A quantitative analysis of moral exemplars presented in moral education textbooks in Korea and Japan

This study is a comparative analysis of the characteristics of moral exemplars presented in moral education textbooks in Korea and Japan. The purpose of the study is to examine and compare moral values presented through the lives and stories of moral exemplars in the two countries that have moral education as an independent and separate subject based on the national curriculum. To this end, the study uses analytical criteria such as gender, nationality, social roles, historical backgrounds, and specific moral values in order to investigate characteristics of 307 moral exemplars in Korea’s and Japan’s most used moral education textbooks. The results show significant similarities and differences in moral exemplars between the two nations. In the case of the similarities, both countries emphasize moral autonomy and respect for human life. In the case of the differences, while Korea presents more historic figures as moral exemplars, Japan presents more students and ordinary people as moral exemplars.     

The trend of body donation for education based on Korean social and religious culture

Until a century ago, Korean medicine was based mainly on Oriental philosophies and ideas. From a religious perspective, Chinese Confucianism was prevalent in Korea at that time. Since Confucianists believe that it is against one's filial duty to harm his or her body, given to them by their parents, most Koreans did not donate their bodies or organs for education in the past. However, by the end of the 20th century, a unique fusion of Western and Oriental medicines were produced on the Korean Peninsula, revolutionizing traditional perspectives on the human body, mortality, and the relationship of medical science to society. Koreans began to think about others' lives as well as their own by realizing the importance of donating one's organs and bodies for scientific purposes. Since then, the number of people donating their bodies to Korean medical and dental schools for the purpose of improving academic learning has increased dramatically. In response, Korean medical schools have begun to hold various types of funeral ceremonies to honor body donors. We have compared such ceremonies performed in Korea with those performed in the United States of America and Taiwan. These ceremonies are viewed as a suitable way to pay proper respect to the dead and to promote knowledge about body donation programs in Korea. Overall, the transition of religions and social ethics in Korea has greatly facilitated body bequeathal programs, benefiting both medical education and the Korean public health administration.     

殷商金文中复合族氏金文的内涵初探

殷商时期青铜器金文大部分都是1—4个字。1字或3字的部分是单一族氏金文,对于这一部分许多学者取得了相当多的研究成果,但是对于2字或4字部分的研究却是非常不足的。我们认为2字金文部分中大部分具有氏族间结合的意义,作为复合族氏金文,其内涵如下：第一,氏族间巩固的结合关系。氏族与氏族间关系紧密有形成新氏族的可能性。第二,氏族间单纯的结合关系。这可认为是为了纪念氏族间发生的某种事件,从而在青铜器上铸刻记下来。我们认为这种结合关系无法实现新氏族的形成。第三,相关联的氏族间的结合。氏族间的结合关系有一定规律,这样的相关联的氏族间有实现结合的可能性。     

Review of The Instructional Design Knowledge Base: Theory,Research, and Practice

The Instructional Design Knowledge Base: Theory, Research, and Practice by Rita C. Richey, James D. Klein, and Monica W. Tracey describes the instructional design knowledge base and further provides a taxonomy to frame the elements and related theories, thus approaching ID from both a practical and scholarly perspective. Geared toward the graduate student or scholar and not for the novice in its extensive explanations and source citations, the text should be required reading for all students of instructional design. Concepts are explained clearly and succinctly with well-organized chapters that provide headings and subheadings with introductions and transitional cues. The historical development and current research of each theory and model is well documented, and the references list alone would serve as a helpful reference for the student of instructional design. Scholars of ID will also find thought-provoking the suggestions for future research at the end of each chapter.     

Parental Cultural Socialization of Mexican‐American Adolescents’ Family Obligation Values and Behaviors

The current study examined how parents’ cultural socialization efforts contribute to adolescents’ family obligation values and behaviors and how these processes may depend upon the relational climate at home. Utilizing survey and daily diary methodologies, 428 Mexican‐American adolescents (50% males; M_age = 15 years) and their parents (83% mothers; M_age = 42 years) participated in the study. Adolescents reported on their family obligation values and engagement in family assistance tasks across 14 days. Parents reported on their cultural socialization practices. Results indicated that parental cultural socialization was associated with adolescents’ family obligation values and behaviors when parent–child relationships were low in conflict and high in support. Findings suggest that the transmission of cultural values and practices is best facilitated through positive parent–child relationships.     

Universities and the humanities,then and now

Over the centuries, universities have functioned as gatekeepers and treasurers of received knowledge, while concomitantly furthering innovative contributions to society. Yet, when cultivating research ‘silos’, universities encourage scholars to explore in seeming isolation. Out of such tensions, universities have supported, and will continue to pursue, different kinds of, and approaches to, furthering knowledge and creativity. In the past, the humanities had been central to this mission. More recently, however, the efficient and global acceleration of consumer-oriented ‘knowledge production and consumption’ seems to form a critical factor upsetting the centrality of the humanities in university cultures. In this context, exploring the academic communities of the late middle ages proves to be a useful exercise. Forged in strong relationships with ecclesiastical and secular powers, mediaeval universities nonetheless share critical concerns with today’s academic institutions; thus, they too were constrained by the need to attract and exact excellence, to navigate relationships with their immediate environs, and to train professionals, who could ensure continuity in academic communities, the church, and the imperial courts. In other words, mediaeval universities also experienced polarising tensions that reveal consonances between then and now and that can gloss today’s acceleration driving the consumer model of knowledge production and consumption, while also encouraging scholars to form more explicit links to external constituencies.     

Effects of learner–instructor relationship-building strategies in online video instruction

Although research has demonstrated that an increased rapport between instructors and learners can positively relate with increased learning gains, perhaps mediated by the positive attitudes toward the course and self-efficacy beliefs in the coursework, little has been done to test what instructional strategies might increase this rapport in online video-based instruction. This study compared online video-based instruction that made use of relationship-building strategies with online video-based instruction that did not use those strategies. The two instructions were identical in every other way. The results show that the attitudes of the college students were positively affected by the relationship building strategies in a statistically significant way (p = .025) and that learning gains were also positively affected at a very near-significant level (p = .052). The implications of the findings are discussed.     

Instructional leadership practices in Singapore

This paper presents a review of the literature on principal instructional leadership in Singapore. The authors investigated the dimensions of instructional leadership in the practices of Singapore principals and highlighted the strategies these leaders adopt to enact their instructional roles. Singapore principals were found to play an active role in defining the school vision and promoting the school climate. However, in the areas of curriculum implementation and classroom instruction, the middle management team in the school played more active roles as compared to principals. Five broad conclusions were discussed to provide perspectives on instructional leadership practices in Singapore. This paper also highlighted limitations on current instructional leadership research in Singapore and pointed to areas of future research.     

Aging IQ Intervention with Older Korean Americans: A Comparison of Internet-Based and In-Class Education

Using the translated contents of the National Institute on Aging (NIA)'s Aging IQ, an educational intervention was delivered to older Korean Americans. The educational program was delivered via two different modalities, Internet-based education (n = 12) and in-class education (n = 11), and the overall feasibility and efficacy were evaluated by the Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. A high level of completion and overall satisfaction with the program was observed in both groups. Both groups also exhibited a significant improvement in their knowledge about aging after the completion of the educational program. However, at the one-month follow-up, the Internet-based group showed a greater retention of the knowledge gained. The findings not only support the value of education on aging for older ethnic minorities but also suggest the use of the Internet as an integral modality of intervention delivery.