Ethnic identity development of Korean, international, transracial adoptees

International adoption into the United States began after World War II and increased after the Korean War. This phenomenon resulted in Korean, international, transracial adoptees (KITRAs), who have a distinct experience developing their ethnic identity.;The relationships between Korean, international, transracial adoptees' (KITRAs') measured ethnic identity and (a) learning about Korean culture as children and (b) being raised in an ethnically diverse community were examined. The primary hypotheses were: (a) KITRAs' ethnic identity scores, as measured by the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), would be positively correlated with self-reports of learning about Korean culture as children, as measured by the KITRA Self-Report Questionnaire; and (b) KITRAs' ethnic identity scores, as measured by the MEIM, would be positively correlated with self-reports of being raised in an ethnically diverse community, as measured by the KITRA Self-Report Questionnaire.;There was no support for a relationship between measured ethnic identity and either learning about Korean culture as a child or being raised in an ethnically diverse community. However, being active in Korean-American or Korean adoptee organizations was significantly positively correlated with measured ethnic identity scores.;Overall, participants had little exposure to Korean culture as children and were not raised in ethnically diverse communities. The KITRAs who learned about Korean culture as children were more likely to use the self-reported ethnic identifications, "Korean" or "Asian-American." The adoptees who were not exposed to Korean culture as children were more likely to use the self-reported ethnic identification "Korean-American.";There was evidence of a relationship between measured ethnic identity and the participants' self-reported ethnic identifications. Those who identified as "Korean-American" or "Asian-American" had slightly higher MEIM scores. The adoptees who identified as "American" had significantly lower MEIM scores.;The findings contributed to the body of knowledge about KITRAs' ethnic identity development. In addition, possibilities for future research on KITRAs' ethnic identity were suggested.