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Cultural adaptation of 1.5- and second-generation Koreans in Australia

The role of the heritage language

ORCiD logo with link | The University of Queensland
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with The University of Queensland.

Published online: 12 February 2026
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https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.25013.jee
Abstract
This study investigated a comprehensive profile of 55 1.5- and second-generation Koreans living in Australia in terms of cultural adaptation (i.e., sociocultural adjustment and psychological well-being), acculturation strategies and individual background. In particular, through a survey, this study focused on the relationships among the variables (i.e., acculturation strategies, cultural adaptation, and individual background) and the factors that influence cultural adaptation. Overall, the participants showed a high level of adjustment to Australian society and good mental health. Their preferred acculturation strategy was integration, and they maintained Korean as their heritage language quite well. Self-rated Korean language proficiency was identified as an influencing factor for sociocultural adjustment and psychological well-being, indicating the importance of heritage language maintenance and education for 1.5- and second-generation Koreans. English language proficiency or majority language proficiency was a contributing factor for sociocultural adjustment, while marginalization had a negative effect on mental health. Implications and suggestions for improving the sociocultural adjustment of 1.5- and second-generation Koreans in Australia while maintaining good mental health are discussed.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Cultural adaptation
    • 2.2Heritage language in G1.5 and G2 immigrants
  • 3.Methods
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Instruments
    • 3.3Data collection
    • 3.4Data analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Descriptive data
      • 4.1.1Language background
      • 4.1.2Sociocultural adjustment
      • 4.1.3Psychological well-being
      • 4.1.4Acculturation strategies
    • 4.2Correlation data
    • 4.3Regression data
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Acknowledgement
  • Notes
  • References
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