Analysis of Parents' Perceptions and Needs Regarding Educational Support Policies for Children from Multicultural Families

Objectives This study analyzes the perceptions and needs of parents from multicultural families regarding educational support policies for children from multicultural families in Korea. Methods Changes in multicultural children's education support policies were explored through literature analysis, and perceptions and needs were analyzed through interviews with parents from multicultural families. Results Foreign parents of multicultural families were hardly receiving the benefits of multicultural family support policies due to problems such as communication skills, lack of publicity, and forms of support. The biggest difficulties in children's education experienced in multicultural families include nationality issues, Korean communication skills, and difficulties adapting to Korean life and culture. Lastly, consistent learning support, improved convenience for users, emotional support for children, active policy guidance, and support for foreign parents were cited as improvements to existing policies and support. Conclusions Korea multicultural support policy needs to explore various ways to provide practical help to families. In order for children from multicultural families to actually adapt to school, specific policy attention and support is needed not only for academic aspects but also for affective areas such as emotions and social skills.