Abstract:
In this descriptive study, a survey questionnaire adapted from the ASQ was used to investigate the nature and relative effects of the stressors experienced by New Zealand-based senior Korean secondary school students in their daily lives from the perspective of the students themselves. Undertaking research with the young people themselves was expected to elicit useful information for counsellors and other helping professionals as well as for parents and teachers, regarding the stressors affecting them, and the ways in which they coped, as well as the resources they found useful. Participants included 533 Korean young people aged between 16 and 19 years who were recruited from 7 secondary schools and 8 Korean church communities in the 5 main geographical areas in Auckland, New Zealand: west, east, south, north, and central. Of these, 502 returned useable questionnaires (213 girls and 289 boys). Results revealed that stressors related to school performance, uncertainty about the future, and conflict between the demands of school work and their need for leisure time, were experienced as the greatest sources of distress for the participants. Parental pressure was related to expectations regarding their school performance, and language barriers were experienced as stressful by a number of participants. While some factors did not prove to be perceived as significant sources of stress for the young people, nevertheless suitable forms of support need to be made available to Korean young people and their parents. The implications for practitioners, including counsellors and teachers, as well as for further research are discussed.
