Quality of school life of adolescents in Finland and Korea: a cross-cultural and comparative study

This study explores the quality of school life of Finnish and Korean adolescents. First, it investigates adolescents’ perceptions of their quality of school life by identifying the crucial aspects of quality of school life (general satisfaction, peer relations, and teacher-student relations). Thereafter, a more in-depth exploration of these crucial aspects of quality of school life are explored by focusing on students’ peer relations as well as tensions and negotiations that occur between student agency and school control. This study also illuminates how student agency is controlled or manifested in students’ interactions with teachers and how students reflect their experiences with control and agency in daily school life. The theoretical approach of this study departs from the concept of quality of school life. I utilise Foucault’s ([1975] 2003; 1984) and Butler’s thoughts (1988; [1990] 2008) as well as Bernstein’s theory of classification and framing (1996) to discuss control and agency. In addition, I employ cross-cultural and comparative studies as methodological approaches and discuss the notions, benefits, and dilemmas associated with as well as the objectives fulfilled by cross-cultural and comparative studies. Further, this thesis was conducted using a mixed-methods design. The quantitative data was collected from student survey items taken from PISA 2012 studies, targeting 15-year-old Finnish and Korean students (study 1). The qualitative data was produced from fieldwork inspired by an ethnographic approach, in two comprehensive schools in southern Finland and two primary and two lower-secondary schools in Seoul, Korea. The qualitative data consists of field notes generated through observations and interviews with students (grades 6, 8, and 9) and their class teachers (studies 2 and 3). The findings of the quantitative study revealed that, in all the dimensions of quality of school life (general satisfaction, peer relations, and teacher-student relations), both Finnish and Korean adolescents’ perceptions were less affirmative compared with those of students in other OECD countries on average. Further, the perceptions of Finnish and Korean students, compared to the OECD average, were the least positive for teacher-student relations. In the first two dimensions, Finnish adolescents’ views appeared to be more positive than that of Korean students. Subsequently, qualitative findings elaborated that young people strived for two demanding tasks of school life: studying and friends. Many students—regardless of their school grade, gender, and socioeconomic status—perceived the importance of high achievement or at least of accomplishing school work, with regard to their future path and career. Simultaneously, students found meaning in attending school from the relationships with their friends. Their peer relations connoted emotional support as well as hierarchy and conflict for both genders. The students constructed gendered identities through the patterns of their peer relations, and gender roles were constructed in school scenes organised by adults. Students displayed diverse patterns of peer interactions, moving between independence and interdependence, and these patterns appeared somewhat differently in the Finnish and Korean schools. However, an academically competitive spirit among peers did not distinctly appear among either the Finnish or Korean students. Further, in all the Finnish and Korean schools studied, student agency was tightly controlled by the regulations of time, space, and movement and was extensively limited in teaching-learning practices. Some teachers, who appeared to exercise weak control on student conduct and their use of time and space, exercised strong control over the sequence and contents of lessons, teaching-learning methods, and evaluation criteria. Many students appeared to be accustomed to strong control in teaching-learning practices, and some students did not welcome teachers’ weak control in instruction methods that attempted to encourage students’ agency and active participation. Moreover, variations of control and agency were observed in student-teacher interactions in daily routines. A less vertical relationship and rather weak teacher control over students’ self-expression (e.g., appearance and the use of smartphones in school) were observed in the Finnish schools, whereas a hierarchical relationship and class teachers’ intensive control and care work were more noticeable in the Korean schools. This study interprets that historical, sociocultural, and institutional contexts are linked with the roles of schoolteachers and students and also with students’ views and experiences of their quality of school life. I argue that more aspects of a disciplinary school were visible in the Korean schools, whereas the Finnish schools seemed to be shifting slightly ahead towards being schools of self-regulating learners. However, the symptom of self-responsible learner identity was visible in both the Finnish and Korean schools, including students who were considered as intractable and low-achieving. Their attitudes were somewhat different from the studying-diminishing manners that adolescents from disadvantaged social backgrounds revealed in the ethnographic studies conducted in previous years. Lastly, this thesis conveys a message of democratic school culture in terms of the quality of school life.Tutkimuksen kohteena on nuorten kouluelämän laatu Suomessa ja Koreassa. Ensinnäkin tutkimus selvittää nuorten kouluelämän laatua koskevia käsityksiä tunnistamalla siihen liittyviä keskeisiä tekijöitä (yleinen tyytyväisyys, vertaissuhteet sekä opettaja-oppilas -suhteet). Tämän jälkeen näitä tutkitaan tarkemmin pureutumalla oppilaiden vertaissuhteisiin sekä niihin jännitteisiin ja neuvottelustrategioihin, joita oppilaiden toimijuuden ja koulun kontrollin välillä ilmenee. Tutkimuksessa tarkastellaan myös, miten oppilaan toimijuutta kontrolloidaan tai miten se ilmenee oppilaiden ja opettajien välisessä vuorovaikutuksessa, ja mitä oppilaat itse ajattelevat päivittäisessä kouluelämässä ilmenevistä kontrolliin ja toimijuuteen liittyvistä kokemuksista. Teoreettisesti tutkimus lähtee liikkeelle kouluelämän laadun käsitteestä. Työ hyödyntää myös Foucault’n ([1975] 2003; 1984) ja Butlerin ajattelua (1988; [1990] 2008) sekä Bernsteinin luokittelua ja kehystämistä käsittelevää teoriaa (1996) käsitellessään kontrollia ja toimijuutta. Tämän ohella tutkimus hyödyntää kulttuurienvälisiä ja vertailevia tutkimuksia menetelmällisinä lähestymistapoinaan ja ottaa osaa kulttuurienvälisten ja vertailevien tutkimusten käsitteitä, hyötyjä, dilemmoja ja tehtävää käsittelevään keskusteluun. Työ toteutettiin monimenetelmällisesti. Määrällinen aineisto koottiin PISA 2012 -tutkimuksen oppilastutkimusosiosta, jonka kohteena ovat 15-vuotiaat suomalais- ja korealaisoppilaat (tutkimus 1). Laadullinen aineisto luotiin etnografisen lähestymistavan inspiroimalla kenttätyöllä kahdessa eteläsuomalaisessa peruskoulussa sekä kahdella ala-asteella ja kahdella yläasteella Soulissa, Koreassa. Laadullinen aineisto koostuu kenttämuistiinpanoista, jotka ovat syntyneet havainnoista ja oppilaiden (luokka-asteet 6, 8 ja 9) sekä opettajien haastatteluista (tutkimukset 2 ja 3). Määrällinen tutkimus paljasti, että kaikissa kouluelämän laadun ulottuvuuksissa (yleinen tyytyväisyys, vertaissuhteet sekä opettaja-oppilas -suhteet) sekä suomalaisten että korealaisten nuorten käsitykset olivat vähemmän myönteisiä verrattuna muiden OECD-maiden keskiarvoon. Tämän ohella OECD-keskiarvoon verrattuna suomalaisten ja korealaisten oppilaiden käsitys opettaja-oppilas -suhteista oli kaikkein vähiten positiivinen. Kahdessa ensimmäisessä ulottuvuudessa suomalaisnuorten käsitykset vaikuttivat olevan positiivisempia kuin korealaisoppilaiden. Laadulliset havainnot täsmensivät, että nuoret tekevät töitä kahden vaativan kouluelämää koskevan asian eteen: opiskelun ja ystävien. Riippumatta luokka asteesta, sukupuolesta tai sosioekonomisesta asemasta suurin osa oppilaista koki yhteyden yhtäältä tulevaisuuden polkujensa ja työuriensa sekä toisaalta hyvien koulusuoritusten tai ainakin koulutehtävien läpäisemisen välillä. Samanaikaisesti oppilaat löysivät koulunkäynnin merkityksen ystävyyssuhteistaan. Molemmille sukupuolille vertaissuhteet merkitsivät paitsi henkistä tukea myös hierarkioita ja konflikteja. Sukupuoli-identiteetit rakennettiin vertaissuhteissa. Sukupuolirooleja neuvoteltiin aikuisten järjestämässä päivittäisessä kouluelämässä. Oppilaat osoittivat monimuotoisia itsenäisyyden ja keskinäisriippuvuuden välille asettuvia vertaissuhde-vuorovaikutuskaavoja, jotka näyttäytyivät hieman erilaisina suomalaisissa ja korealaisissa kouluissa. Akateemisesti kilpailuhenkistä ilmapiiriä vertaisten välillä ei noussut esiin sen paremmin suomalaisten kuin korealaistenkaan oppilaiden keskuudessa. Kaikissa suomalaisissa ja korealaisissa kouluissa oppilaiden toimijuutta kontrolloitiin tiukasti ajan- sekä tilankäytön ja liikkumisen rajoitusten kautta, ja liikkumista rajoitettiin merkittävästi opetus- ja oppimiskäytänteissä. Jotkut oppilaiden käytöstä sekä heidän ajan- ja tilankäyttöään vähäisesti kontrolloivat opettajat kontrolloivat kuitenkin tiukasti oppituntien järjestystä ja sisältöä, opetus- ja oppimismenetelmiä sekä arviointikriteereitä. Monet oppilaat vaikuttivat olevan tottuneita tiukkaan kontrolliin opetus- ja oppimiskäytänteiden kohdalla, ja jotkut oppilaat eivät katsoneet hyvällä opettajien opetusmenetelmiä koskevaa heikkoa kontrollia, jonka tehtävänä oli rohkaista oppilaiden toimijuutta ja aktiivista osallistumista. Tämän ohella kontrollin ja toimijuuden muunnelmia havaittiin oppilaiden ja opettajien välisissä päivittäisissä vuorovaikutustilanteissa. Suomalaisissa kouluissa havaittiin vähemmän hierarkkinen suhde sekä vähemmän oppilaiden itseilmaisuun kohdistuvaa kontrollia (esim. ulkonäkö ja älypuhelinten käyttö)opettajien toimesta, kun taas hierarkkinen suhde, intensiivinen kontrolli sekä luokanopettajien muu kasvatustyö olivat selvemmin näkyvissä korealaisissa kouluissa. Tässä tutkimuksessa esitetyn tulkinnan mukaan historialliset, sosiokulttuurilliset sekä institutionaaliset kontekstit ovat yhteydessä opettajien ja oppilaiden rooliin sekä oppilaiden näkemyksiin ja kokemuksiin koskien heidän kouluelämänsä laatua. Korealaisissa kouluissa kurinpidollisen koulun piirteitä oli esillä enemmän, kun taasen suomalaiset koulut vaikuttivat olevan hieman lähempänä itse itseään sääntelevien oppijoiden koulua. Itsevastuullisen oppijan identiteetti oli kuitenkin näkyvissä kaikissa kouluissa, myös uppiniskaisina ja huonosti menestyvinä pidettyjen oppilaiden kohdalla. Heidän asenteensa olivat jossain määrin erilaisia niihin koulukielteisiin asenteisiin nähden, joita huono-osaisista sosiaalisista taustoista tulevat nuoret ovat tuoneet esille aiemmin tehdyissä kouluetnografioissa. Lopuksi tutkimus haluaa korostaa kouluelämän laatuun tähtäävän demokraattisen koulukulttuurin tärkeää merkitystä

Peer relations and tensions in the school life of Finnish and Korean students: a cross-cultural perspective

Drawing on cross-cultural qualitative research in comprehensive (primary and middle) schools in Finland and Korea, this article explores students’ peer relationships as well as tensions and negotiations that occur between student agency and school control. Based on school observations and interviews with students and teachers, this article illuminates the meaning of friendship and patterns of peer interactions among students, both within and between genders. It also reveals how school control and student agency manifest in the issues of space, time, and appearance. The findings imply that students develop gendered identities and roles through peer relations and socialisation in school. This article also interprets sociocultural uniqueness and commonality concerning interdependency and independency observed in peer relationships. Finally, the article illustrates that while control over the appearance of students seems to be different in each country, the students’ school lives are tightly controlled by regulations of time and space in both countries.</p

Eficacia antiincrustante de una formulación de pintura de reducción controlada con acetofenona

Biofouling is an inevitable problem that occurs continually on marine fishing vessels and other small crafts. The nature of the antifouling (AF) coatings used to prevent biofouling on these small vessels is of great environmental concern. Therefore, the efficacy of a non-toxic AF candidate, acetophenone, was evaluated in preliminary laboratory assays using marine bacteria, diatom and Ulva spores. At a low concentration of 100 μg cm–2 of acetophenone, spore attachment of a green fouling alga was significantly reduced (p < 0.01). Similarly, 40% acetophenone coatings significantly inhibited diatom attachment. This new non-toxic AF agent was incorporated into controlled depletion paint (CDP). Fouling coverage (%), biomass, and fouling resistance (%) were estimated. On CDP coatings made with acetophenone (40%), a significant decrease in fouling biomass was estimated (p < 0.01).El biofouling es un problema inevitable que ocurre continuamente en los buques de pesca marina y en las pequeñas embarcaciones. La naturaleza de los recubrimientos antiincrustantes (AF) usados para prevenir el bioincrustado en estos pequeños buques tiene gran preocupación ambiental. Por lo tanto, la eficacia de un candidato AF no tóxico, la acetofenona, se evaluó en ensayos preliminares de laboratorio usando bacterias marinas, diatomeas y esporas de Ulva. A una concentración baja de 100 μg cm–2 de acetofenona, la adherencia de esporas de una alga incrustante verde se redujo significativamente (p < 0.01). Del mismo modo, el revestimiento de acetofenona a un nivel del 40% inhibieró significativamente la adherencia de diatomeas. Además, esta nueva acetofenona AF no tóxica se incorporó a la pintura de reducción controlada (CDP). La cobertura de las incrustaciones (%), la biomasa y la resistencia a la incrustación (%) fueron estimadas. En recubrimientos de CDP donde se incorporó la acetofenona (40%), se estimó una disminución significativa de la biomasa incrustante (p < 0.01)

Empirical Relationships among Technological Characteristics, Global Orientation, and Internationalisation of South Korean New Ventures

International new ventures (INVs) that pursue rapid internationalisation have received a growing amount of attention worldwide. This study, therefore, examined characteristics of INVs, and hence investigated empirically the relationships among the technological characteristics of INVs, the characteristics of their chief executive officers (CEOs) (i.e., global orientation), and their internationalisation such as the level of internationalisation. The findings of this study can be summarised as follows: all of the technological characteristics (e.g., technological capacity, imitation, innovation, and standardisation) have significant effects on the internationalisation of INVs. Furthermore, the CEO’s global orientation mediated the relationship between the technological characteristics and internationalisation

The Role of Networks in Improving International Performance and Competitiveness: Perspective View of Open Innovation

With perspective view of open innovation, this study examines how international networks form and evolve and the empirical relationships among antecedents of international network embeddedness, international performance, and sustainable competitiveness. Data from 356 small and medium-sized exporters (SMEs) in manufacturing or technology industries in South Korea are analyzed by structural equation modeling. It assumes that international network embeddedness plays a mediating role in the relationship between internationalization and related variables. This analysis indicates that information management and proximity significantly affect international performance, while cultural differences do not, and that international network embeddedness mediates relationships between information management and international performance, and proximity and international performance. The results imply that greater international network embeddedness increases SMEs&rsquo; international performance&mdash;information management and proximity play a pivotal role in embedding international networks and improving international performance. SMEs must establish and intensify international networks to improve international performance and seek to overcome limitations by developing international networks with the goal of entering international markets. Nevertheless, there is relatively little research on international network formation and embeddedness, especially for SMEs. This study determines network formation principles, determinants of international networks, and roles of international network embeddedness in relationships between the determinants and international performance. Notably, this study verifies a comprehensive model of international networks

Open Innovation with Relational Capital, Technological Innovation Capital, and International Performance in SMEs

The importance of international markets is constantly emphasized for small and medium enterprises(SMEs). In previous studies, technological innovation capabilities were emphasized as a factor that enables SMEs to compete in the international market. To this end, SMEs need to cooperate with external partners to strengthen their technological innovation capabilities to thus improve their international performance. With the perspective view of open innovation, this research explores the effects of relational capital and technological innovation capability on international performance, with a particular focus on the moderating effect of alliance proactiveness. Building on previous literature regarding internationalization, technological innovation, and alliance proactiveness, research hypotheses were developed and tested using data collected from 175 SMEs. A hierarchical regression analysis was applied. The analysis showed that, first, relational capital had a significant effect on the technological innovation capability. Second, technological innovation capability has a significant influence on the international performance. Third, technological innovation capability mediated the relationship between relational capital and international performance. Finally, alliance proactiveness was found to moderate the relationship between technological innovation capability and international performance. The key research findings imply that relational capital and alliance proactiveness are the key factors of international performance, as they improved the development of the technological innovation capability

The Role of International Entrepreneurial Orientation in Successful Internationalization from the Network Capability Perspective

Purpose/Research Question: In general, networks have played a role in improving innovation, and early-stage companies adopt an entrepreneurial orientation to secure competitiveness. In other words, the companies would like to penetrate global markets due to the CEO’s international entrepreneurial orientation. In addition, by utilizing their networks, the companies would like to improve their international performance. Relatively few studies have been devoted to investigating the empirical relationships between entrepreneurial orientation, networks, and international performance. In particular, technology-based firms are one of the best samples. Therefore, this study aims to explore the characteristics of the firms and then investigate comprehensively and empirically the relationships between international entrepreneurial orientation, networks, and international performance, based on data from technology-based firms in South Korea. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study analyzes data from technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using structural equation modeling (SEM). It assumes that networks will play a moderating role in the relationships between international entrepreneurial orientation and international performance. We carried out the survey after conducting interviews with CEOs of SMEs. Findings/Results: International entrepreneurial orientation has a significant effect on international performance. Moreover, the stronger the networks that SMEs have with other stakeholders such as universities, industries, and technoparks, the higher their international performance. With stronger networks, tech-based SMEs have easier access to useful technologies and hence better international performance. Research Limitations/Implications: There are some limitations to this study. First of all, the study relied heavily on quantitative methods, such as surveys. This approach is inadequate for considering individuals’ in-depth opinions. Therefore, future research utilizing both qualitative and quantitative measures needs to be carried out. Second, this study has some academic limitations. In fact, this study considered restricted factors regarding innovation and networks; thus it is necessary to evaluate other variables such as environmental factors (e.g., regulations or support policies) that might be significantly associated with networks and innovation hereafter. Finally, due to the fact that this study was focused on SMEs, it is difficult to generalize the above results. However, this study implies that stronger network ties improve international performance, thus SMEs must establish and reinforce networks to improve the performance

A Study on the Harmonic Resonance during Energizing Primary Restorative Transmission Systems: Korean Power System Case

In this paper, a power system restoration study following a massive or complete blackout was performed. The power system restoration process from a complete shutdown system without the operating generation and load starts with energizing primary restorative transmission systems. During this primary restoration process, unexpected over-voltage may occur due to nonlinear interaction between the unloaded transformer and the transmission system. This is known as the harmonic resonance phenomenon that may cause the burning out of a transformer or other devices. So far, harmonic resonances have been reported in some extra-high voltage systems around the world. Since the harmonic resonance originates from the nonlinear characteristics of the power system components, it is very difficult to predict the occurrence of this phenomenon. This paper reports the analyses of the harmonic resonance that can occur in the Korean power system. In addition, through calculating the required buffer load compared to the length of the line, a solution that changes the length of the restoration path impedance considering the specificity of the Korean system was presented. The various analyses of harmonic overvoltage, including methodologies that are used internationally as comparison groups, are provided based on PSCAD/EMTDC simulations