The Impact of Atmospheric Phenomena on South Korean Students’ Engagement at School through the Mediating Effect of the Students’ Health

Shelley Choi

doi:10.4236/acs.2018.83020

Abstract

This study examined how South Korea’s regular significant atmospheric phenomena, the yellow dust and the monsoon, affected students’ health and academic engagement at school. Five hundred middle and high school students were surveyed to figure out the atmospheric impacts on the students’ lives. The results of this study found that the severity of yellow dust and monsoon conditions experienced by the students negatively influenced their academic engagement. However, the variable of students’ concerns about their health was shown to have a mediating effect between the intensity of yellow dust and the level of academic engagement. These results indicated the need to alleviate the yellow dust and monsoon atmospheric phenomena and their effects at both the school and national levels in order to improve the academic engagement of students in South Korea.

Highlights

Over the last few decades, climate change has significantly increased average global temperatures, damaged forests and marine life, and reduced air quality
The results of this study found that the severity of yellow dust and monsoon conditions experienced by the students negatively influenced their academic engagement
The variable of students’ concerns about their health was shown to have a mediating effect between the intensity of yellow dust and the level of academic engagement. These results indicated the need to alleviate the yellow dust and monsoon atmospheric phenomena and their effects at both the school and national levels in order to improve the academic engagement of students in South Korea

Summary

Introduction

Over the last few decades, climate change has significantly increased average global temperatures, damaged forests and marine life, and reduced air quality. The main types of air pollution, namely smog, acid rain, and ozone depletion, have hindered people’s ability to conduct their daily lives and been a source of increased mortality. Studies have reported that approximately 5.5 million deaths occurred due to diseases associated with air pollution in 2013. In the United States alone, air pollution has contributed to nearly 200,000 deaths, largely caused by asthma, bronchitis, and heart disease [1]. In 2016, it cost the global economy about 225 billion USD in lost labor income [2]

Methods

Results

Conclusion