This study was a qualitative investigation of the process of adaptation of nutrition education programs by marriage immigrant women who completed education programs for training of food citizen leaders. Focus group interviews of seven marriage immigrant women from Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Russia were conducted and analyzed based on the Normalization Process Theory (NPT). Participants were aware of the purpose of the education program (coherence) and their confidence in organizing and reconstructing the knowledge of nutrition was increased after education (reflexive monitoring). However, they had difficulties attending long-term education programs (cognitive participation) and overcoming language barriers (collective action). Although the program was beneficial for the participants in that they could apply acquired nutrition knowledge to their everyday life as food citizen leaders, the continuous monitoring and feed-back system (management), customized application, and consideration of personal and social factors need to be developed and facilitated. In addition, various programs targeting marriage immigrant women may increase economic independence of these women. The NPT proved beneficial in conceptualizing the barriers and facilitators to implementing nutrition education. The successful implementation of nutrition intervention needs special support to overcome barriers to cognitive participation and collective action.

This study seeks to explore the relationship between clothing adaptation and acculturation for married Chinese immigrant women. In addition, it aims to analyze the differences in their clothing consumption behaviors according to acculturation level. To achieve these purposes, a quantitative research study was conducted on 291 wives of Korean-Chinese multicultural families in Seoul and Gyeonggi. The data was analyzed using factor analysis, cluster analysis, ANOVA, and the Duncun test. The findings were as follows. First, the women were divided into three groups based on their level of acculturation, which was defined as ‘assimilated’, ‘marginalized’ and ‘segregated’. Second, the relationship between their acculturation level and their clothing adaptation was identified. The marginalized group had the lowest level of clothing adaptation. Third, the groups’ differences in clothing selection criteria were analyzed. The segregated group considered the practical aspects (price, color, quality) of clothing to be more important than the other groups. The marginalized group scored the lowest in valuing the aesthetic factors (design, style, trendiness) of clothing. Finally, conformity of clothing consumption varied significantly based on acculturation level. The assimilated and marginalized groups showed higher levels conformity than did the segregated group. Clothing purchase location also varied significantly between the three groups. The assimilated and marginalized groups preferred online shopping, but members of the segregated group preferred to carry out their shopping off-line. This study showed that clothing adaptation and clothing consumption behaviors play key roles in understanding the acculturation of multicultural families.

This study was carried out in order to investigate Korean food acculturation by married immigrant women and how it affects their children’s eating habits. Using an in-depth interview method, 26 domestically residing married immigrant Chinese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian women in Korea were surveyed to investigate adaption to Korean food at the time of their immigration, their current dietary life, their preferred Korean food, major factors in managing their children’s eating habits, etc. The results reveal that depending on the married immigrant women’s country of birth, which plays an important role in a family’s dietary life and health, acculturation phenomena occurred in which the specific eating habits of each country were grafted into Korean food. Furthermore, due to their school-age children’s display of acceptance of both their homeland’s and Korea’s food culture, we believe that this can become a pivot point for non-governmental diplomacy where Korean food can be understood along with the mothers’ countries.

이 연구는 국제결혼가정 유아들에 대한 선행연구들이 맥락과 무관한 획일적 연구결과들 을 일반화하는 데 대하여 비판하면서 농촌 국제결혼가정 유아들의 어린이집 생활의 다양성 을 보여주고 그 다양성을 배태하는 맥락들을 이해하는 것을 목표로 하였다. 이를 위해 일 반 유아들에 비해 가정의 구조나 사회경제적 배경이 더 열악함에도 불구하고 그들 못지않 게 생활하고 있는 어린이집을 연구현장으로 삼아 질적 사례연구를 수행하였다. 연구 결과 기존의 선행연구 결과와 달리 농촌 국제결혼가정 유아들은 학습이나 또래관계, 그리고 교 사와의 관계에서 모두 적극적이고 주도적이고 거리낌 없이 생활하고 있음을 생생하게 확인 할 수 있었고 이러한 생활이 가능한 맥락을 교사와 기관, 그리고 지역사회에서 찾았다. 이 연구는 이러한 맥락적 이해를 통해 국제결혼가정 유아에 대한 기존 연구와 편견들이 가진 한계와 문제점을 지적함과 동시에 국제결혼가정 유아에 대한 편견을 해체하고 올바르게 이 해할 뿐만 아니라 그들의 올바른 교육적 성장을 위해 교사는 물론 교육기관 그리고 지역사 회까지 중요한 환경으로 작동한다는 것을 인지하고 교육적 실천에 있어서도 체계적 접근이 필요하다는 점을 강조하였다

본 연구는 결혼이주여성의 한국어 능력이 가족생활에 어떤 영향을 미치고 있는지 분석하고, 이주여성의 한국어 이해 증진 및 가족생활 제고 방안을 제안하는데 목적이 있다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 경기도가족여성연구원이 2006년 수집한 경기지역 결혼이주여성 810명 자료를 분석하였다. 분석결과에 의하면, 이주여성의 한국어 사용능력은 낮고, 한국어 학습기회를 가졌던 사람도 많지 않았고, 여가생활을 비롯한 가족생활 의사결정 참여도 낮았다. 특히 이주여성의 한국어 사용능력은 여가생활이나 가족생활 의사결정 참여에 유의미한 영향을 미쳤고, 가족생활의 내용에 따라 남편의 정보, 결혼 유형, 자녀 유무, 취업 여부 등이 가족생활에 유의미한 영향을 미친 것으로 나타났다. 이상의 결과를 바탕으로 본 연구는 이주여성의 한국어 사용능력 개선과 가족생활 참여 제고 방안을 제안하였다.