Effects of learner control,advisement, and prior knowledge on young students' learning in a hypertext environment

This study was an investigation of the effects of learner control and of advisement in a hypertext learning environment with second-grade students who had different levels of prior knowledge about the content. Four treatment conditions crossing two variables, learner control (free access representing network structuring of hypertext vs. limited access representing hierarchical structuring of hypertext), and advisement (advisement vs. no-advisement), were established. From the quantitative and qualitative data, results indicated that: (a) for low prior knowledge (PK) students, the limited-access condition was more effective than the free-access condition, whereas high-PK students were able to function equally well in both conditions; (b) the free-access group reported a higher positive attitude for advisement than for no advisement, but the limited-access group showed no such difference in preference; (c) the low-PK group completed the lesson more quickly without advisement than with advisement, whereas the high-PK group's completion times did not vary across advisement conditions; and (d) analysis of the path data indicated that advisement was helpful in preventing disorientation in the free-access condition.     

Evaluation of Korean information infrastructure policy 2000–2010: Focusing on broadband ecosystem change

South Korea has been very active in broadband development for the last decade, which has made major strides in its development. This study evaluates the evolution of Korea's broadband development from the year 2000 to the present day. Historic and archival data related to Korean broadband projects are reviewed in this paper, drawing on broadband ecosystem as a framework for assessment. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into challenges and create a prospectus by offering a socio-technical analysis of broadband development. This will involve the in-depth investigation of the social dynamics, political discourse, and technological choices inherent in the design and development of the next generation of networks. Despite active investment and proactive drive, uncertainty still remains surrounding the evolution of broadband and what impact it may have on the new broadband milieu in Korea. This study will offer an effective adoption/diffusion strategy as well as a viable information policy model for more advanced infrastructure in other countries.     

The application of various nonlinear models to describe academic growth trajectories: an empirical analysis using four-wave longitudinal achievement data from a large urban school district

This study introduced various nonlinear growth models, including the quadratic conventional polynomial model, the fractional polynomial model, the Sigmoid model, the growth model with negative exponential functions, the multidimensional scaling technique, and the unstructured growth curve model. It investigated which growth models effectively describe student growth in math and reading using four-wave longitudinal achievement data. The objective of the study is to provide valuable information to researchers especially when they consider applying one of the nonlinear models to longitudinal studies. The results showed that the quadratic conventional polynomial model fit the data best. However, this model seemed to overfit the data and made statistical inference problematic concerning parameter estimates. Alternative nonlinear models with fewer parameters adequately fit the data and yielded consistent significance testing results under extreme multicollinearity. It indicates that the alternative models denoting somewhat simpler models would be selected over the conventional polynomial model with more fixed parameters. Other practical issues pertaining to these growth models are also discussed.     

“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.