Development of a Korean Life Adaptation Measure for Female Marriage Immigrants

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a Korean life adaptation measure for female marriage immigrants in multicultural families. To construct scale items, critical issues and difficulties associated with the adaptation to Korean life among female marriage immigrants were identified and categorized through literature review. As a result, 26 scale items were constructed, and development and validation of a measure for the adaptation to Korean life was attempted, using data drawn from a questionnaire survey in which 558 female marriage immigrants participated. Results of exploratory factor analyses revealed 5 factors: factor 1 ‘understanding of family & Korean culture’; factor 2 ‘understanding & utilization of local community’; factor 3 ‘understanding & utilization of the Korean language’; factor 4 ‘interpersonal relation and social activities’; and factor 5 ‘adaptation to Korean foods.’ The final 5 factor scale consisted of a total of 23 items, and these factors accounted for 56.87% of variance. This scale was found to be reliable in terms of internal consistency, as suggested by Cronbach’s alpha .89. In terms of validity, the scale showed a proper discriminant power, criterion and incremental validity. Based on these findings, the scale’s applicability in multicultural family studies was discussed.