THE SOCIOCULTURALLY CONSTRUCTED MULTIVOICED SELF AS A FRAMEWORK FOR CHRISTIAN EDUCATION OF SECOND-GENERATION KOREAN AMERICAN YOUNG ADULTS

This article proposes a new framework for theory and practice of Christian education for second-generation Korean American young adults using the literature of sociocultural constructionism and the multivoiced self. This framework can provide holistic nurture and future trajectories in which to encourage a reflexive, praxis-generating faith. The author calls for a fostering of authentic community in which young adults can engage in self construction and self integration through their narrative.     

A comparison of Korean and American elementary educators’ self-determination practices

Korean general and special educators (n = 229) and American general and special educators (n = 348) were surveyed to explore (a) their perceptions of the importance of self-determination for students with disabilities, (b) how frequently they teach it, (c) the relationship between their perception of the importance of teaching self-determination and how often they teach it, and (d) the barriers they perceive that inhibit them from teaching it. American general and special educators attached higher importance to self-determination instruction than their Korean counterparts, but Korean educators taught self-determination skills to their students with disabilities more often than American educators did. There was greater incongruence between the value American educators placed on promoting self-determination and the time they devoted to teaching it than there was for Korean educators. Educators of both countries shared some perceived barriers to promoting self-determination (e.g., communication difficulty, students were too young, and other more urgent instructional needs), but each group cited barriers the other did not (e.g., teacher lacked sufficient skill, difficult to empathize with student, and no instructional latitude). Limitations and implications are discussed along with suggestions for future research.     

Korean Immigrant Mothers’ Perspectives: The Meanings of a Korean Heritage Language School for Their Children’s American Early Schooling Experiences

This study examines what a Korean heritage language school means to Korean immigrant families and their children, considering Korean immigrant mothers’ perspectives on American early schooling. As part of an ethnographic research project on Korean-American children’s peer culture in a heritage school, seven mothers, two guardians (grandmothers), and their young children were observed and interviewed during one academic year. The analysis showed that the heritage language school functions as a social and emotional support system, a buffer for reducing the detachment from parents, and a safety net for the Korean-American children’s challenging lives. The Korean immigrant mothers also showed that they felt burdened by different cultural views of their children’s behaviors, and described how their children were often considered problematic. The social and culture barriers caused by their immigrant status profoundly influenced their reasons for sending their children to a Korean heritage language school. This study suggests that teachers’ deep understanding of culturally different perspectives on children’s behaviors, along with systematic social and emotional support, can help these children attain psychological well-being.     

English as a Site of Evangelical Contact: A Critical Ethnography of Missionary English Teaching between South and North Koreans

ABSTRACT

Drawing from a larger ethnography of North Korean young adults learning English in Christian educational programs in South Korea, this article explores the power relations between evangelicals and minority people and the political economy of missionary English teaching. This article follows Christian educational programs that provided various forms of resources—including English teaching—to North Korean young adults to examine how access to resources was regulated in relation to learner identity. Building on the sociolinguistic framework of political economy of language and emerging research on religion and second language learning, this study illustrates the integration of Christianity and English, and the intersection of religion, nationalism, and neoliberalism. The findings elucidate how English works as a secular resource in religious spaces, thus serving as a site of religious contact between people of divergent goals. Issues of professional ethics are also discussed.     

Understanding Gender through Disney’s Marriages: A Study of Young Korean Immigrant Girls

Much American popular culture has often been criticized for its negative portrayals of females and its potentially harmful influence on young children. However, there are insufficient studies about American young girls’ actual understanding of these female representations. Specifically, the perspectives of young immigrant girls have hardly been addressed in the existing research, even though their perspectives can be derived from what they learn about the social values associated with gender through their exposure to popular culture. This paper thus focuses on young Korean immigrant girls as a significant American immigrant group, and examines their ideas about gender in American popular culture—particularly, Disney films. Since their perceptions of gender were often derived from their discussions of marriage in the films, it closely investigates their understanding of gender roles, as considered through the marriages of Disney protagonists. It then discusses their perceptions of Disney by tracing these ideas to their beliefs about how these same themes become manifested in realistic situations. Finally, this paper provides implications and suggestions for researchers and early childhood educators.

Thinking about Fantasy: Are Children Fundamentally Different Thinkers and Believers from Adults?

Young children are often viewed as being unable to differentiate fantasy from reality. This article reviews research on both children's and adults beliefs about' fantasy as well as their tendency to engage in what is thought of as "magical thinking." It is suggested that children are not fundamentally different from adults in their ability to distinguish fantasy from reality: Both children and adults entertain fantastical beliefs and also engage in magical thinking. Suggestions are offered as to how children and adults may differ in this domain, and an agenda for future research is offered.     

Viewers' Perceptions of Reality Programs

This article describes a series of focus group interviews of young adults about reality programs. The interviews were conducted to investigate audiences' understandings of the nature, realism, and gratifications of the programming category. A central element defining reality programs was the perception that the behavior of the cast members was a reflection of their own will and personality and that their actions had consequences in terms of the outcome of the show. These factors also contributed to perceptions of the shows' realism. Participants reported enjoying the programs because of their humor and their unpredictability, which seemed to contribute to the creation of suspense and to greater involvement. Implications for further research are discussed.     

An analysis of the nature of epistemological beliefs: Investigating factors affecting the epistemological development of south korean high school students

The purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of epistemological beliefs about learning (or learning beliefs) by analyzing the type of factors involved in the epistemological development of South Korean high school students (N=455). Learning beliefs are implicit assumptions held by learners about the source and certainty of knowledge and the ways to obtain knowledge. Previous studies on the epistemological development of American high school students showed that American students learning beliefs are positively related with their age, amount of formal education, and academic achievement. Multiple regression analysis of this study, however, showed that no such relationships were identified from the present South Korean sample except between students beliefs and their academic achievement. In addition, the present study showed that South Korean students learning beliefs were related with their independent-self construal (individualistic self-view) but not with their interdependent self-construal (collectivistic self-view). These results reconfirmed the culture-specific nature of epistemological beliefs which was identified from previous comparative studies with South Korean and American college students (Youn, Kim, & Yang, 1999; Youn, 2000). The differences between the present results and previous findings with South Korean college students will be further discussed in terms of the sub-cultural variations between South Korean young generations. A paper presented at the 26th International Association of Cross Cultural Psychology, Pultusk, Poland, 2000/7/16-21     

“American = English Speaker” Before “American = White”: The Development of Children's Reasoning About Nationality

Adults implicitly judge people from certain social backgrounds as more “American” than others. This study tests the development of children's reasoning about nationality and social categories. Children across cultures (White and Korean American children in the United States, Korean children in South Korea) judged the nationality of individuals varying in race and language. Across cultures, 5‐ to 6‐year‐old children (N = 100) categorized English speakers as “American” and Korean speakers as “Korean” regardless of race, suggesting that young children prioritize language over race when thinking about nationality. Nine‐ and 10‐year‐olds (N = 181) attended to language and race and their nationality judgments varied across cultures. These results suggest that associations between nationality and social category membership emerge early in life and are shaped by cultural context.     

School-based racial microaggressions and depression among Indigenous young adults

Previous research on the risk factors for the development of mental health disorders among Indigenous Peoples in the United States suggest that experiencing prejudice is correlated with the development of psychopathology. However, the relation between school-based prejudice, including microaggressions, and the development of depression remains unexamined. As such, the current study is an exploratory analysis among a small sample (N = 47) of age 18–25 Indigenous young adults from the American Northwest examining the predictive relation between their retrospective recall of school-based racial microaggressions as measured by the School-Based Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Subscale and their current levels of depressive symptoms in adulthood as measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. There was a statistically significant predictive relation found between participant's retrospective recall of microaggressions and their current levels of depression as young adults. As such, the practice and policy implications for school-based professionals are discussed.     

ATTITUDES OF YOUNG ADULTS TOWARD OLDER ADULTS: EVIDENCE FROM THE UNITED STATES AND THAILAND

Negative attitudes toward older adults are often thought to be diminished in cultures that preserve gerontocratic tendencies. Little empirical evidence concerning this belief, however, is extant in the literature. The present study employed an adjective‐generation instrument to measure attitudes toward the elderly. This instrument was administered to young adults in rural northern Thailand, a culture which is widely reported to maintain a strong tradition of filial piety, and to young adults in the United States, a culture in which widespread ageism is suspected. A significant interaction was observed; contrary to initial expectations, Thai students were somewhat more negative about elders than were their American counterparts. Results indicate that gerontocratic traditions within a given society do not necessarily insulate the aged from negative stereotyping.     

Social construction of American sign language--English interpreters

Instructors in 5 American Sign Language--English Interpreter Programs and 4 Deaf Studies Programs in Canada were interviewed and asked to discuss their experiences as educators. Within a qualitative research paradigm, their comments were grouped into a number of categories tied to the social construction of American Sign Language--English interpreters, such as learners' age and education and the characteristics of good citizens within the Deaf community. According to the participants, younger students were adept at language acquisition, whereas older learners more readily understood the purpose of lessons. Children of deaf adults were seen as more culturally aware. The participants' beliefs echoed the theories of P. Freire (1970/1970) that educators consider the reality of each student and their praxis and were responsible for facilitating student self-awareness. Important characteristics in the social construction of students included independence, an appropriate attitude, an understanding of Deaf culture, ethical behavior, community involvement, and a willingness to pursue lifelong learning.     

An investigation of Korean children’s prejudicial attitudes toward a national tragedy in Japan

Prejudice against another nation or culture is often perceived as a major hindrance to world peace. This paper will report on the early emergence of such prejudices, identified in eight-year-old primary school children in Korea. The research, conducted in June 2012, investigated Korean children’s reactions to the Japanese tsunami of 2011. A pedagogically embedded research methodology (PERM) was used, where the research initiative was embedded within the teaching and learning of a normal school lesson. The research reveals that young Korean children’s prejudices are nationally and culturally deep-seated, and are reinforced by parochial viewpoints projected by Korean mass media programmes. These influences place constraints on children’s ability to empathise with people beyond their national borders. Nevertheless, the project provides evidence that prejudicial attitudes remain malleable in children and can be changed in a challenging but supportive educational context.     

SELF AND STUDENT EVALUATION OF ACADEMIC STAFF

At the University of Queensland a questionnaire to students for their evaluation of tutors’ and lecturers’ classroom presentation and classroom management has been in (increasing) use since 1982. The introduction of the evaluation questionnaire and the management of the evaluation system are based on the research lieterature on change. Student evaluations per se do not induce change. However, self evaluations focus staffs attention on their own perception as teachers, and possible discrepancies between self and student evaluation may then motivate staff to change.

Therefore self evaluation has been used in the evaluation of teaching schemesto facilitate change. Overall, there was no relationship between student ratings and staff self ratings on the question, “All things considered, how would you rate this staff member's overall effectiveness as a university teacher?” Both highly and poorly rated lecturers showed large discrepancies between their self perception and student perception. This emphasises the importance of using more than one source of evaluative information for decision makeing. An interview study found that nearly all those evaluated had implemented changes and felt positive about evaluation.     

Traversing the Challenges of Conducting Research with Young, Immigrant Children: The Case of Korean Children

Based on a qualitative study on young Korean immigrant children’s interpretation of American popular culture, this paper reflects on the researchers’ role by examining the research challenges faced. Prior to discussing the research obstacles in conducting the study, we begin with briefly describing its methodology and design. Next, we discuss the various obstacles we encountered when conducting our study and howwe attempted to overcome these dilemmas by discussing two major struggles during the research process: a) the relationships between the researchers and our young participants, and b) the cultural sensitivity that was needed in initially gaining permission from and working with the parents of our informants. It then illuminates how the researchers attempted to cope with such difficulties by rethinking a researchers’s role emphasizing the importance of cultural context in research. Finally, the paper provides some discussions and implications based on our research experiences.     

Ethnic stigma, academic anxiety, and intrinsic motivation in middle childhood

Previous research addressing the dynamics of stigma and academics has focused on African American adolescents and adults. The present study examined stigma awareness, academic anxiety, and intrinsic motivation among 451 young (ages 6-11) and diverse (African American, Chinese, Dominican, Russian, and European American) students. Results indicated that ethnic-minority children reported higher stigma awareness than European American children. For all children, stigma awareness was associated with higher academic anxiety and lower intrinsic motivation. Despite these associations, ethnic-minority children reported higher levels of intrinsic motivation than their European American peers. A significant portion of the higher intrinsic motivation among Dominican students was associated with their higher levels of school belonging, suggesting that supportive school environments may be important sources of intrinsic motivation among some ethnic-minority children.     

CORRELATES AND PREDICTORS OF ACADEMIC SELF EFFICACY AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between academic self efficacy, ethnic identity and spirituality in African American STEM students. We hypothesize that there will be a significant relationship between three dimensions of spirituality and outcome expectations in African American STEM students and that there will be a significant relationship between outcome expectations and ethnic identity. 165 African American undergraduates in STEM disciplines enrolled at a historically-black university comprised the target population for this study. A regression and correlation analysis revealed that one dimension of religiosity was significantly related to and predicted academic outcome expectations among African American STEM students.     

Burden of Acting Neither White Nor Black: Asian American Identities and Achievement in Urban Schools

Ogbu’s theory of “burden of acting white” has been one of the most frequently cited studies to explain black and white achievement gap. However, emerging studies have argued that Ogbu’s theory may be limited when examining variability of school achievement among black and white students. Research shows that in addition to culture, other social forces, such as class, peer networks, and school context may play a significant role when accounting for minority students’ academic aspirations and achievement. In the midst of this on-going debate, however, there is a limited understanding of how, if at all, theory of “acting white” plays a role for racial groups other than black and white students. By extending the discussion beyond a black-and-white discourse, this research examines how Asian American students in two different social and economic contexts, negotiate their race and ethnic identities. Framed by a prevalent model minority stereotype that conflates Asian Americans with whiteness, the findings show that portrayal of Asian “success” much like black “failure” cannot be explained solely on their cultural orientation. By comparing experiences of two groups of Korean American students—both high- and low-achieving—in different economic and school contexts, this study illustrates how the two groups of Korean American students adopt different racial strategies depending on their socioeconomic backgrounds, peer networks, and school contexts. Using Korean American students in urban schools as a case study, this research complicates and challenges our understanding of the role of culture in school achievement and illustrates how culture intersects with class, race, and schools. Jamie Lew is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Education, Rutgers University-Newark, 110 Warren Street, Newark, NY, 07102-1814, USA     

Exploring the relationship between child physical abuse and adult dating violence using a causal inference approach in an emerging adult population in South Korea

Child maltreatment is one of the most commonly examined risk factors for violence in dating relationships. Often referred to as the intergenerational transmission of violence or cycle of violence, a fair amount of research suggests that experiencing abuse during childhood significantly increases the likelihood of involvement in violent relationships later, but these conclusions are primarily based on correlational research designs. Furthermore, the majority of research linking childhood maltreatment and dating violence has focused on samples of young people from the United States. Considering these limitations, the current study uses a rigorous, propensity score matching approach to estimate the causal effect of experiencing child physical abuse on adult dating violence among a large sample of South Korean emerging adults. Results indicate that the link between child physical abuse and adult dating violence is spurious rather than causal. Study limitations and implications are discussed.     

边疆民族地区高校研究生古文献教学中存在的问题及对策——以延边大学历史学科为例

汉文古文献的阅读能力直接影响硕士研究生治史能力和学术水平的提高。朝鲜族学生与汉族学生因母语差异而对古文献的阅读和理解存在不同的困扰,传统教学中的方法也有一定的积弊。对策是在教材的选编上加大注释与研究的力度,教学模式也应做适应性调整,对学生的阅读能力和应用能力进行有的放矢的培养与强化训练,以适应学术研究和相关工作的要求。