A Phenomenological Study on the School Adjustment of Returned Missionary’s Children

This study aims to provide data on research and methods on the adaptation of returned missionary’s children to school life by exploring the subjective experience of their adaptation to school life and factors to affect on it. Interviews were conducted with 7 middle and high school students among missionary’s children within 5 years after returning home. 114 semantic concepts, 23 subcategories, and 5 upper categories were finally derived as a result of the analysis. Five upper categories are as follows. The first category is the phenomenon before adaptation to school life and subcategories are the academic environment and the family atmosphere. The second category is the difficulties of adaptation to school life and subcategories are cultural heterogeneity, relationship difficulties, complexity of educational method and system, and academic difficulties. The third category is the psychological effects of adaptation to school life and subcategories are a lack of belonging, alienation, burden, conformity to friends, positive and negative changes in personality, and changes of family relationships. The fourth category is the influence needed to adaptation to school life and subcategories are the influence of family, friend, teacher, faith, and overseas experience, and expecting help to needed for adaptation to school life. The fifth category is the meaning of adaptation to school life and subcategories are self-reflection, being independent, improvement of adaptability, and increasement of sociability. It is meaningful that this study presents a rich subjective experience of returned missionary’s children and contributes to promote related studies.