University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 8-2010 The Relationship Between Adaptation Patterns of Recent Korean Immigrants and Team Identification with the tlantaA Braves Major League Baseball Team: A Mixed Methods Study Ji-Ho Kim University of Tennessee - Knoxville Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Recommended Citation Kim, Ji-Ho, "The Relationship Between Adaptation Patterns of Recent Korean Immigrants and Team Identification with the tlantaA Braves Major League Baseball Team: A Mixed Methods Study. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2010. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/812 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Ji-Ho Kim entitled "The Relationship Between Adaptation Patterns of Recent Korean Immigrants and Team Identification with the tlantaA Braves Major League Baseball Team: A Mixed Methods Study." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Exercise and Sport Sciences. Joy T. DeSensi, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Vincent A. Anfara, Lars Dzikus, Daniel J. Flint Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Ji-Ho Kim entitled “The Relationship between Adaptation Patterns of recent Korean Immigrants and Team Identification with the Atlanta Braves Major League Baseball Team: A Mixed-Methods Study. I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Exercise and Sport Sciences. Joy T. DeSensi Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: Vincent A. Anfara Lars Dzikus Daniel J. Flint Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) ii THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ADAPTATION PATTERNS OF RECENT KOREAN IMMIGRANTS AND TEAM IDENTIFICATION WITH THE ATLANTA BRAVES MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Ji-Ho Kim August 2010 Copyright © 2010 by Ji-Ho Kim All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my wife, Ji-Hyang, and my family in Korea. I received incomparable support and love from them, and I would not have been able to complete my degree without their support. In addition, being a father of two daughters, Se-Min and Se- Yeon, was always the biggest motivation in life. I love you all. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have received great support from many people through the entire process of this dissertation. I owe a special thanks to my dissertation committee, Dr. Vincent Anfara, Dr. Lars Dzikus, and Dr. Daniel Flint for their expertise, support, and encouragement. In particularly, my advisor and the chair of this dissertation, Dr. Joy DeSensi, I really appreciate your support through the Ph.D. program and she was always a great role model I would like to follow as a researcher and educator. In addition, I would like to say thank you to Mike O‟Neil who offered statistical consultation. Finally, I cannot forget to say thank for all research participants for my dissertation. iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this explanatory mixed-methods study was to understand how Korean immigrants develop team identification with the Atlanta Braves and MLB teams with Korean players. This study involved two research phases. In the quantitative phase, the relationships between variables in the conceptual framework were tested based on quantitative data. The data were collected at Korean ethnic churches in Atlanta and at the championship game of the Atlanta Korean Adult Baseball League. The primary purpose of the follow-up qualitative research in the second phase was to elaborate and explain the results of the quantitative data analysis in the first phase. Four hundred six Korean immigrants in the Atlanta area participated in the survey, and 391 obtained data were valid for the measurement model and structure model test. SPSS 18 and AMOS 18 were utilized to test reliability, construct validity, measurement model, and structure model. The quantitative data analysis showed acceptable reliability, construct validity (convergent validity and discriminant validity), measurement model fit (CMIN/DF = 1.785; CFI = .963; RMSEA = .045) and structure model fit (the integration group: CMIN/DF = 2.396, CFI = .982, RMSEA = .060; segregation group: CMIN/DF = 2.499, CFI = .980, RMSEA = .062). Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted for the follow-up qualitative research. The research participants were selected based on a two-stage case selection method (Ivankova, 2004). The interview questions for the follow-up qualitative research were developed based on the results of the statistical analysis of the relationship among variables in the conceptual framework. Both the results of the quantitative and qualitative research showed that the adaptation patterns of Korean immigrants with involvement in sports and MLB games were significant v predictors in explaining team identification of Korean immigrants with the Atlanta Braves and MLB teams with Korean players. At the same time, however, the results of the quantitative and qualitative research suggested that a holistic understanding of Korean immigrants‟ lives in Atlanta should be required for a better comprehension of their team identification with the Atlanta Braves and MLB teams with Korean players. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION..……………………………………………………….1 Statement of Problem……………………………………………………………………..1 Purpose of Study…………………………………….…………………………………….3 Research Questions………………………………………………………………………..3 Research Hypotheses……………………………………………………………………4 Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………………6 Limitations and Delimitations.…………………………………………………………….8 Limitations………………………………………………………………………8 Delimitations…….………………………………………………………………12 Significance of the Study………………………………………………………………12 Organization of Dissertation..………………………………….…………………..15 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE……………………………………17 Chapter Introduction…………………………………………………………………….17 Part I: Korean Immigration History and Demographic Data of Korean Americans.……17 Korean Immigration History into the United States……………………………..18 Demographic Analysis of Korean Immigrants…………………………………..19 Second generation of Korean Americans…………………………………..……21 Part II: Sports and Korean immigrants…..………………………………………………22 Sports in South Korea………………………………………………………….23 The Role of Sports to Immigrants……………………………………………24 Part III: Conceptual Framework……………………………………………………28 vii Adaptation Theories………………….…………………………………………..28 Assimilation Theory……………………………………………………...29 Adhesive Sociocultural Adaptation Model………………………………31 Acculturation Theory…………………………………………………….34 Team Identification………………………………………………………………37 Motives of Team Identification.…………………………………………38 Moderating effect of MLB Involvement on Sport Consumer Behaviors………..39 Conceptual Model for this Study….……………………..…………………40 Part IV: Summary……..……………………………..…………………………………41 CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH DESIGN…………………………….………..………………….43 Chapter Introduction…………………………………………..…………………………43 Rationale for a Mixed Methods Study……….…………………….…………………….43 Research Design…………………………………………………….……………………45 Data Collection Strategy: Sequential Intermethod Mixing Data Collection…..47 Data Analysis Strategy: Integration of Quantitative and Qualitative Data…….49 Target Population……………………………………………….………………50 The Role of the Researcher……………………………………………….……………...51 First Phase: Quantitative Research Methods..……………..…………………………….53 Methods and Procedure……………………………………………………….….53 Variables in the Conceptual Framework………………………..………..53 Survey Instrument…………………………..…………………..………..55 Pilot Study.…………………………………………………………........57 Translation……………………………………………………….58 viii Sampling for Pilot Study…………………………………………58 Pilot Study Results……………………………………………….58 Scale Confirmation……………………………………………………59 Reliability and Construct Validity……………………………….60 Reliability……………………………………………..…60 Construct Validity………………………………………..64 Convergent Validity…………………………….64 Discriminant Validity…………………………….64 Quantitative Data Collection for Main Study…………………………………....65 Sample Selection and Survey Administration…………………………65 Quantitative Data Analysis………………………………………………………66 Confirmatory Factor Analysis……………………………………............67 Descriptive Statistics and Data Screening……………………………….67 Handling Missing Data……….…………………………………………68 Measurement Model Test………………………………………………………..68 Reliability and Construct Validity……………………………………….69 Structural Model Test…………………….……………………………………...69 Test of Hypotheses……………………………………………………….69 Moderator Effect………………..………………………………………70 Cutoff