Distinct Trajectories in the Transition to Adulthood: Are Children of Immigrants Advantaged?

Studies on children of immigrants have generally ignored distinct developmental trajectories during adolescence and their role in the transition to adulthood. This study identifies distinct trajectories in cognitive, sociobehavioral, and psychological domains and estimates their consequences for young adults. Drawing data from a nationally representative sample of 10,795 adolescents aged 13-17 who were followed up to ages 25-32, the study uses growth mixture modeling to test advantages for children of immigrants. The analysis shows a 1.5-generation advantage in academic achievement and school engagement, as well as a weaker second-generation advantage in academic achievement, but no disadvantage in depression for children of immigrants. In addition, these results hold for children of Hispanic origin. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.     

A Phenomenological Investigation of African American Counselor Education Students' Challenging Experiences

This study explored 11 African American doctoral students’ perceptions of challenging experiences in counselor education programs. The authors identified the following themes using critical race theory: feelings of isolation, peer disconnection, and faculty misunderstandings and disrespect. Implications for counselor education programs and policies are discussed.     

Trends in online networking among South Korean politicians — A mixed-method approach

In recent years, as information technologies have grown in sophistication and become more fully integrated into daily lifestyles, a general expectation has arisen that the internet has the potential to reconfigure social and political relationships, and to create new political configurations. Blogging, in particular, has been seen to have significant potential to merge the public and the personal in new ways, potentially altering the nature of politics, particularly in nations where political processes are formalistic and highly regulated. As an example, politicians who blog have developed a new approach to communicating with their constituencies, in that the private thoughts of the political actor are expressed in a relatively unmediated environment. This study, which examines trends in blog linkages among Assembly members in Korea, provides a longitudinal analysis of blog linkages in order to assess the long term implications of new media technologies in Korean society and politics. The data were gathered from the blogs of Korea's National Assembly members for 2005 and 2006. An analysis of these links indicates that, indeed, there is an increased use of blogs among National Assembly members. However, it seems that over time, the network becomes sparser, less integrated, and more decentralized. This study also suggests that offline imperatives for political organization figure prominently in the motives of establishing online linkages to other political blogs.     

Conditional cash transfer against child labor: Indonesia Program Keluarga Harapan

This study aims to analyze whether subsidies provided by the Indonesian conditional cash transfer against child labor program (Program Keluarga Harapan: PKH) were sufficient for children to stop working and go back to schooling. Ex-post evaluations of the program found that it did not improve children’s enrollment rate and reduce child labor significantly. To search out reasons, this study analyzed the financial returns, on the short-, medium-, and long-term bases, of the children who attend school by participating in the program, in comparison with those children who did not attend school. The data for the analysis were obtained from the Indonesia Family Life Survey data from the RAND Corporation and Indonesian government statistical data. The results demonstrated that the financial returns to children joining PKH to attend primary school were lower than those of their non-participating counterpart in the short and medium terms. Only in the long term, the financial returns to most program participants were greater than those of non-participating counterparts. The subsidy was too low and short to make children attend school, driving children to workplaces. Therefore, this study recommends that the government extend the subsidy period and sensitize poor family parents, or reduce their burden of educational expenditures by awarding them scholarships for their children’s education, or combine both policy actions.     

Revisiting the Analects for a modern reading of the Confucian dialogical spirit in education

Abstract

This study investigates the educational thought of Confucius with focus on the educational relationship in the Analects, which is a historical text that defines the foundations of Confucianism. The first part of the investigation examines Confucius’ concept of the educational relationship and how it is characterized with a dialogical spirit, which consists of worldly and secular human-orientedness, co-existentiality as a fundamental principle for educational practice, and dialogue to become an ideal ruler through self-discipline. The second stage of this study further examines the spirit of dialogue in the Analects with consideration of its historical–cultural context. Through this process, the study unravels the historical and cultural limitations of original Confucian educational thought for modern society and proposes a possible way to reengage Confucius’ educational value in today’s modern educational context.     

An investigation of trauma-centered inpatient treatment for adult survivors of abuse

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine a comprehensive inpatient treatment program designed for adult survivors of childhood abuse with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: One hundred and thirty-two formerly abused individuals completed clinician-administered and self-administered measures of PTSD symptomatology at admission and discharge. All participants experienced a range of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse as children prior to the age of 17. Approximately one-third of these individuals also completed measures at 3-months postdischarge and 1-year postdischarge. Data were collected using a clinician-administered PTSD measure and self-administered PTSD measure at admission and discharge. On admission, all participants met criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that the program was effective in reducing symptoms from admission to discharge. Additionally, treatment gains were maintained at 1-year postdischarge. CONCLUSION: The findings of this investigation suggest that the current intensive inpatient group treatment program appears to reduce PTSD symptoms effectively for a sample of adult survivors of abuse.     

The Influence of an Inclusive Education Course on Attitude Change of Pre‐service Secondary Teachers in Hong Kong

Since the mid‐1990s in Hong Kong there has been a slow but obvious shift from expecting students with disabilities to be educated in segregated special schools to providing more opportunities for them to be educated alongside their mainstream peers. Pre‐service teacher training institutions have begun to offer modules of study in order to assist mainstream teachers in coping with greater diversity in their classes. The main purpose of this paper is to examine the adequacy of an inclusive education module on the attitude change of pre‐service teachers in Hong Kong. A convenience sample of over 200 pre‐service secondary teachers in a B.Ed. (Honours) Programme at one university participated in the study. Data were obtained through a three‐part questionnaire to find out whether there were any substantial changes in their attitudes, concerns and confidence for inclusion before and after taking a module of study on inclusive education. Findings and implications are drawn in light of preparing teachers to cater for diversity in the schools in Hong Kong.     

Re-thinking democracy,development and social justice in education: connecting global,national and local challenges

Asia Pacific Education Review -     

A Game for the Global North: The 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang and South Korean Cultural Politics

Abstract

The South Korean region of Pyeongchang will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Using Wallerstein’s world system theory and Collins’s notions of zones of prestige and emulation as a conceptual framework, this paper examines the South Korean Government’s intention to stage the winter sporting spectacle. As the Winter Olympics is arguably considered a game for the relatively affluent global north, South Korea, as a semi-core state, attempts to elevate its position to a global economic and cultural powerhouse through being a host of this winter sports mega-event. However, it should be noted that the Winter Olympic Games is an event through which white supremacy and Western cultural hegemony are continuously reinforced. Therefore, the South Korean ambition to enhance its international standing by staging the Winter Olympic Games paradoxically reflects Western cultural imperialism and Orientalism embedded in South Korean cultural politics associated with the winter sporting contest.