‘Between two worlds in Asia: Korean youth in Singapore’ by You-Jin Chung & Jayashree Moharty Journal of Population Research

In this article, You-Jin Chung and Assistant Professor Jayashree Moharty (Social Work) investigate acculturative stress and identity formation among Korean adolescents in Singapore, revealing the importance played by context of reception.

Migration within Asia has increased dramatically in recent years; however, very little is known about how Asian immigrant adolescents adapt to their new Asian environments. The present study explores the processes of acculturative stress and identity formation among Korean adolescents living in Singapore. Using focus group discussions among 17 Korean adolescents, the study finds five overarching themes on acculturative stress and identity formation: feeling superior but separated; peer pressure to keep being a Korean; less stress in speaking English; more stress in learning another language; Chinese, pride that ‘I am a Korean’, and multiculturalism. The study findings emphasize the role of context of reception as important in understanding the acculturative stress and identity development of Korean adolescents in Singapore. The implications for quantitative research are discussed.

DOI 10.1007/s12546-014-9130-8

Photo by Namju Lee.