“Happy Seoul for foreigners”: scenes from multicultural life in South Korea

Abstract

Since the mid-2000s, multiculturalism has become a prominent buzzword in South Korea as the nation, which was founded on the myth of a single bloodline, tries to come to terms with its growing foreign population. This article looks at the figure of the industrial migrant worker who, despite being ignored by the mainstream media, has appeared in a handful of independently produced Korean films, including three—Bandhobi (2009 Bandhobi [???]. 2009. Directed by Shin Dong-il. Seoul: IndieStory Inc. [Google Scholar]), Hello, Stranger (2007 Hello Stranger [?? ?? ???]. 2007. Directed by Kim Dong-hyun. Seoul: IndieStory Inc. Host and Guest [???]. 2005. Directed by Shin Dong-il. Seoul: LJ Film. [Google Scholar]), Where Is Ronny? (2008 Where Is Ronny? [??? ???]. 2008. Directed by Sim Sang-kook. Seoul: JinJin Pictures. [Google Scholar])—that will be discussed here in detail. These films, as I will show, not only provide an alternative perspective on immigrant life in Seoul and other parts of the country, which is more often than not represented through the privileged world of the Western “expat,” but also reveal the underlying tensions and contradictions in Korea's approach to multiculturalism as it tries to regulate diversity through the fiat of legislative policy while ignoring the moral and political choices confronting its citizens as they decide whether or not to befriend the other.     

An Empirical Comparison of DDF Detection Methods for Understanding the Causes of DIF in Multiple-Choice Items

This study compared and illustrated four differential distractor functioning (DDF) detection methods for analyzing multiple-choice items. The log-linear approach, two item response theory-model-based approaches with likelihood ratio tests, and the odds ratio approach were compared to examine the congruence among the four DDF detection methods. Data from a college-level mathematics placement test were analyzed to understand the causes of differential functioning. Results indicated some agreement among the four detection methods. To facilitate practical interpretation of the DDF results, several possible effect size measures were also obtained and compared.     

Dual-mode on-demand droplet routing in multiple microchannels using a magnetic fluid as carrier phase

We present dual-mode, on-demand droplet routing in a multiple-outlet microfluidic device using an oil-based magnetic fluid. Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticle-contained oleic acid (MNOA) was used as a carrier phase for droplet generation and manipulation. The water-in-MNOA droplets were selectively distributed in a curved microchannel with three branches by utilizing both a hydrodynamic laminar flow pattern and an external magnetic field. Without the applied magnetic field, the droplets travelled along a hydrodynamic centerline that was displaced at each bifurcating junction. However, in the presence of a permanent magnet, they were repelled from the centerline and diverted into the desired channel when the repelled distance exceeded the minimum offset allocated to the channel. The repelled distance, which is proportional to the magnetic field gradient, was manipulated by controlling the magnet''s distance from the device. To evaluate routing performance, three different sizes of droplets with diameters of 63, 88, and 102 μm were directed into designated outlets with the magnet positioned at varying distances. The result demonstrated that the 102-μm droplets were sorted with an accuracy of ∼93%. Our technique enables on-demand droplet routing in multiple outlet channels by simply manipulating magnet positions (active mode) as well as size-based droplet separation with a fixed magnet position (passive mode).     

Educational assessment in the Republic of Korea: lights and shadows of high-stake exam-based education system

Educational assessment in the Republic of Korea reflects social and cultural perspectives, as most assessments are considered as a ‘gatekeeper’ of one’s success in life, in terms of entering an elite school or having a better career. This paper presents a profile of the education system, especially focusing on the college entrance examination system in the Republic of Korea, and discusses the washback effect of the high-stake exam, the College Scholastic Ability Test, on stakeholders and the entire society. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the ways to improve the education policy, particularly the college entrance system, with emphasis on implications for future assessment reform from a standardised high-stake test to move towards the formative assessment.     

Opinion Versus Knowledge: The Influence of Testimony Format on Children’s Judgments in Morally Relevant Contexts

Research Findings: To test children’s use of testimony of others, 3 – 9 years (N = 227) made judgments about a potential peer transgression in which the intentions of the protagonist were ambiguous, after hearing two different forms of testimony. The 2 forms of testimony were (a) opposing opinion-based testimony from an adult authority versus a peer consensus group and (b) knowledge-based testimony (eyewitness testimony) that was counter to the participants’ initial judgments. Findings revealed that when testimony was presented in an opinion-based format, children were likely to side with the opinion that reflected their own interpretation of the peer encounter, regardless of whether the opinion came from a peer consensus or an adult authority. However, when knowledge-based testimony was introduced in support of the opposite of children’s initial interpretation of the ambiguous peer encounter, children most often changed their initial judgment to align with the new testimony. That is, children used knowledge-based testimony but not opinion-based testimony to evaluate a potential transgression. Practice or Policy: These findings demonstrate that the way in which testimony is delivered to children has a direct influence on their decision making about peer interactions and has relevance for teacher–student discourse in the classroom.     

Exploring the forward citation patterns of patents based on the evolution of technology fields

Forward citations of patents have been used extensively to capture the impact of technological knowledge. However, our understanding of the factors shaping patent citation patterns remains limited. One of the main limitations is the lack of scholarly attention paid to the dynamic influences arising from the evolution of technology fields. From an evolutionary perspective, technological impact is not simply determined by the static attributes of a technology itself; it is also dynamically affected by changes in the external conditions. Drawing on this viewpoint, this study suggests a model for understanding patent citation patterns by reflecting the evolution of the technology fields to which each patent belongs. Four such factors are explored: technology cycle time, potential of technological convergence, popularity of the technology field, and technological novelty. Based on the proposed model, we show how expected citation patterns can change as a result of different scenarios for technology field evolution. We conduct a case study of patents in the information technology and healthcare industries to show citation patterns of patents across heterogeneous industries as well as those within an industry. Contributions to the innovation literature and research investment decisions are discussed.     

Identifying organizational knowledge creation enablers through content analysis: The voice from the industry

The primary purpose of the current research was to identify core contextual factors that facilitate or hinder the process of organizational knowledge creation practices. The grounded theory framework and negotiated coding approach were employed. Serving as the fundamental research framework was Nonaka and his colleagues' knowledge creation and conversion theory, along with their proposed knowledge creation enablers. A total of 314 codeable units from 153 individuals were used for data analysis. All answers were coded and categorized into three emerged domains—organization, team/subgroup, and individual—for both areas of facilitating and hindering factors. Limitations and implications for further research are presented in the discussion section.     

Primary School Teachers’ Understanding of Science Process Skills in Relation to Their Teaching Qualifications and Teaching Experience

This study investigated the understanding of science process skills (SPS) of 329 science teachers from 52 primary schools selected by random sampling. The understanding of SPS was measured in terms of conceptual and operational aspects of SPS using an instrument called the Science Process Skills Questionnaire (SPSQ) with a Cronbach’s alpha reliability of 0.88. The findings showed that the teachers’ conceptual understanding of SPS was much weaker than their practical application of SPS. The teachers’ understanding of SPS differed by their teaching qualifications but not so much by their teaching experience. Emphasis needs to be given to both conceptual and operational understanding of SPS during pre-service and in-service teacher education to enable science teachers to use the skills and implement inquiry-based lessons in schools.     

Science Teachers’ Use of a Concept Map Marking Guide as a Formative Assessment Tool for the Concept of Energy

In this study, we investigated the value of a concept map marking guide as an alternative formative assessment tool for science teachers to adopt for the topic of energy. Eight high school science teachers marked students’ concept maps using an itemized holistic marking guide. Their marking was compared with the researchers’ marking and the scores of a multiple-choice diagnostic test. Statistical analysis revealed that teachers evaluated students’ concept maps consistently, but the concept map scores were only mildly correlated with the multiple-choice test scores. We explored what each assessment method revealed in terms of students’ understanding with one student’s performance as a showcase. Teachers’ views on using the marking guide of concept maps as an assessment tool were also included. We discuss the value of the concept map marking guide as a formative assessment tool for science teachers to create and modify in order to encourage students’ conceptual learning.     

The instructional design portfolio:

Conclusion In order to make PIHnet forum more usable and useful, we recently redesigned the forum tool based on findings from a survey, interviews and observations of user posting patterns. We also developed a journal tool to assist teachers with their personal reflection. Interviews with four users showed that the new forum was easy to use and effectively helped them communicate with other members. We are still developing the journal tool, so user experiences with the new journal tool have not been investigated yet. We will continue to improve the tools based on critical feedback from actual users.