“This School Helps A Lot”: Personal Agency Among Black Youth Within a Supportive School Environment

The Urban Review - We collected field observation notes, accessed student demographic data, and interviewed sixteen Black high school youth (50% male; Mage?=?16.1) to explore...     

Hyphenated Identities of Korean Heritage Language Learners: Marginalization,Colonial Discourses and Internalized Whiteness

Drawing on the data collected through classroom observations, participants’ written journals, and in-depth interviews, this study examines the hyphenated identity constructions of 1.5- (ilcem osey) and 2nd-generation heritage language learners. The study observes that ethnic and racial exclusion in a White dominant society was more salient in 2nd generation than in 1.5 generation identities. On the other hand, 1.5 generation participants tended to accept their race, ethnicity, or hyphenated identities without evaluating them from the perspective of the dominant group. This in turn enabled them to circumvent the sense of marginalization. My finding is that beneath these 2nd-generation persons’ hyphenated identities there exists a discursive performance of self-Orientalism through which learners constantly internalize images of Koreans developed in the West. Moreover, they tend to distance themselves from so-called FOBs (fresh off the boat), who exhibit distinct stereotypical Asian characteristics. This study raises a number of pedagogical issues in the heritage-language-learning context where 2nd- and 1.5-generation learners are present together and further reconsiders the learning environment conducive to both 2nd- and 1.5-generation learners.     

Teachers’ use of technology and its influencing factors in Korean elementary schools

Until now, research on technology integration in K–12 settings focused on revealing factors that influence technology use in the classroom by teachers has not paid much attention to what teachers recognise and why they incorporate technology in the classroom. Thus, this study aims to investigate how teachers recognise important factors that influence quality technology integration and how teachers use technology in Korean schools, using closed- and open-ended items and verbatim quotes of teachers’ responses to a series of open-ended questions. The results indicate that teachers’ use of technology in practice is affected by the multidimensional characteristics of schools; hence, support of technology use therein should be improved. Teachers’ aptitude, disposition and attitudes toward technology are the most important factors for ICT-related instruction. Additionally, the answers given by the cohort to the open-ended questions help to explain the specific educational context in the Republic of Korea. Teachers report using technology largely because it provides personal convenience; additionally, the use of third-party content providers’ websites by teachers emerges as a substantial issue in the area of technology integration in the classroom.     

Motivations Behind Donors' Contributions to Crowdfunded Journalism

Crowdfunded journalism is a new model for funding journalism in which reporters solicit micropayments from readers to finance their reporting. In the present study, we seek to identify the major motivations behind readers' donations to a pioneering crowdfunded journalism website, Spot.Us. Under the theoretical framework of collective action, we explore a total of 9 motivations: altruism, fun, belief in freedom of content, social, community, self-esteem, understanding, image, and family and friends. Combining self-reported survey data (N = 344) with behavioral data on readers' complete donation records obtained from the Spot.Us server, we found that belief in freedom of content, altruism, and contributing to one's community were self-reported to be highly valued by donors, but fun and family and friends motivations were the only positive predictors for actual donation levels. We discuss the implications of these findings on the sustainability of crowdfunding as a business model for news.     

Examining the Factors Affecting the Rate of IPTV Diffusion: Empirical Study on Korean IPTV

This article has been retracted.     

Higher education development in Korea: western university ideas,Confucian tradition,and economic development

The features of Korean higher education development are related to sociocultural tradition (Confucian tradition), the model university ideas, and economic development in Korea. The modern university ideas adopted in Korean are based on the German model which was established by the Japanese colonial government and drawing on the US university model after the World War II. However, the modern university ideas are intertwined with socio-cultural factors and have been embedded in current Korean universities. As well as the western ideas and the Confucian tradition, the growth of Korean higher education has relied upon the rapid growth of the Korean economy. Education development is well aligned with economic development in Korea thanks to government policy initiatives. This framework can be applied in the analysis of higher education development in other countries. Higher education development cannot be solely explained by individual cultural, historical or economic factor. These three factors are interlinked and influence the development of Korean higher education.     

Facilitating online reflective learning for health and social care professionals

Drawing upon survey data and relevant literature, this paper compares the Radio and Television University System (RTVUS) in China, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), and the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) in respect of academic courses offered, course delivery mode, student characteristics, funding, and staffing. Similarities and differences are discussed, and the impact of socio-cultural factors in shaping distance education systems in different societies is examined.