The Impact of the Acceptance Trajectories of Korean Culture and Origin Cultural Heritage on College Enrollment Among Multicultural Youth in Korea

Due to the Korean government’s open immigration policy, the number of multicultural youth has been increasing recently. The most critical choices for multicultural youth in adapting to Korean society are related to college enrollment and employment. This study utilized survey data collected over nine waves, and the empirical model is the Latent Class Growth Model. This study is novel in that it simultaneously traces the nine-year dual trajectories of Korean culture acceptance and heritage culture acceptance among multicultural youth, an aspect rarely examined in prior research. By applying a Latent Class Growth Model to this longitudinal dataset, the study aims to identify heterogeneous acculturation pathways and evaluate their predictive power for educational outcomes. The research results revealed that multicultural youth can be categorized into three different groups: integration, modest assimilation, and high assimilation. The independent variables used to identify these groups, including national identity, self-resilience, and parental factors, were statistically significant. The influence of these groups on college enrollment and employment decisions was also identified. Based on these findings, educational authorities should identify the class of multicultural youth at the time of elementary school enrollment and implement education tailored to their class to support their choices.