Developmental Trajectory of Korean Adolescents’ Multicultural Receptivity Applying a Latent Growth Model

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the developmental trajectory of Korean adolescents’ multicultural receptivity with a latent growth model. The study was performed using the data of 5,943 students (2,918 boys and 3,025 girls) who sincerely responded to all the questions used as variables in the data in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th years of the Korean Education Longitudinal Study: KELS 2013 by the Korean Educational Development Institute. The research results are as follows: First, adolescents’ multicultural receptivity insignificantly decreased, as they grew up. Second, peer relations, teacher relations, and community spirit in the early youth influenced the formation of early multicultural receptivity. Third, teacher relations had a positive relationship with multicultural receptivity and affected the change in multicultural receptivity later. Finally, community spirit had a positive relationship with multicultural receptivity, and as time passes, it affects the decrease of adolescents’ multicultural receptivity. In conclusion, this study has the significance that it investigated longitudinal changes in multicultural receptivity. The study reviewed and discussed the implications and limitations of the study based on the research results.