The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that predict life satisfaction in a large representative sample of Koreans by analyzing data from the Gallup World Poll. The primary objective was to identify important predictors and suggest strategies to improve quality of life in Korea. The study used available Korean data from 2006 to 2017, which included 14,101 participants (mean age = 46.42). Predictors included demographic and psychological variables, with the Cantril Ladder of Life Scale serving as the outcome variable. The results show a decline in life satisfaction with advancing age, and that the relationship between life satisfaction and age varied by gender. Among the predictors examined, satisfaction with the standard of living and household income emerged as the most influential factors in determining life evaluation; other strong predictors included positive affect and negative affect, social support, gender, and education level. These results imply that, to increase life satisfaction, it is imperative to provide job opportunities and social services specifically targeted to individuals in low-income groups. In addition, it is crucial to implement tailored psychosocial interventions that address the unique developmental tasks and psychological challenges experienced by individuals according to their gender and life cycle stage.

The effect of perceived discrimination on adolescents' developmental outcome has long been a topic of research, however, little is known about how it affects their depression especially among the racial/ethnic minority adolescents in Asian countries. In Korea, a country with a relatively short history of immigrant influx, discrimination has become an important social issue affecting a rapidly growing population. This study examines the impact of perceived discrimination on racial/ethnic minority adolescents in Korea, specifically focusing on its impact on depression through self-esteem and satisfaction with physical appearance. The Multicultural Adolescents Panel Study data were used for analyses, and the SPSS Process Macro program was used to test the parallel mediating effects of self-esteem and satisfaction with physical appearance. The findings show that perceived discrimination was a strong predictor of their depression. Self-esteem and satisfaction with physical appearance also had significant mediating effect. There were no distinct gender differences among paths though the male adolescents were found to have more discriminatory experiences than the female adolescents. The findings call for the development of healthy coping strategies for these adolescents to prevent the effect of perceived discrimination, not only for their mental health, but also with their self-perception including physical appearance.

One in three Internet users worldwide are children, and yet children are still insufficiently consulted on Internet governance-related matters as well as with respect to safety design decisions in online environments. Following the adoption of the general comment on the application of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in digital environments, this article presents the results of empirical research that solicited children’s input on proposed design of artificial intelligence-based interventions into cyberbullying incidents on popular social media platforms. The article presents the results from interviews and focus groups with 12–17-year-old children from Ireland regarding desirability and effectiveness of proposed interventions; as well as how these affect their rights to safety, privacy and freedom of expression.

Past studies have evinced that the perception of near-hand objects is qualitatively different from that of far-hand objects. However, as the influence of test anxiety during tasks of visual processing has never been considered, this study aims to assess whether the presence of hand alters/biases the visual processing of objects while controlling for the effect of test anxiety. A sample of 30 participants aged 22-55 years old was recruited through convenience sampling and performed a cognitive task based on the Posner paradigm of Inhibition of Return (Posner et al., 1985) during which they held their hand on their lap in the control condition and next to the screen in the experimental one. Their test anxiety was assessed retroactively through the Test Anxiety Profile (Oetting & Deffenbacher, 1980, as cited in Gass and Curiel, 2011). A correlation was performed between test anxiety and Reactions Times (RTs) scores, and an analysis of variance was computed with the presence of the hand and the validity of trials as independent variables and RTs as the dependent variable. Next, an analysis of covariance included test anxiety as the covariate. The presence of the hand altered/biased the visual processing of stimuli, and participants shifted their attention between items faster in the experimental condition. Participants’ test anxiety did not mediate the near-hand effect. This study provides insights into the development of multitouch devices and their applications in the educational setting.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, wearing a mask has become a daily routine in Korea over the last two years. This study aims to investigate the mask-wearing perception of preschoolers (ages 4–6). The questionnaire comprised 17 yes-no closed-ended questions and two open-ended questions, and interviews of the children were conducted from January to February 2022, 15 months after mandatory mask wearing. Results showed that children were aware of the need to wear a mask to protect themselves and others from the coronavirus, and they perceived it as necessary and a good thing. Most children responded that they did not feel uncomfortable wearing a mask at preschool. This perception was thought to be influenced by the caregivers’ perceptions of the mask in Korea. The way in which 4–5-year-olds perceived the mask differed from the way 6-year-olds did. Children aged between four and five seemed to perceive the mask as a physical self, while children aged six did not. As children who have experienced COVID-19 are growing up, attention is being focused on how the experience of wearing a mask affects their early childhood development.

Although eportfolio practice has become almost ubiquitous across higher education, only a small body of empirical research exists in relation to the practice in Ireland (Donaldson 2018, Farrell 2018).  As Chen and Black (2010) pointed out, eportfolio is a multifaceted concept and the eportfolio can be used to fulfil many functions. Some limited research has demonstrated its use as a tool for reflection, including exploring broader aspects such as developing self-reflection and self-regulated learning, and exploring identity (Alexiou & Paraskeva 2010, Bennett et al 2016, Slepcevic-Zach & Stock 2018, Farrell & Seery 2019).
 This article explores and critically reflects on the use of the eportfolio as a space for student reflection within individual modules, demonstrating its utility as a T&L tool for both students and educators. It draws on the author’s experience of using eportfolios for assessment purposes, incorporating a reflective component, over a four-year period. Particular emphasis is placed on the experiences and outcomes of two groups of approximately 35 students each who undertook undergraduate modules between February and May 2020.
 The discussion develops three aspects of the eportfolio experience. First, asking how eportfolio can be most effectively used to encourage reflective learning within a module, the article discusses both highs and lows of student engagement, evidence of critical thinking and necessary tweaks in order to enable meaningful learning to occur. It also shows how the reflective journals can provide a feedback mechanism to assist educators in enhancing their modules.
 Second, the role of eportfolio-based reflections for weaker students is examined. In some cases, these reflections help to show the ways in which less-academically-able students have benefitted from their experiences in the module, such as building skills or enhancing their knowledge base. Typically, the learning achieved by weaker students is not reflected in their overall grade, as grading scales tend to reward students of greater academic ability. Careful reading of student reflections can demonstrate their progression in a way that may not be captured by the final product (exam or project). The author asks how best to capture and assess this evidence of progression over the course of a module.
 Third, the unanticipated outcomes of student reflective journaling during the Covid-19 crisis are tentatively explored. This section specifically draws on the experiences of students who began their modules in face-to-face mode and completed them online. During lockdown, their journals served an additional purpose, offering a ‘safe space’ for students to work through their experiences of the pandemic and its impacts on their lives. The article asks how these positive engagements can best be replicated in the future.
 The conclusion draws together the larger implications of the three elements explored in the main body of the article, suggesting ways in which these experiences can be integrated into future module design.

This article explores the potential for eportfolios to contribute to the development of student critical awareness of social justice, including the role of the university as a social justice actor, through module assessment. It will critically address how eportfolios were introduced in 2019-20 to assess student reflection on social justice in a first year law module ‘Critical Approaches to Law’ at DCU. To date, there has been a slow adoption of eportfolios in Irish higher education (Farrell 2018). Although there is some evidence of reflective assessment in comparative legal education, especially in schools with an emphasis on socio-legal approaches to law, and in clinical legal education, there is limited analysis of eportfolio assessment in classroom-based or blended legal education, (Waye and Faulkner 2012) and none in the Irish context.
 The article will discuss the motivation to use eportfolios; the benefits, challenges and lessons learned in the design of the assessment, and the first time experience for the educator of marking and student experience of eportfolios. It assesses eportfolios as a mechanism for prompting student reflection and the development of critical thinking, (Farrell 2019) with a particular reflective focus on social justice and university education as a social justice experience. (Connell 2019). It queries the extent to which eportfolios enable students to incorporate prior learning experiences to their reflection, (Chen and Black 2010) and for students self-determine the parameters of their personal interaction with social justice questions raised by the experience in the module and their lived experience. (Brooman and Stirk 2020)