The Effect of Social Studies Instruction upon the Political Socialization of Elementary School Students

HAN, MYUN HEE,CHUNG, SAE-GU KOREAN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL KOREAN NATI 1976 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.4 No.1

The purpose of this research has been to determine what effects the social studies program for the sixth grade in elementary school is having on political socialization of the pupils - that is, on their sense of citizen duty, political trust, political efficacy and political participation. We have also attempted to determine the extent to which the sex and socio-economic status of pupils have a bearing on the effects through this research in terms of a theory of political culture. We have formulated a hypothesis that those pupils who have received social studies instruction show a higher degree of political socialization than those who have nor. As for the method of research, we constructed a post-test only experimental design. Then, we selected six classes for the subjects of study. Of them, the three experimental classes were given the treatment. After the treatment, we took steps to determine if any significant differences had developed between the two groups. The instrument for this research was a questionnaire, a translated version of the form prepared by the ISR of the United States. It contained 16 questions. The collected data were analyzed by using two method of statistical analysis : the F-test of significance and three-factorial analysis of variance. The findings through the research showed that as far as the sense of citizen duty of the pupils was concerned, the social studies instruction did not lead to any significant difference between the pupils who had received the instruction and those who had not. There was no difference in the instructional effect attributable to the sex and socio-economic status of the pupils. Regarding political trust, the pupils who had received social studies instruction showed a much higher degree of political trust than those who had not. Only male pupils and pupils with lower socio-economic status reflected a significant instructional effect, however. In the case of political efficacy, no significant effect of social studies instruction was observed. Nor were there any differences attributable to the sex and socio-economic status of the pupils. As regards political participation, the instruction had no signifivant effect, as was the case with political efficacy. Yet another finding was not our interpretation of the effects of social studies instruction on political socialization strongly suggested a participant political culture emerging out of the process of the pupils' political socialization. It was also indicated that the current social studies program was orienting pupils toward supporting present political leaders and the present political system. On the basis of the findings obtained through our research thus far, we wish to make the following recommendations on how to improve Korea's political education in general, and social studies curriculum in particular. First of all, the present role of the social studies curriculum as an agent of political socialization should be reconsidered. Up to now, political leaders and educational authorities have focused their attention on political education under such names as "national security education" and "national identity education". And in actuality, the social studies curriculum was assigned with the major part devoted to political education. The fact that the social studies textbooks have been revised almost every year, signifies that the social studies curriculum is always sensitive to domestic and international political changes and policy decisions of the government. But we do actually have a social studies program that measures up to such a keen concern for the important role that the program is required to play. It is good to note that pupils' trust in the government is enhanced after two months' instruction relating to the unit : "Democracy in Our Country," which represents the only systematic treatment of that subject during the people's rights and duties and the political system of Korea. However, an across-the-board reconsideration of the overall social studies curriculum is called for in light of the fact that the social studies instruction has failed to exert any influence upon the development of a sense of citizen duty, political efficacy and political participation on the part of the pupils. In connection with the above, it is recommended that a drastic shift in teaching strategy be effected by replacing the present expository approach with an inquiry-oriented method. As the results of this research disclose, even the current expository method is found effective in enhancing political trust. However, if the future generations should merely give passive support to the government, without actively participating in the movements to strengthen national harmony and national security, there would arise a possibility of national security being undermined from within. The suggested inquiry-centered teaching method could give the pupils actual experience and training in political participation. We, the researchers, still vividly remember the excitement over the outcome of a demonstrative research into the effects of inquiry-centered classroom instruction conducted from January to July, 1974. In the course of a mere few months, the pupils in the experimental group developed a degree of clarification of values no less than 19percent above what was attained by the control group. When a demonstraion class was conducted on July 5 of that year, reporters of the press corps covering education commented that " We would not be able to do as well as those pupils, if we had taken their place in the classroom" This comment strengthened our conviction that the experimental new teaching strategy would be most effective in conducting national security education in future. We hereby strongly recommend the application of this type of teaching strategy to the social studies program at elementary school level.

Globalization of Labor : A Comparative Study on the Labor Relations and Social Adjustment of Foreign Workers in Korean Overseas and Domestic Corporate Enterprises

Seok, Hyunho Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2003 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.30 No.1

This study explores labor relations and social adjustment problems of local workers employed in overseas Korean corporate enterprises in comparison to the problems of immigrant workers in domestic enterprises. Data for the study was drawn from a series of surveys conducted in 59 overseas Korean companies in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia and in 189 domestic companies employing migrant workers from the four Asian countries. Major findings from the study are as follows. First, overseas companies are more likely to face culture-related problems such as differences in custom and language barriers, rather than labor-related ones such as wage and working hour disputes. Second, overseas managers are not only more authoritarian but also more paternalistic than their domestic counterparts. In this regard it was also found that in the overseas companies managers evaluate themselves as being more authoritarian than their workers tend to rate them, but in the domestic companies the reverse is the case. These attitudes vary with their host countries or their workers' nationalities, indicating that the so-called "Korean style of management" is not a fixed one but varies with the workers' nationalities as they try to make cultural adjustments. Third, local workers in overseas Korean companies tend to be more satisfied with their labor conditions and jobs than are the migrant workers. Again we found that the extent of satisfaction varies from one ethnic group to another. Most Filipinos, both local workers and migrant workers, tend to be either satisfied or dissatisfied, while most Vietnamese are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied. Responses of other ethnic groups are in between the two extremes. Finally, we found that the Korean-Chinese feel closest to Koreans, followed by the Han-Chinese. However, both are more likely to feel discrimination by Koreans, due to the difference between their expected relationship and the actual one with Koreans.

Some Foods Are Good to Think : Kimchi and the Epitomization of National Character

Han, Kyung-Koo Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2000 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.27 No.1

This paper is an attempt to consider the consumption of kimchi in relation to nationalism. For this purpose I discussed three themes. First, today's kimchi is a result of recent invention. However, its recentness tends to be forgotten by laymen and its history is often stretched back into a remote past. Some scholars began to deny the Chinese origin of kimchi and propose that kimchi was invented independently in Korea. Second, in contrast to the Japanese who chose rice to define themselves, Koreans found kinchi better to think. This choice of kimchi as the National Food at the time of Seoul Olympic Games amounts to a declaration of independence in taste, considering the intercultural embarrassment caused by the smell, spilt juice, and spiciness of kimchi. This embarrassment is partly due to kimchi's position as an "indispensable but mediocre" status in the Korean meal structure. However, Koreans tended to use the spiciness of kimchi to epitomize their can-do spirit and small-but-tough-ness, even though spiciness itself is often the mark of uncouthness in taste. Koreans had to justify their consumption of kimch in terms of kimchi's nutritional value in vitamins and mineral, technological ingenuity displayed in storage and fermentation processes, and Koreans' natural inclination for spiciness. Now kimchi is not only nutritionally and environmentally correct, but also palatable and delectable in the intercultural scenes. Last theme: Kimchi's symbolic status thus elevated, it is only natural that Koreans are ready to feel a national identity crisis at the result of a dubious survey on food preference among school children where kimchi got the lowest score. An attempt to defend kimchi is based on the concept of Shinto bul'I [body and soil are one and the same], a concept derived from Buddhist sutra and popularized in Korea through a novel portaying the life and work of a doctor who devoted his life to establishing a Korean-type medical science based on this concept. It is not suprising that this concept was picked up by the Korean Agricultural Cooperative as its slogan to fight against the consumption of imported farm produce in the face of the Uruguay Round. And Shinto bul'I is a concept legitimating the cultural and economic war against foreign goods and foods as a new hit song by the same title encourages. A community can be imagined through the development of commercial printing. But a community of shared meals has the advantage of being directly experienced everyday; "national foods" can be chewed, ground, swallowed, drunken, exchanged, and appreciated. In this age of trade nationalism emphasizing the consumption of national foods, some foods are indeed good to think.

A Critical Evaluation of the U.S.Role in the Division of Korea and the Korean War

Kang, Jeong-Koo Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2000 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.27 No.1

Korean issues related to the Korean War have been interpreted as products of external variables while Korean variables have tended to be ignored. This perspective, Korea merely chanced to be the battlefield upon which the international community fought over issues which the Koreans did not author. With this in mind, this paper attempts to evaluate the role of the United States in the division of Korean at 38th parallel and the ensuing wars from the perspective of the Korean people themselves rather than through foreign eyes. The war and the division will be analyzed in the immediate Korean historical context, with major criteria based on internal Korean dynamics, employing the historical projection method which I have developed to answer the methodological need to incorporate Third World perspectives into the social sciences.

Balancing the Imbalance in International News Flow Research: Implications of Social Cognition REsearch

LEE, CHANG-KEUN KOREAN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL KOREAN NATI 1992 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.18 No.1

Discrepancies Between Formal/Explicit and Informal/Implicit Norms in Korea and Generation Gaps : Theoretical Points and Evidence from Existing Survey Data

Na, Eun-Yeong,Min, Kyung-Hwan Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2000 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.27 No.1

Formal/Explicit norms in Korea have significantly changed since the beginning of modern Korea, but informal/implicit norms are still firmly based on traditional Confucian rules. Interpersonal networks and high-context communication style centering around one's own ingroup have reinforced such a tendency. Overall social trust is low in Korea, because people strongly identify with their ingroups and exclude outgroup members. Besides, Inglehart (1997) revealed that generation gap in Korea is the largest among the 43 countries surveyed, based on his study on postmaterialism. After a short review of theoretical and traditional foundations of the Korean culture's dual standards, existing survey data were readdressed to illustrate empirical evidence for the discrepancies between formal/explicit and informal/implicit norms of Korea as well as Korean generation gap. A systematic survey plan for the late 1990's was Finally suggested to examine younger and older Koreans' values, norms, and practices, for formulating a directional guide for the 21st century.

The Structure and Process of Social Stratification in Korea

CHA, JONG-CHUN KOREAN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL KOREAN NATI 1993 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.19 No.1

Up till now we have tried to analyze the objective indicators of social stratification in Korea. Blau and Duncan's conceptualization of the structure and process of social stratification has served as the analytic framework for this study, Thus, we have placed special emphasis on educational and occupational achievements. For variables related to work, occupation and economic life, we have also considered industry, employment status, size of workplace, years of employment, work hours per week and income in addition to those used by Blau and Duncan. Socio- demographic information that we have considered includes the place where respondent had spent his formative years, area of current residence and religious affiliation. In the following discussion, we will first recapitulate the results of the above analyses in the order of educational achievement, occupational achievement and income, and then consider what needs to done for future research. As determinants of educational achievement, father's education proves to be the most significant factor, followed in order of importance by age, sex, father's occupation, rural origin and current residence in Seoul. From the analysis of intergenerational educational mobility it is evident that the chances for upward mobility from elementary-level origin to college-level destination and those for downward mobility from an origin of high school-level and above to elementary-level destination are significantly lower than the other possibilities, and that in recent times this situation has tended to deteriorate.

Local Politics and Urban Power Structure in South Korea

Park, Chong-Min Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2000 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.27 No.2

By utilizing the decisional method this paper attempts to examine the nature of local politics and urban power structures in Korea. The findings turn out to be inconsistent with the implications of elitism, pluralism, the growth machine thesis, the city limits thesis or the urban regime theory. It is discovered that local power structures in Korea are mayor-dominant ones. Since there are few organized local businesses or social interests which could control the local government, the mayor instead, as head of local administration, appears to prevail in local political processes through patron-client relations, and overwhelms the local bureaucracy as well as the city council.

Naraebang: A Case Study of Cultural Industry and Mode of Cultural Consumption

Song,Do-Young KOREAN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL KOREAN NATI 1998 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.25 No.1

Abatract: One of important factors for the making of people's everyday life an culture, nowadays, is cultural industry. Principally working in the logic of market and commercialism, nevertheless, noraebang phenomenon as a part of cultural industry shows particular aspects of Koraan culture also, in the period of cultural transition. Composing elements of noraebang phenomenon-electronic hardwares, audio and visual softwares, shops, cultural environment in urbanized Korean society, often intertwined among them, to make a certain dynamics of this cultural industry and the mode of its consumption. This study asks, at first, the reason of the noraebangs' rapid growith. The author studied general background of the 1990s' Korean urban culture and daily life of ordinary people. Hardware parts have met the softwares which had been up to teh demand and the attitudes of cultural consumption in this period. One remarkable aspect is the specialization of spaces for each cultural activity, with the support of market growth. Also remarked were ambiguous attitudes of teh people between openly proclaimed pro-collective solidarity culture and personal quest of pro-individual ways of self expression. Mixed judgements on the collective 'habitus' of drinking and singing stay there not clearly classified in the people's value system. The noracbangs have offered a kind of 'the space of ambiguous ritual' in this somewhat chaotic situation of teh transitional period. Mushrooms of several other specialized shops for more individualized cultural consumption and their market growth confirm it in this, already, Post-noraebang period of Korea. Noraebang phenomenon was, then we can say, one important symptom which featured that cultural transition of Korean' mode of daily life.

Evangelical Efficiency and the Growth of Protestantism in South Korea

Kim, Eun-gi Korean Social Science Research Council Korean Nati 2000 Korean Social Science Journal Vol.27 No.2

The highly effective evangelical strategies of the missionaries and Protestant church organizations in South Korea are analyzed in order to substantiate how they were able to take full advantage of their organization skills and resources to convert large numbers of Koreans. This paper shows how the Korean Protestant Church as a while, as the best organized religious establishment in South Korea, was able to initiate and operate the most effective evangelical programs for the purpose of building its membership. Some of those evangelical methods that proved eminently successful include various religious education programs, such as the Sunday School, the institutionalization of the Bible study; radio evangelism, and industrial evangelism. This paper thus shows that the remarkable growth of Protestantism in South Korea was not inspired by the appeal of Christian doctrines alone, but rather that evangelical efficiency, among others, played a major role in catapulting the new religion into social prominence in one of the world's most religiously diverse nations.