Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Also available in print.

Thesis (D.Ed.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: James A. Whitson, School of Education. Includes bibliographical references.

published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 203-215). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature and function of Korean schools, based on data collected from three schools located in southern California. The study addressed the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics of Korean schools? (2) What are the characteristics of the curriculum? (3) What are the characteristics of the teachers, parents, and students? (4) What are the attitudes of Korean-American children, parents, and teachers toward their Korean schools? (5) What are the similarities and differences among the three schools? The study analyzed data collected from three schools: two in densely populated urban areas and one in a suburban area. The findings are based on a sample of 170 students, 146 parents, 44 teachers, and three principals. Data were collected through interviews, written questionnaires, and classroom observations. The study found that Korean Americans are very interested in helping their children develop and maintain appreciation for the Korean culture and language. While creating a positive Korean identity was given as the primary goal of the Korean school, actual instructional objectives were focused more on teaching the Korean language. Children usually attend Korean schools on Saturday or Sunday. Instructional activities are devoted to Korean language and culture. Instructional methodology tends to be traditional and teacher-centered with whole-class activities predominating. Patents express strong support for the schools but tend not to participate in formal instructional activities. Compared with their children, parents engage more frequently in activities that indicate a positive identification with Korean culture. The parents' dominant language is Korean, while children primarily rely on English. Although children state that learning Korean is important, they often express ambivalent and sometimes negative attitudes toward Korean school, as compared with the positive views held by their parents and teachers.

published_or_final_version / Comparative Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

This study compared the performance of four groups of children--two Indian groups and two non-Indian groups--on a test of commonly used idioms. The Indian subjects, all bilingual, were differentiated on the basis of school setting, uni-ethnic or multi-ethnic. The non-Indian subjects, all from multi-ethnic schools, were differentiated on the basis of linguistic background, bilingual or monolingual.<p>The sample consisted of 465 children in grades five, six, and seven from six schools in Northern and Central Saskatchewan. The Yandell Idioms Test was administered to all the children. Differences among mean scores of the groups were tested with an analysis of variance. In addition, to minimize the effects on the Idioms Test results of very high or very low reading ability, a second analysis was done involving a selected sample identified from within the total sample by excluding all subjects who scored below the 4.0 grade level or above the 7.9 grade level on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests.<p>Analysis of Idioms Test scores revealed that Indian children in multi-ethnic schools scored higher than Indian children in uni-ethnic schools, but that non-Indian children, whether bilingual or monolingual, achieved significantly better than Indian children. in either multi-ethnic or uni-ethnic settings. Monolingual non-Indian children scored higher than bilingual non-Indian children, although for the selected sample, the differences were not statistically significant.<p>In both analyses, there seemed to be few sex differences of importance. Between-group differences generally reflected the trend for the whole-group analyses, while within-group differences were not significant except for the bilingual. non-Indian group.<p>In general, the study showed that not only did Indian children have difficulty with the comprehension of English idioms but that many English idioms used in basal readers were not familiar even to monolingual English-speaking children.