An Examination of Community Support Programs for Bicultural Heritage Children in South Korea — A Case Study of Family Centres in Gyeonggi Province
김지영
Monash University
국어교육학연구 60권 5호 195-222 (2025)
초록
This study examines the current status and future prospects of support programs that facilitate heritage language (HL) education among bicultural children in South Korea. As the number of bicultural families continues to rise (Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 2025), maintaining HL proficiency has become increasingly vital for fostering cultural and linguistic identity, promoting self-esteem, and supporting children’s adaptation to Korean society. To explore HL maintenance efforts, this study employs a web-based descriptive and content analysis approach, collecting and analysing information from the webpages of 31 Family Centres located in Gyeonggi Province, the region with the largest population of marriage migrants. The findings indicate that 24 out of the 31 centres offered HL support programs, while the remaining seven centres did not provide any related services. In addition, the HL programs currently offered are predominantly focused on Chinese and Vietnamese, reflecting the linguistic backgrounds of the major marriage migrant groups in the region. In conclusion, the study aims to contribute to the enhancement of HL education for bicultural children by identifying the limited opportunities available for them to learn and maintain the HL and culture of their foreign-born parent. These findings suggest that children whose HL belongs to less commonly supported language groups may face further constraints, highlighting the need to expand both the accessibility and linguistic diversity of HL education within South Korea’s rapidly diversifying multicultural context. Ultimately, the study offers valuable insights for community and governmental stakeholders seeking to maximise the benefits of HL education.
키워드
Multicultural familybicultural familyheritage languageheritage language educationfamily centres
