korean culture and identity Skills: The specific skills include interaction with the immigrant Korean population, occasional visits and short stays at the adoptees’ homeland, watching Korean movies, Korean T.V. programs and listening to Korean music, identifying relevant books and articles on Korean culture and Knowledge of the history, life style, and tradition of the Korean population *Need: Services of the bilingual experts Skills: The specific skills include identification of competent bilingual experts who would be able to assist the foster parents to learn the Korean language through the English language. Skills: The ability to grasp the essential syntactic and grammatical differences between the two languages. *Need: Knowledge of Online Courses and studies on Korean Language Skills: Identification of the centers and sites that offer such online services, basic computer and browsing skills, temperament for constant practice, assimilation and usage of the outputs. *Need: Utilizing the language courses in community based language schools in the United States Skills: study and reference skills, communication and interaction skills *Need: Understanding of the basic notions and principles of Foreign Language Acquisition Skills: intuitive learning of grammar, knowledge regarding mother tongue’s influence on the target language, skills to compare and contrast between the two languages. *Need: Association and collaboration with language communities like the various Korean culture and community groups Skills: comprehension, listening and communication skills Thus, the information assessment of Korean language needs of adoptive parents and adoptees throw light on the various factors that are associated with Korean language learning among the foster parents who have adopted Korean children. The presence of Korean immigrant groups in the U.S and the foster parents’ active involvement in other Korean culture communities’ programs offer immediate opportunities for them to enhance their proficiency in the Korean language. Interviews with foster parents of Korean children reveal that most of them do have an innate desire to learn the Korean language as it better equips them to know and understand the culture and identity of the children they have adopted. However, the absence of a language community that speaks Korean language forces them to resort to other means of acquiring the Korean language in the same manner any foreign language is learned. Works Cited Donaldson, Evan B. International Adoption Facts. Adoption Institute. 2002. 22 Oct. 2008 . Caughman, Susan. Korea Adoption. Adoptive Families. 2008. 22 Oct. 2008. . Kim-Marshell, In Ku. Korean Language and Cultural Center: New Hope Academy. 22 Oct. 2008. . Perscheid, Margie. Race, Culture and Adoptive Families: Mom of Korean teens shares her advice. Rainbowkids.com. May. 2007. 22 Oct. 2008. . Park, Yoonju., and Chul Park, Sung. Love is Thicker than Blood. Why do we need The Korean Adoptees Ministry?What can you do for this stry? Korean Adoptees Ministry Center. 22 Oct. 2008. http://www.kam3000.org/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B4BEADC43-94B6-44B6-BDF3-540A39884FC2%7D&DE=%7B3D5E7270-3E96-4366-91AC-888D1B9E1F14%7D Freundlich, Madelyn., and Lieberthal, Joy Kim. The Gathering of the First Generation of Adult Korean Adoptees: Adoptees’ Perceptions of International Adoption. The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. 1999. 22 Oct. 2008. . Silva, David J. Western Attitudes toward the Korean Language: An Overview of Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Mission Literature. Journal Title: Korean Studies. Vol. 26(2), 2002. Sook Lee, Jin. The Korean Language in America:The Role of Cultural Identity in Heritage Language Learning. Language Culture and Curriculam. Vol. 15(2). 2002. 22 Oct. 2008. . Baker, C., and Jones, S. P. Bilingualism in Communities. Encyclopedia of bilingualism and bilingual education. Philadelphia: Clevedon, 1998. Read More