Korean Secondary School Research Articles

Korean Secondary School Teachers’ Perception and Need toward Lifelong Learning

The purpose of this research is to investigate Korean secondary school teacher's perception and need toward lifelong learning, and to analyze whether or not teacher's working region and affiliation variables affect Korean secondary school teacher's perception and need toward lifelong learning. For this research objects, the frequency analysis and crosstabulation analysis were used, and these methods were calculated with SPSS 18.0. The study results were as following. Firstly, deficiency of available time turned out to be most important obstacle to participation of lifelong learning, and next was poor health, otherwise finance obstacle is very trivial. Secondly, key factor for taking lifelong learning was identified learning program or content. Thirdly, respondents answered that participation of lifelong learning has positive effect on self-fulfillment and upgrade of teaching skill. Fourthly, teachers’ working region(p<.001) and affiliation(p<.001) variables affected teacher's perception toward obstacle to lifelong learning significantly different, but only affiliation variable(p<.05) affected teacher's perception toward key factor for lifelong learning significantly.

Korean primary and secondary school students' perception in self-regulated learning and a relationship between students' English achievement and the self-regulated learning.

Korean primary and secondary school students' perception in self-regulated learning and a relationship between students' English achievement and the self-regulated learning.

Motivational strategies for the language classroom: Perceptions of Korean secondary school English teachers

Abstract Since Dornyei and Csizer's (1998) landmark study of the importance that Hungarian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers attached to a selection of motivational strategies and the frequency they reported using them in their classrooms, there have been few published attempts to examine the cross-cultural validity of their findings. The study reported in this paper builds on the work of Dornyei and colleagues ( Dornyei and Csizer, 1998 ; Cheng and Dornyei, 2007 ). It uses Cheng and Dornyei's (2007) methods while changing the context to evaluate the relevance of a similar list of motivational strategies to 268 South Korean secondary school EFL teachers. The results provide further evidence that some strategies can transfer across contexts. However, unlike previous studies, it was found that Korean teachers attach very little importance and hardly ever use strategies related to generating a positive classroom climate and adaptive group dynamics. Furthermore, and unique to this study, virtually all the examined strategies were underused relative to their perceived importance, suggesting that motivating students is very low on Korean teachers' list of priorities.

The Deadly Effect of High-Stakes Testing on Teenagers with Reference-Dependent Preferences

This paper offers a novel explanation for why even high-performing individuals may have a high suicidal tendency when preferences are reference-dependent. Using survey data of South Korean secondary school students, this paper demonstrates that the relationship between suicidal ideation and test performance is consistent with the reference-dependent explanation. When a student’s rank in the high-stakes College Scholastic Ability Test falls below her expectation, she exhibits a higher likelihood of having suicidal ideation. The findings highlight the potentially adverse consequences of disappointment in high-stakes testing and suggest that the risk of suicide may be significant among high achievers too.

Investigating the Level-appropriateness of Listening Tasks in Middle-School English Activity Books

The purpose of this paper is to examine the level-appropriateness of listening tasks in middle-school English activity books, which have been used in Korean secondary schools since 2009 in order to facilitate level-differentiated learning. Five different kinds of middle-school English activity books from grade 1 to grade 3 (i.e., 15 in total) were randomly chosen for analysis. It was found that the listening task difficulty of activity books as a whole became greater as the proficiency level went up, which implied listening tasks were well sequenced regarding the proficiency level. Some activity books, however, showed a problem with sequencing listening tasks in terms of difficulty because the task difficulty in the higher grade was lower than that in the lower grade. In terms of listening task difficulty, in addition, activity books were not homogeneous even in the same level. Implications of the findings for the level– appropriateness of listening tasks and further research into listening task difficulty are discussed.

Perceptions of Korean Secondary School English Teachers on TEE and Collaborative Teaching with Native English-speaking Teachers.

Perceptions of Korean Secondary School English Teachers on TEE and Collaborative Teaching with Native English-speaking Teachers.

Variability in the L2 Acquisition of English Articles

This study investigates variation in article use by Korean secondary school students of English. The study shows how two different tasks affect...

The Effect of Korean Secondary School Students' Perceptual Learning Styles and Ideal L2 Self on Motivated L2 Behavior and English Proficiency

In this study, 495 Korean secondary school students' visual, auditory, and kinesthetic preferences, ideal L2 self, motivated L2 behavior, and English proficiency were analyzed based on questionnaire surveys. Identifying possible effect of the participants' perceptual learning styles and ideal L2 self on their motivated L2 behavior was followed by an investigation of all variables' impact on English proficiency. The influence of the visual learning style and the ideal L2 self on motivated L2 behavior indicates that the students' visual style preference contributes strongly to the forming of a vivid ideal L2 self, which in turn results in a higher level of motivated L2 behavior. As for the effect of the variables on English proficiency, the more motivated L2 behavior the students exhibited, the higher achievement they obtained, but the impact was not notably powerful. Based on these findings, it is suggested that Korean secondary school students’ motivation to learn English can be increased by enabling them to realize and develop their ideal L2 self through group discussion or individual journal writing.

Effects of School Location on School Organizational Culture in Korea

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the school location variable on the shaping of school organizational culture. The context for the study is secondary schools in Korea under the compulsory rotation system for teaching staff, with school organizational culture being assessed by surveying the perceptions of teachers. The results of the study identified that although the effect size of school location factor on school culture was not strong, the factor can transform the culture of school organization. Further, while some aspects of school organizational culture including the aspects of pedagogy and student welfare were strongly determined by school teachers’ characteristics, teachers’ age in particular, three aspects of school organizational culture including teaching character, collaboration and relationship with community were influenced by the school’s location. The overall findings of this study suggest that the organizational cultures of Korean secondary schools are generally formed by both school location and the school members’ characteristics, teachers’ age and/or teaching experience.

Are Korean Secondary School Girls Physically Active During Leisure Time?

Our aims in this study were to identify the types of physical activity during leisure time and to determine if Korean secondary school girls participate in enough physical activity during leisure time to promote health. Of the 1,088 girls randomly selected by a multistaged cluster sampling technique, 705 girls completed questionnaires. Seventy-five percent of Korean secondary school girls spent time on individualized or noncompetitive activities, and 88.3% of them were classified into underactive and inactive levels with no gained health benefits during leisure time. No significant differences were observed in the physical activity levels between middle school girls and high school girls. The results of this study may be explained by the lack of perceived appropriateness for secondary school girls' participation in physical activity, which traditionally did not favor them participating in dynamic physical activities and sufficient physical activity level to gain health benefits.

The Role of Semantic Factors in the Acquisition of English Articles

This study examines the roles of semantic factors in the acquisition of English articles by Korean secondary school students. First, this study shows that semantic feature specificity plays a role in the acquisition of the indefinite article a and the zero article o. Second, it shows that different uses of the definite article the present different levels of difficulty for Korean students of English. Third, noun countability is shown to affect L2-English learners' article choice, while the structural factor, modification, is not. Overall, this research reveals that Korean secondary school students' acquisition of English articles is nonrandom, and it implies that Universal Grammar is relevant for L2 acquisition of English articles by Korean secondary school students whose L1 lacks articles. Finally, this study presents some pedagogical implications for teaching L2 English articles.

Applicability of an EBB Scale to English Speaking Performance Assessment in the Korean Secondary School

Applicability of an EBB Scale to English Speaking Performance Assessment in the Korean Secondary School

Liaison Analysis between School Grades in Genetics of Biology Textbooks under Korean Secondary School

Liaison analysis between school grades in genetics contents of biology textbooks under Korean secondary school was performed. Analyzing the liaisons between Inquiry Topics, Inquiry Patterns, Inquiry Process, and Inquiry Situations, we took grades between the 9th and the 12th except 10th: the number of the Inquiry Topics in average were 12, 10, 22 in 9th, 11th, and 12th grades' textbooks each, and their contents for 'repetition', 'variation', 'development', and 'skipping', were 18, 24, 29, and 29% each for between the 9th and 11th grade, and 17, 13, 35, 35% for between 11th to 12th grades, indicating that development and disparities were increased exclusively compared to repeat and variation as grade rises. 'Inquiry process' composed of performances and materials interpretations mainly, but it requires to change improving self-trial learning and extending the balanced inquiry efficiency. Observing the part of Inquiry Situation, there was the most of 'Pure Science,' nevertheless 'SocialTechnical' Research Situation should take more portion to help STS thinking. 'Readings' was established into 18, 45, 30% of 'repetition,' 'change,' and 'development' on the transfer of 9th to 11th grade: having the most of 'change' that suggests contents in a different way. However, ‘development’ and ‘skipping’ were increased to 48 and 19% with intensified contents in transferring 11th to 12th grade.

The Perception of Reading and the Characteristics on the Reading Activity in Korean Secondary School

The Perception of Reading and the Characteristics on the Reading Activity in Korean Secondary School

COPI as a Performance Test in the English Classrooms in Korea

This study is designed to emphasize the need to introduce speaking tests in Korean secondary schools where the listening tests are mainly employed as a performance test. For the purpose of examining whether the students with the high score on the listening test would attain high scores on the speaking test and vice versa, this study investigates the correlation between the two test results of the listening and the speaking tests of the first-year university students as a an average group representing those who have received secondary education in Korea. The conclusion is drawn that since there is a low correlation between the students' listening comprehension ability and their oral proficiency, the listening tests practiced in the middle and high schools in Korea do not seem to have contributed to the improvement of all the sub-components of the students' communicative competence. It could be said that the results of this study prove to be congruent with the Output Hypothesis by Swain (1993), indicating that more opportunities for producing output in the target language should be provided for the ESL learners.

효율적인 과업활동 텍스트의 구성 방안 - 영어과 교재를 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is to provide some insights on designing the text materials for effective task-based activities with reference to Korean secondary school English textbooks. For this purpose, the theoretical backgrounds of curriculum and syllabus are discussed and the multilateral task model, which has some positive assets compared to previous task models, is newly introduced in terms of encouraging learners to positively participate in task-based activities in language classroom. It is also suggested that six different categories of task components be applied to constructing communicative text materials. The six components include task goals, input data, settings, activity types, language skills, activity themes and communicative functions. To conclude, a few suggestions are made to provide some meaningful considerations for the text material developers in order to produce better textbooks in the future: (a) task goals and rationale that encourage the learner

The conflict over the use of information technology in South Korean schools

This article examines the heated debate over the National Educational Information System (NEIS) in South Korea. The NEIS has been introduced by the Ministry of Education. It collects information on every South Korean primary and secondary school in regional databases, including information regarding health records, religious backgrounds, military service, grades, attendance and other sensitive information relating to individual pupils and teachers. Using the cultural theory developed by Mary Douglas, Michael Thompson and Aaron Wildavsky, it is shown in which particular ways the rivals in this debate have been talking past, and misunderstood each other. On the basis of this cultural theory, a possible way out of this impasse is sketched.

Psychological constructs to predicting smoking behavior among Korean secondary school students

Background. Current research on cigarette smoking has largely been focused on identifying the relationship between psychological attributes and the onset or initiation of smoking behavior. Few data are available on the psychological predictors of smoking behavior among Korean adolescents. This study examined the prevalence of smoking behavior among Korean adolescents, revealed factors affecting their smoking behavior, and identified the relationship between smoking behavior and psychological variables. Methods. Four Korean-version questionnaires were used to assess adolescents' smoking behavior and their psychological attributes: Smoking Habit Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Scale, Self-efficacy Scale, and Self-esteem Scale. Frequency, Chi-square, ANOVA, correlation, and regression analyses were performed to analyze the data obtained in the study. Results. The results indicate that smoking problem in the Korean adolescents is a crucial factor that might adversely affect their overall health. Forty-three percent of adolescents responded that they had smoked a cigarette in their lifetime and 26% are current smokers. Male adolescents were more likely to smoke in their lifetime and have currently smoked a cigarette than females. The adolescents aged 17–18 years had smoked more cigarette than those in other age groups. Among the five psychological variables, IHLC and self-efficacy significantly differentiated adolescents at different smoking status. Furthermore, IHLC, self-esteem, and self-efficacy were significantly correlated with smoking behavior and those psychological constructs had a significant linear relation to account for smoking behavior. Conclusions. Psychological variables have a meaningful influence on smoking behavior of adolescents.

The effect of a computer-assisted career guidance program on secondary schools in Korea

This paper examines the effect of a computer-assisted career guidance program in South Korean secondary schools. The program used for this study was developed by one of the paper’s co-authors, Young-Hye Kim, based on Harrington & O’Shea’s Career Decision-Making system. MVS (My Vocational Situation) is used for pre-post test. The t-test results indicate that there are some meaningful differences between control and experimental groups on the 9th and the 11th graders in South Korea. There appeared to be gender and age influences on the degree of the effect.

Linking Brain Growth with the Development of Scientific Reasoning Ability and Conceptual Change during Adolescence

The hypothesis that an early adolescent brain growth plateau and spurt exists and that this plateau and spurt influence students' ability to reason scientifically and to learn theoretical science concepts was tested. In theory, maturation of the prefrontal lobes during early adolescence allows for improvements in students' abilities to inhibit task-irrelevant information and coordinate task-relevant information, which along with both physical and social experience influences scientific reasoning ability and the ability to reject scientific misconceptions and accept scientific conceptions. Two hundred ten students ages 13–16 years enrolled in four Korean secondary schools were administered tests of four prefrontal lobe activities, a test of scientific reasoning ability, and a test of air pressure concepts derived from kinetic-molecular theory. A series of 14 lessons designed to teach the concepts were then taught. The concepts test was then readministered following instruction. As predicted, among the 13- and 14-year-olds, performance on the prefrontal lobe measures remained similar or regressed. Performance then improved considerably among the 15- and 16-year-olds. Also as expected, the measures of prefrontal lobe activity correlated highly with scientific reasoning ability. In turn, prefrontal lobe activity and scientific reasoning ability predicted concept gains and posttest performance. A principal components analysis showed that the study variables had two main components, which were interpreted as an inhibiting and a representing component. Therefore, theoretical concept acquisition was interpreted as a process involving both the inhibition of task-irrelevant information (i.e., the rejection of intuitively derived misconceptions) and the representation of task-relevant information (i.e, complex hypothetico-deductive arguments and counterintuitive scientific conceptions about nonobservable entities). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 37: 44–62, 2000