South Korean Students Research Articles

News as a genre: written production in Portuguese by South Korean students

News as a genre: written production in Portuguese by South Korean students

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

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.

International comparison in doping awareness among university physical education students: Focusing on Japanese and South Korean students as subjects

International comparison in doping awareness among university physical education students: Focusing on Japanese and South Korean students as subjects

Mixed Feelings: Attitudes towards English loanwords and their use in South Korea

Abstract This questionnaire study investigates South Korean students’ attitudes towards English loanwords and their use. Even though English enjoys high prestige in Korean society and is considered a requirement for personal and professional advancement, usage of English loanwords is evaluated predominantly negatively or with mixed feelings. For loanwords that semantically deviate from standard English meanings and thus demonstrate Korean identity (i.e., Konglish loanwords), the evaluations turn even more to the negative. Nevertheless, participants also posit positive aspects of general English and Konglish loanword use and, additionally, put forward a variety of perceived reasons for using English words. This study shows that general positive attitudes related to a language can be reversed or at least modified when it comes to the combination of the prestigious language with the native language.

基于韓日學生學習風格差异与民族性格的對外漢語敎學研究

基于韓日學生學習風格差异与民族性格的對外漢語敎學研究

Moderating effect of motivation for MIM use on the association between MIM bullying opportunities and MIM bullying behaviours

ABSTRACTThis study responds to a call to explain recent outbreaks of cyber-bullying on mobile instant messengers (MIMs). We examined the relationships between MIM bullying opportunities and bullying behaviours in group-chat settings while also investigating the moderating effect of adolescents’ motivations for MIM use. We gathered survey data from a sample of 417 South Korean students aged 13–17 years. The results indicate that adolescents’ perceptions of opportunities for cyber-bullying on MIMs are positively associated with their levels of engagement in bullying behaviours in MIM use. Additionally, we found a significant moderating effect of two motivations for MIM use, entertainment and convenience. We discuss the personal and social implications of our findings that engaging in cyber-bullying is affected by user perceptions and the types of gratification offered by a given medium.

EFL Learning Motivation and Influence of Private Education: Cross-grade Survey Results

This study examined differences in South Korean students’ motivation to learn English as a foreign (EFL) from elementary to high school, and investigated the impact of private education experience on their English learning. A questionnaire was administrated to 7,957 students in elementary through high school. This crosssectional survey results revealed that EFL students’ motivation to learn English presented different levels of medians depending on their school grades and levels; it showed lowering trends from the elementary to high school levels. However, during the same period, students’ perceptions of the importance of learning English was not in a downward trend. Students with private education experience tended to have a higher level of motivation than did those without private education experience, especially with respect to instrumental, intrinsic, and integrative motivations. Socioeducational factors in South Korea, such as excessive pressure from the College Scholastic Ability Test and hakbul orientation, are discussed.

Stress and Sensitivity to Frustration Predicting Depression among Young Adults in Poland and Korea - Psychological and Philosophical Explanations

The present study examined the differences in the psychological wellbeing of 270 Polish (198 female) and 209 South Korean (87 female) students. Specifically, it tested the difference in depressive symptom severity between Polish and Korean students, and how this difference may be accounted for by stress and sensitivity to frustration. Poles and Koreans were chosen for this investigation as they vary in terms of culture with Koreans being more collectivistic and more dependent on social context. It was hypothesized that Koreans will have higher levels of depressive symptom severity than Poles due to the elevated levels of stress and sensitivity to frustration. Participants in both countries completed a set of questionnaires including the PHQ-9 - Patient Health Questionnaire, the STAR - Situational Triggers of Aggressive Responses Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale - PSS 10. We found that Koreans were more depressed than Poles due to the higher stress levels and sensitivity to frustration. We discuss our study from two culturally distinct perspectives: psychological and philosophical. As this article addresses the problem of frustration and stress with attention to social context of emotional expression (or restraining from it), a philosophical concept of resentment may turn out to be a promising area of further research and interpretation.

South Korean students' responses to English-medium instruction courses

We explored the underlying mechanism for South Korean university students' negative responses to English-medium instruction (EMI) courses. Specifically, English language anxiety and confidence, and EMI course attitudes and avoidance were analyzed using survey data from 187 Korean university students. Results showed that English language anxiety played a key role in both EMI course attitudes and avoidance, and also affected student achievement in EMI courses. Students' English language confidence and their perceptions of their instructors' English language competence were found to be unrelated to EMI course attitudes and avoidance, but were negatively related to English language anxiety. In addition, students' EMI course content understanding and grades did not directly influence EMI course avoidance, but did indirectly influence course avoidance through EMI course attitudes. Our results highlight the importance of addressing students' emotional challenges and attitudes to improve their motivation to take EMI courses.

The Evolution of South Korean Student Protests

The Evolution of South Korean Student Protests

Cultural Values Influence the Attitude of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean College Students towards Cosmetic Surgery

There are large differences in the frequency and types of cosmetic surgeries performed in different countries around the world. Although availability, access, cost, and affordability each play a role in the observed differences, we tested the hypothesis that sociocultural and moral values significantly influence the level of acceptance of cosmetic surgery. In 2015, we collected the views of 206 college students in an international university in Japan to compare the views of Japanese students (n = 114) towards cosmetic surgery with those of South Korean (n = 37) and Chinese (n = 55) students. There was an overall “negative” attitude towards cosmetic surgery among Japanese (63%) and Chinese students (74%), compared with a “positive” attitude among Korean students (72%), that was statistically significant (chi-square value of 19.477). A qualitative analysis of the students’ comments suggests that the negative view of Japanese students towards cosmetic surgery was associated with the values of respect to parents, naturalness, concern for safety and health (rather than appearance), modesty, and preserving one’s individuality. On the other hand, Korean students mentioned the values of beauty, autonomy, utility (job opportunities, social relations), popularity, and perceived safety as reasons for their positive attitude towards cosmetic surgery. The negative view of Chinese students was mainly associated with the value of respect to parents and preserving the inherited characteristics as well as avoiding the perceived risk of surgical procedures. Interestingly, students’ gender had no statistically significant influence on their positive/negative attitude and/or acceptance of cosmetic surgery (P value >0.05). The finding of significant differences in sociocultural and moral values for and against cosmetic surgery suggests that cultural differences may explain the varying attitudes and thus some of the differing rates of cosmetic surgery between the countries.

How Korean Language Arts Teachers Adopt and Adapt Open Educational Resources: A Study of Teachers’ and Students’ Perspectives

<p class="3">Since 2005, open educational resources (OER) have played a key role in K-12 education in South Korea; so far, however, there has been little discussion about OER efficacy in South Korean K-12 education. In the meantime, South Korean education has been attracting a lot of interest around the world. Former U.S. President Obama’s comments about South Korean education might also be caused by South Korean students’ academic performance evaluated by international large-scale assessments such as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). This article uses an ethnographic perspective to explore the experiences of teachers and students in the Korean context. The analysis of the findings shows how teachers adopt and adapt OER for their 12<sup>th</sup> grade (the final year of secondary school) Korean language arts classes. Through classroom observations, interviews, and questionnaires, this exploration revealed that nearly 92% of the students perceived OER as beneficial to their studies and that teachers were spurred on to orchestrate differentiated instructional plans by OER. We argue that there is significant value to using OER in the formal educational curriculum, but that a lack of knowledge of how to adapt OER restricts how their potential is realized in practice. We identify implications for maximizing OER adaptation and successful usage of OER in K-12 education.</p>

Metadiscourse in persuasive essays by elementary students in South Korea and the US

AbstractThis study investigated metadiscourse in the persuasive essays of fourth graders from both urban and rural communities: 224 students in South Korea and 188 in the US. Each student was asked to write a persuasive essay in his or her native Korean or English in response to a story not previously read or discussed. Analysis with a taxonomy developed by Hyland (2004) indicated significant differences in the metadiscourse by country. In terms of interactive metadiscourse, South Korean students used more sentence-level transitions than U.S. students, who used more frame markers and endophoric markers. With regard to interactional metadiscourse, U.S. students used more hedges, boosters, engagement markers, and self-mentions in their essays. This study also compared the students′ essays by the type of community in which the writers lived. In the US the essays of students in rural communities contained more hedges, whereas those of students in urban areas included significantly more self-mentions. In South Korea, no significant difference was detected in the metadiscourse of students living in rural and urban areas.

日本人の母語と韓国人の日本語学習者の日本語の比較 : 「正しいと思う言い方」と「普段の言い方」を中心に

日本人の母語と韓国人の日本語学習者の日本語の比較 : 「正しいと思う言い方」と「普段の言い方」を中心に

Priorities and preferences for collegiate athletic goals and processes in South Korea

We assessed priorities and preferences regarding athletic goals and approval of processes for achieving those goals in South Korean collegiate athletics students. Using a convenience sampling method, we collected data from 730 college students (580 general students and 150 student-athletes) at 4 South Korean universities. We found significant differences between subgroups divided by gender and student status (general students and student-athletes). Female students were more concerned than male students were with the process of creating gender equality and the goal of a diverse organizational culture. Student-athletes were more likely than general students were to consider that athletic departments should focus more on performance goals (e.g., winning) and processes (e.g., attracting athletes) than on athlete well-being. Our findings provide useful information for South Korean athletic administrators to help develop goals and processes that meet the priorities of the key stakeholder group of students.

Thinking Styles and Intercultural Competencies

AbstractThe purpose of the present study was to demonstrate specific strategies to deconstruct dichotomous, hierarchical, and linear thinking styles and to develop holistic thinking. Developing holistic thinking is the foundation of increasing intercultural competencies for students, faculty, managers, and CEOs. Holistic thinking style allows us to view the world from both Western (linear) and Eastern (non-linear) perspectives. Participants were 35 students (23 American and 12 South Korean students) in an intercultural competence course at a State College in the US. The study found that it is possible for Westerns to increase non-linearity (holistic thinking) by completing specific repetitious reflective writing on a regular basis without censoring. Limitations of the study were the small sample size (N=35) and the short duration (3 months).

The Role of Cultural Competence to Overcome Intercultural Communication Conflict: Case study of Indonesian and Korean students in Kyungsung University, South Korea

Intercultural communication is a growing interest in the realm of global communication science and students pursuing degrees across the borders of nation-states. Nevertheless, the practice of intercultural communication does not always go effectively. This paper addresses problematics of intercultural communication occurred between Indonesian and South Korean students in Kyungsung University, Busan, largely nuanced by prejudice, stereotypes, ethnocentrism as well as values differences about social drinking culture, friendship, beauty, seniority, and perception on punctuality, which consequently trigger misunderstanding that leads to conflict. The goals of this study are twofold, namely, first, to gain deeper understanding on sources of intercultural communication conflict between Indonesian and South Korean students, secondly, to highlight the role of cultural competence to overcome conflict. The method of the research is case study with in-depth interview as the information gathering technique. The result will show that problems in intercultural communication are to a greater extent influenced by two inter-related attitudes which is cultural insensitivity and lack of cultural competence such as respect, socio linguistic awareness, deep cultural knowledge, and skills to listen and observe. The paper will also point to problem-solving alternative to reduce intercultural communication conflict both for Indonesian and South Korean students, namely to develop a more subtle approach when encountering religious-held beliefs with socially accepted norms. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n6p213

Idiocentrism Versus Allocentrism and Ethical Evaluations on Illegal Downloading Intention Between the United States and South Korea

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effects of the personality dimension of idiocentrism and allocentrism, individual experiences, and ethical evaluations on illegal downloading intention. Using data from surveys of college students in the United States and South Korea (N = 881 and 467), the study uncovered that South Korean students are more likely to download illegal content than the U.S. counterpart. The study found the personal trait of self-reliance affected illegal downloading intention for the U.S. students, as expected, while that of interdependence affected the intention for South Korean students. Of more interest is that self-reliance, which is likely to be prominent in individualistic societies, played an important role in explaining illegal downloading intention among the students of South Korea where collectivistic culture has traditionally been predominant. Further, the role of individual experience and ethical evaluations played differently in accounting for illegal downloading intention among the U.S. and South Korean students.

Conceptualizing Creativity: General and Cultural Biases in Gough's Creative Personality Scale

AbstractThis study analyzes the validity of Gough's Creative Personality Scale (CPS) for the Adjective Check List (ACL) by using 1773 Swiss, South Korean, and Mainland Chinese students as a sample. Four sources of potential bias were identified in Gough's CPS, two of which are general and two cultural in nature. The two general biases were investigated by conducting correlation analyses and evaluating alternative scoring methods for the CPS. As a result of the first bias, checking a large number of adjectives was found to be more important for achieving a high score than checking the relevant ones. Due to the second bias, the CPS score mostly depends on the number of positive adjectives checked while negative items have little impact. The two cultural biases were analyzed using an implicit version of the CPS (iCPS) and factor analysis. The latter revealed three different clusters of creativity type: exploratory‐type, socially responsible‐type, and intellectual‐type creativity. Based on cultural background, they are all weighted differently, causing a potential experiential bias in the CPS. Findings indicate that in South Korea and Mainland China socially responsible‐type creativity dominates whereas in Switzerland exploratory‐type creativity prevails. Findings from the iCPS suggest the second cultural bias, the socially desirable responding bias arising from differences in responding styles among the three cultures.

Associations between attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, celebrity worship, and body image among South Korean and US female college students

AbstractVery little information is known regarding the level of psychological attachment to celebrities needed to influence one’s desire to engage in cosmetic surgery in consumers. More importantly, no previous research examined this in relation to attitudes toward cosmetic surgery and level of body satisfaction in cross-cultural contexts. The present study aimed to examine associations between attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, celebrity worship, and body image among South Korean and US female college students. A total of 370 female undergraduates were recruited for survey from a central university in Seoul, South Korea (n = 196) and a mid-Atlantic university in the US (n = 174). The South Korean participants showed greater acceptance toward cosmetic surgery than did the US participants, whereas the US participants showed more positive attitudes toward their favorite celebrities than did the South Korean participants. For the US participants, the level of body dissatisfaction was negatively associated with acceptance for cosmetic surgery while attitudes toward favorite celebrities was positively associated with acceptance for cosmetic surgery. Findings suggest that cultural contexts affect factors influencing the likelihood of having cosmetic surgery.