This study is an analysis of the relationship between domestic savings and three economic indicators in the Republic of Korea during the 1950s through 1980s. While domestic saving is affected by many economic phenomena, the analysis is confined to national income, exports, and inflation. The study is divided into five chapters. These are entitled (1) Introduction, (2) Domestic Savings, (3) Income and Domestic Savings, (4) Exports and Domestic Savings, (5) Inflation and Domestic Savings. In chapter I, Korea and the Korean economy are introduced, and the scope of the study is stated. Chapter II reviews the related realm of domestic savings: definition, kinds, and determinants of domestic savings. Chapter III presents the relationship between different incomes and domestic savings, and shows non-labor income contributes more powerfully to the formation of domestic savings than labor income. Chapter IV contains effects of exports, and hypothesis testing. The effect of exports suggests that export expansion affects domestic savings positively via an increase in gross national product. Chapter V deals with the correlation between inflation and domestic savings, and its testing. The correlation between inflation and domestic savings is not generally clear except for some specific cases.

This thesis features a qualitative analysis of eight Korean media products — both fiction and nonfiction. For many years, South Korea (hereafter also called Korea) has been called the "world's plastic surgery capital" by many publications, such as Business Insider and The New Yorker. Although Business Insider considers the United States the "vainest country in the world," the numbers of cosmetic surgeries, percentage wise, per person in Korea still outnumber those in the United States, with 20 procedures per 1,000 persons. In this thesis, I argue by using the cultivation theory that Korean television, such as K-Dramas, talk shows and films, which celebrate transformations and feature makeovers and thus normalize cosmetic surgery, create a fantastic space for viewers where the viewers are compelled to act on a media-generated desire to undergo cosmetic surgery in the belief that doing so will also transform or better their lives in the same way it does for the characters in these Korean television productions.

This study examined the prospects of Korean reunification. The study explores how the factors of integration affect North and South Korea after the country was divided into the two sides despite its millennium of unity. A sample of both North and South Korean newspapers covering a 47-year period of Korean reunificational efforts were analyzed as a major source of data to discover if there is any evidence of Korean national will to integrate among Koreans in the two countries. Content analysis is a major method of this research. The most obvious findings of this study are that the newspapers in North Korea did not show any significant change in their tones or attitudes throughout 47-year period studied. The North Korean regime which controls what is published in the papers is still fiercely ideological and hostile toward South Korea. The South Korean papers, on the other hand, showed marked changes in their tones and attitudes toward reunification during this period. Korean reunification remains a matter of time because the political development of South Korea, combined with remarkable economic progress, can surely heal the broken unity and national will among Koreans. The enormous financial burden to rebuild the North Korean economy which will fall upon South Koreans is a major challenge. The road to Korean reunification and the future of reunified Korea depend upon the willingness, wisdom, patience, freedom and courage of the South Koreans to assume the tremendous burden to rebuild North Korea and to strengthen diplomatic relations with the United States as well as neighboring countries to develop more positive inter-Korean relations based upon their cultural, social and economic contacts, cooperations and transactions between the two sides. If Koreans have such willingness, wisdom, patience and courage to accomplish their freedom and hope of unity, the divided Korean peninsula will be reunified and will become one nation again.

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This study focused on teaching strategies preferred and used by grade 8 mathematics teachers, what they thought was most effective for learning mathematics as well as students’ perspectives of their mathematics classroom. The aims of this study were to investigate the teaching strategies used in the South Korean mathematical classroom and to find out how they attain a high performance in mathematics, in comparison with other countries. The target population was chosen from within the Chungcheongbuk Province and ten schools were selected for the study. In order to determine what teaching strategies are used in the South Korean mathematics classroom, a case study using both quantitative and qualitative research methods was adopted. Data collection methods included questionnaires for the students while interviews were conducted with the teachers. The questionnaire contained fifty closed-ended questions divided into different sections to obtain data on teaching strategies used, on preferred learning styles from the students and on how they felt about mathematics and the mathematical classroom. The interview consisted of ten open-ended questions to get feedback from the mathematics teachers on what teaching strategies they used in the classroom and on what they thought were the best strategies with regard to teaching grade 8 mathematics. From the ten sampled schools there were two hundred and two students who participated in this research, and six teachers were interviewed. The results of the study showed that in the South Korean mathematics classroom a combination of direct instruction, practice and teacher guidance helps the students to learn problem-solving skills and to master mathematics. The students indicated that the teachers mostly used chalkboard instruction and that they practiced solving problems using worksheets, past exam paper questions and through homework or private study. The average student studied mathematics for about six hours a week and most attended afterschool academies for further studying mathematics. Although the South Korean students attained a high performance in mathematics it was evident that they indicated a low interest in the subject. The teachers stated in the interviews that they thought the students needed to see examples on the chalkboard, and then the students need to practice with guidance from the teacher. It was evident that the students focus a lot on guided practice, since they study for about six hours a week. The teachers also felt that the curriculum is overloaded and that there was a gap between the better and the poorer level of students in the mathematics classroom, this gap grew bigger as students lost motivation. The responses to the questionnaire showed that 65% of the students were not interested in mathematics; in spite of this South Korea is placed among the best performing countries in the world. The teachers also indicated that mathematics was very highly valued in South Korea and that parents and universities put a lot of pressure on students to perform well in this subject. This study provides better insight into what is happening in the South Korean mathematics classroom, what methods are used and how the students felt about the mathematics classroom and the strategies that are used. Apart from commenting on teaching strategies, there was also an indication of what teaching style the students preferred. The information in this research study can provide answers to questions regarding South Korean mathematics instructional practices and will be useful for future comparative studies regarding the teaching of mathematics in other countries. / Mathematics Education / M. Ed. (Mathematics Education)

Thesis (DTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2003 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The need for this research arose from the phenomenon of Wangtta which has recently become a widespread form of anti-social behavior. It causes tremendous stress to Korean children, especially affecting primary school children who are emotionally very vulnerable and who still are in the process of forming their self-image and worldview. The dissertation is an attempt to investigate the social and cultural phenomenon of Wangtta in order to provide some help to parents, teachers and pastoral care takers concerned with meeting the needs of children who are victims of Wangtta. Wangtta is an extreme form of violent peer pressure which includes physical and verbal assaults. It takes the form of peer group tyranny. Individuals vent their anger, frustration, and feeling of defeatedness on victims among their own peers. Their aim is total excommunication of an individual from the group. In this way they achieve a distorted sense of superiority. Wangtta seems to be the outcome of confused identity and devastated spirituality resulting from the impact of clash between conflicting cultures, worldviews and spirituality. The phenomenon of Wangtta should there be assessed against the background of Shananism, Confusionism and Buddhism. Thus the reason for cultural and systemic approach. Empirical research, using questionnaires, showed the self-image of Korean children to be extremely weak and fragile due to existing cultural processes of change and transformation. The basic hypothesis is that in terms of a theological anthropology, self-images and God-images are interrelated to each other and to such a degree that they greatly affect the person's ability to cope with severe crises in life. In order to help children to establish a healthy self-image, pastoral care should focus on the refraiming of God-images. The establishment of appropriate God-images will not only promote more constructive and purposeful coping mechanisms by children, but will also change their attitude to life. The God-images of children have to be represented, redirected and reframed according to a worldview determined by Christian spirituality. The outcome of this dissertation is that pastoral care to the phenomenon of Wangtta implies a God-image determined by a theopaschitic stance in pastoral theology: l.e. the notion of a suffering God. The dissertation opts for the notion: God as a Soul Friend and a Partner for life. Pastoral care to the phenomenon of Wangtta therefore implies a God-image which can foster hope and grant forgiveness. The dissertation stresses the importance of the cross-cultural and spiritual dimension of pastoral care within the postrnodem culture of the Korean society. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die lig van radikale sosio-ekonomiese en kulturele verskuiwings gedurende die laaste gedeelte van die twintigste eeu, was die Koreaanse samelewing onderworpe aan ingrypende transformasieprosesse. Die impak hiervan het aanleiding gegee tot 'n unieke anti-sosiale gedragspatroon onder veral kinders, genoemd: Wangtta. Vanwee uitermate stres en 'n gevoel van onbehae onder Koreaanse kinders, fokus die navorsing op laerskoolkinders wat op emosionele vlak uiters weerloos en ontwrig is. Die navorsing fokus op die slagoffers van Wangtta ten einde pastorale hulpverleners en ouers in staat te stel om sulke kinders te versorg en te beraad. Wangtta word beskryf as 'n ekstreme vorm van sosiale geweld en groepsdruk. Vanwee verhoogde fisieke en verbale geweld verkeer die slagoffers van Wangtta onder buitengewone emosionele druk. Wangtta word beskryf as 'n unieke Koreaanse gestalte van groepsdruk en sosiale geweld as gevolg van die wisselwerkende verband tussen postrnodernisme en die religieuse tradisies soos Confusionisme, Shamanisme en Boedisme binne die Koreaanse kultuursituasie. Die verskuiwing van 'n mono-, hierargiese kultuur na 'n gesekulariseerde postmodeme en globale kultuur het 'n geweldige impak op gesinstrukture gehad. Binne 'n kultuur waar skaamte 'n groot rol speel,. is Wangtta beskryf as 'n psigo-sosiale reaksiefenomeen wat impakteer op die selfbeeld van kinders en hul spiritualiteit. Met behulp van 'n empiriese ondersoek is die uiters brose selfbeeld van Koreaanse kinders beskryf. Die basiese hipotese van die navorsing is dat binne die raamwerk van 'n teologiese antropologie, daar 'n direkte wisselwerkende verband tussen selfbeeld en Godsbeeld bestaan. 'n Dergelike lnteraksie bepaal deurslaggewend kinders se geloof [spirituele identiteit] en hul hantering van lewenskrisisse. Die basiese argument van die proefskrif is dat 'n toepaslike Godskonsep en 'n rekonstruksie van Godsvoorstellinge in die pastorale beradingsproses, kinders kan help om meer konstruktief en doelgerig binne sosiale transforrnasieprosesse op te tree. Op pastoraal-teologiese vlak bevind die proefskrif dat 'n wegbeweeg van 'n outoritere en outokraties-hierargiese Godsbegrip na 'n meer patosvolle Godsbegrip, kan bydra tot die heling van persoonlike identiteit. Die proefskrif sluit aan by die teopasgitiese paradigma, naamlik die konsep van God se weerloosheid, God se Vriendskap en Sy identifikasie met ons lyding. God as Vriend en Lewensbondgenoot, Lewenspartner kan slagoffers van Wangtta help tot 'n nuwe toekomsgerigte en hoopvolle lewensorientasie, Die pathoskomponent in kinders se Godsbeeld, kan daartoe bydra dat die konsepte van genade, vergifnis en versoening opnuut nuwe betekenis kry in 'n pastorale krisisberading aan beide die slagoffers en die oortreders [skuldiges] van Wangtta. Die beskrywing an die fenomeen Wangtta beklemtoon die belangrikheid van kruis-kulturele pastorale berading binne die Koreaanse konteks met 'n herformulering van die spiritualiteitsdimensie in die lig van 'n pastorale Godkonseprekonstruksie.

The changing landscape of demographics, technology, and diversity in the learning environment is challenging schools around the world to rethink their approaches to the implementation of high-quality teaching practices. Classroom practices are becoming more complex because educators have to ensure that their students are well-equipped with 21st century skills (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2010; Dede, 2010; Griffin, McGaw, & Care, 2012). Educators, curriculum developers, and school administrators need to be more than experts in pedagogy. They are now required to keep up with current ideas, innovative instructional practices, and the results of a variety of educational reform efforts. Believing that teachers’ beliefs are the most important psychological construct with regard to instructional practices (Pajares, 1992) and that teachers’ beliefs are related to their choice of classroom practices and, ultimately, the students’ performance (Bybee, Taylor, Gardner, Van Scotter, Powell, Westbrook, & Landes, 2006; Staub & Stern, 2002), the author of this study utilizes the international data set of the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS) 2013 to examine the associations between teachers’ constructivist beliefs, their self-efficacy beliefs, professional activities, and the school principals’ instructional leadership as related to lower secondary school teachers and principals in South Korea, Finland, and Mexico. These three countries represent the high and low performers in the global index of cognitive skills and educational attainment (Pearson, 2014). An account of their educational practices will provide some insights for stakeholders in school systems across nations. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that each country has unique teaching and learning conditions, and that conclusions reached in relation to such conditions do not apply across nations. A series of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) studies were performed for the present work to provide evidence-based information with practical implications to school administrators and educational policymakers regarding the development and implementation of leadership programs and teacher professional development. Additionally, an understanding of how the constructivist beliefs associate with the level of self-efficacy and professional activities will assist curriculum developers in higher educational institutions in the development of quality teacher preparation programs for the future teaching workforce.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: p. 279-288.

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This dissertation constructs a structural theory of civil-military relations that identifies security threats as the primary independent variable that influences the military organization and its political role. My structural theory comprises two-stage causal connections. In the first stage, security threats as an independent variable shape the relative power of major domestic political actors: civilian leadership, military organization, and civil society. In the next, interactions among these actors are responsible for specific manifestations of the military's political role, from domination to total subordination. My thesis is that high threats provide the military with favorable conditions to be politically influential, while low threats work against army officers' involvement in politics. At the same time, domestic political dynamics are responsible for more nuanced aspects of the military's political role. This dissertation conducts a structured-focused comparative analysis of four Asian countries: South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. The four cases are divided into four historical stages: (1) the state-building period (1940s-1950s), (2) armed forces' assumption of power (1960s-1970s), (3) the army's withdrawal from politics (1980s- 1990s), and (4) civil-military relations in the post-democratization era. The empirical analysis generates four major theoretical conclusions. First, high security threats bring about the expansion of the military organization and its political influence, while low threats weaken its political presence. Second, strong civilian leadership leads to stable civilian control over the armed forces, while weak civilian leadership invites them into politics. Third, a unified and professionalized army is conducive to stable civilian control, while a factionalized military leads to the politicization of army officers. Finally, a strong civil society with moderate ideology works against the armed forces' intervention in politics, while weak or ideologically radical civil society groups deteriorate security conditions, thereby bringing the military into politics. In addition to giving deeper insights into the military's political role, my structural theory provides a good starting point for integrating international relations and comparative politics in one theoretical model. As this study shows, security threats affect the military's domestic political position; at the same time, the military organization and its political position may account for certain international security outcomes. / text