The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the culture of students' learning in middle school. The researcher started this study with interests in certifying how students' learning culture is made in living and lessons of middle school, and ...
The purpose of this study is to describe and analyze the culture of students' learning in middle school. The researcher started this study with interests in certifying how students' learning culture is made in living and lessons of middle school, and how it is influenced by 'HAKWON(cram school)' in Korean. It has been regarded as one do the most distinctive educational phenomena in Korean students' culture composing school culture.
Based on the ethnographic data collected, the thesis tries to answer the following questions :
1. What activities do students do for learning in lining and lessons of middle school, and lessons of middle school, and what attitude and recognition do they have about learning?
2. What activities do student do for learning and lessons of 'HAKWON(cram school)', and what attitude and recognition do they have about learning?
The major research method of this study is ethnographic in interview. The researcher interviewed with selected students and, assitantly, the researcher observed the learning activities of four classes ( second grade) in middle school. In addition, the researcher used the description survey, the document research, and a record of learning diary.
The results of this study are as follows.
First, students have the most important meaning on preparation for an examination in school learning. They devide 'the subjects with sample question' from 'the subjects without sample question' when they prepare for an examination. They think that the subjects with sample questions is easy to study, however, they study hard or give up the subjects without sample question.
Besides, According to terms of examination, students concentrate on learning differently. They mainly concentrate on learning before examination.
Second, students want 'teaching by examination, students concentrate on learning differently. They mainly concentrate on learning before examination but they loose after examination. Second, students want 'teaching by explanation'. It is the teaching pattern that teachers mainly explain the contents of textbooks. They want to understand perfectly and systematically the contents of textbooks. They dislike "only making progress". Most of classes are leaded by students with high level or students to have learned previously in 'cram school'. Therefore the others would feel alienated on lessons and there would be differences in the learning opportunity in class among students.
Third, the major purpose of 'cram school' is to make students advance academic achivement of students. and it is related to strategy for existence of 'cram school'. It is the repetition and the suplementation as the most representative character of 'cram school'. And in 'cram school', students exercise many question like 'made questions in the last year' and 'praticed questions'.
Theses results show that school on the public education cannot entirely accomplish educational function. A given condition of education and assessment system will have to be improved in order that school con stand on the center of education.