The impact of bilingual competence on resilience and cultural identity of multicultural children

The purpose of this study was to examine bilingual competence(Korean & mother tongue) of multicultural children, which impact on resilience and cultural identity of them. The subjects of this study were 133 elementary school students from multicultural families consisted of a Korean father and a foreign mother living in Seoul. The main results were as follows. First, according to the mother tongue of foreign mother’s country, it was found that the ability to use international language of multicultural children was higher than that of non-international language, but there is no significant difference in Korean competence of multicultural children. Second, it was found that Korean competence had a positive effect on resilience, but mother tongue competence and foreign mother’s country had no effect on resilience. Third, it was found that mother tongue competence had a positive effect on Korean cultural identity, but Korean competence and foreign mother’s country had no effect on Korean cultural identity. Fourth, it was found that Korean competence had a positive effect on the identity with mother’s culture, but mother tongue competence had a negative effect on the identity with mother’s culture. Finally, foreign mother’s country had no effect on the identity with mother’s culture. In conclusion, it was confirmed that multicultural children should be equipped with Korean competence, which can have a positive impact on resilience and cultural identity.