UMD Theses and Dissertations
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Item SETTING THE TRANSPACIFIC KITCHEN TABLE: THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF FOOD IN THE KOREAN AMERICAN DIASPORA(2024) Kim, Jung Min; Forson, Psyche W; American Studies; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)“Setting the Transpacific Kitchen Table: The Cultural Politics of Food in the Korean American Diaspora” is a material culture analysis of key dishes and ingredients of the Korean American diaspora. The study begins in South Korea following the Armistice on July 27, 1953 and follows the movement of Korean people, foods, and ideas to the United States in the decades after the war to the present day with a specific focus on three dishes: Budae jjigae (Army Base Stew), kimchi (traditional fermented vegetable), and rice. This dissertation unpacks the recipes and some of the meanings of these dishes to understand and contextualize their importance in Korean and Korean American foodways historically and into the present moment. Central to this project is the material “afterlife” of these ingredients and dishes- some introduced by foreign powers, while others are the most Korean of dishes- the lingering impact on how Korean and Korean Americans create place and meaning from these dishes. How do these dishes come to be? How do they come together to become symbolic of the Korean diasporic experience? In answering these questions, I hope to document and interrogate the range of emotional, cultural, and material responses that budae jjigae, kimchi, and rice have engendered from artists, chefs, mothers, and everyday Koreans and Korean Americans. With the increase in visibility and popularity of Korean foods in the American food lexicon, the aim of this study is to help historicize and contextualize this rise through exploring the complex relationship between Korea and the United States through foodways. In doing so it will interrogate and analyze the “entanglements” of transpacific power and political economies through foodways to understand the dialectic between state power and community resilience and resistance.Item SOUTH KOREAN FAMILIES’ CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF MUSEUM-BASED SCIENCE LEARNING(2020) Jeong, Hannoori; Elby, Andrew; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This exploratory research study examined how three South Korean families in theU.S. conceptualize museum-based science learning by exploring varied contexts in which they are embedded. In applying a sociocultural perspective, I investigated the families’ backgrounds, views of school and museum learning, in conjunction with their virtual museum tours to address my overarching research question: How do South Korean families in the U.S. conceptualize museum-based science learning? The purpose of this study is to understand how, or by what means, South Korean families’ conceptualizations about museum-based science learning are socially and culturally situated. In adhering to the guidelines of Yin’s (2018) suggestions to conduct multiple case research, I collected individual interviews prior to and following the families’ self-guided virtual museum tours, observations, self-reflections, and self-generated photographic images that captured their views of museum learning. Guided by the Contextual Model of Learning framework (Falk & Dierking, 2000), I used three analytic lenses to explore and analyze the data: personal context, sociocultural context, and physical context of learning. Through the use of narrative analysis, I reported within-case and cross-case findings across the three cases of families. In doing so, I first synthesized each family’s background setting, views of school and museum learning, and museum-based learning interactions to seek insights into how they shaped the family’s conceptualizations about museum-based science learning. Findings showed that the interweaving of each family’s varied contexts, namely personal, sociocultural, and physical, appeared to shape how they conceptualized museum-based science learning. Aspects of the families’ personal context—such as individual goals and beliefs—appeared to motivate their learning experience during the virtual museum tours mediated by sociocultural and physical contexts—such as within- group interactions and orientations to the physical space, respectively—that reinforced or shaped their conceptualizations of museum learning. Thus, in connection with prior literature, the families’ views of learning and authoring their sense of self that manifest their unique contexts may have spurred their conceptualizations of museum-based science learning. Broad implications of the study for museum education research, virtual museum learning, and future research related to informal science education are also discussed.Item Representative Data and Psychometric Properties of Short Version of the Korean-English Bilingual Aphasia Test(2018) Lee, Seongsil; Faroqi Shah, Yasmeen; Hearing and Speech Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Previous studies investigating the psychometric properties of the Bilingual Aphasia Test (BAT) have found variable results. This study sought to investigate performance of high proficiency Korean-English (KE) bilinguals on Korean and English BAT and examine the equivalency of test difficulty across the two languages. A total of thirty KE bilinguals took the Korean-BAT, English-BAT, and Korean-English Translation Test (KETT). Their performance was evaluated and compared across two languages. Results showed that KE bilinguals performed above 80% on all subtests, however, they displayed different performance between Korean and English in three subtests. Item analyses found eighteen items with whose accuracy was below 80% and sixteen item pairs with unequal performance across the two languages. These results support the importance of testing psychometric properties of BAT and developing normative data for each language. Based on the representative data, recommendations for further modification of the BAT and a new ceiling criterion are proposed.Item Measuring Career Aspirations in Korean College Women(2014) Kim, Young Hwa; O'Brien, Karen M.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to translate and evaluate the Korean version of the Career Aspirations Scale Revised (K-CASR). The American version of the Career Aspirations Scale-Revised (Gregor & O'Brien, 2013) was translated into Korean using multiple translation strategies. The psychometric properties of the K-CASR were examined with data from 377 college women in Korea. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 18-item version of the K-CASR had good model fit with the hypothesized three factor structure (achievement aspirations; leadership aspirations, educational aspirations). The K-CASR also exhibited moderately high internal consistency and stability. Convergent validity was supported by positive correlations with achievement motivation, career orientation, and career goal engagement. Implications for future research and counseling were discussed.Item The processing of past-tense inflection in first language (L1) and second language (L2)(2012) Kim, Say Young; Wang, Min; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The present dissertation research investigates how morphologically complex words are processed in isolation and in sentential context by native speakers and second language learners, and how four critical factors in morphological processing (regularity, stem frequency, whole-word frequency, and orthographic similarity) influence this processing. For comparisons between different first languages (Korean L1 and English L1) and between first and second languages (English L1 and English L2), Native Korean Speakers (Exp.1 and 3), Native English Speakers (Exp. 2a and 4a), and Korean Learners of English (Exp. 2b and 4b) were tested. In order to compare the priming effects from words in isolation and words in sentences, sets of inflectional prime and target pairs, one for each language, were used both in a masked priming lexical decision task (Exp.1 and 2) and a self-paced reading task with mask priming (Exp. 3 and 4). The results showed priming effects from inflectional prime and target pairs in both Korean L1 and English L1 when the pairs were presented in isolation, showing morphological sensitivity in both L1 groups. However, when the pairs were embedded in sentences, the priming effect was found only in native English speakers but not in native Korean speakers, implying language-specific differences between Korean and English in processing of inflectional words in sentences. Moreover, even though a similar pattern of priming effects was found for words in isolation, English L2 showed no significant priming effect for words in sentences, consistent with past literature demonstrating less sensitivity to morphological structure in L2. The different patterns of priming effects between the two tasks as well as across the three language groups in the present research were also analyzed in terms of the four morphological factors, and discussed from the perspective of language-specific characteristics. In summary, the present dissertation research examined morphological processing of two typologically different languages in two different reading contexts. The results suggest the importance of language-specific characteristics in various reading conditions in enhancing our understanding of morphological processing in the human mind.Item Revisiting the silence of Asian immigrant students: The negotiation of Korean immigrant students' identities in science classrooms(2012) Ryu, Minjung; Edwards, Ann Ryu; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation is a study about Korean immigrant students' identities, including academic identities related to science learning and identities along various social dimensions. I explore how Korean immigrant students participate in science classrooms and how they enact and negotiate their identities in their classroom discursive participation. My dissertation is motivated by the increasing attention in educational research to the intersectionality between science learning and various dimensions of identities (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity, social networks) and a dearth of such research addressing Asian immigrant students. Asian immigrant students are stereotyped as quiet and successful learners, particularly in science and mathematics classes, and their success is often explained by cultural differences. I confront this static and oversimplified notion of cultural differences and Asians' academic success and examine the intersectionality between science learning and identities of Asian immigrant students, with the specific case of Korean immigrants. Drawing upon cultural historical and sociolinguistic perspectives of identity, I propose a theoretical framework that underscores multiple levels of contexts (macro level, meso level, personal, and micro level contexts) in understanding and analyzing students' identities. Based on a year-long ethnographic study in two high school Advanced Placement Biology classes in a public high school, I present the meso level contexts of the focal school and biology classes, and in-depth analyses of three focal students. The findings illustrate: (1) how meso level contexts play a critical role in these students' identities and science classroom participation, (2) how the meso level contexts are reinterpreted and have different meanings to different students depending on their personal contexts, and (3) how students negotiated their positions to achieve certain identity goals. I discuss the implications of the findings for the science education of racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students, particularly given the increasing number of immigrant students in U.S. classrooms, and for the education of Asian immigrant students.Item MATURATIONAL AND NON-MATURATIONAL FACTORS IN HERITAGE LANGUAGE ACQUISITION(2012) Moon, Jihye; De Keyser, Robert; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This dissertation aims to understand the maturational and non-maturational aspects of early bilingualism and language attrition in heritage speakers who have acquired their L1 incompletely in childhood. The study highlights the influential role of age and input dynamics in early L1 development, where the timing of reduction in L1 input and the quality of L1 input largely determine ultimate L1 attainment. Ninety heritage speakers of Korean in the United States who took part in this study showed great variability in their knowledge of L1, depending on the age at which L1 exposure was reduced and on the types of L1 knowledge tested. A multivariate regression analysis explored to what extent such L1 variability can be explained by maturational and non-maturational factors, in order to provide rational explanations for the divergent L1 outcomes in heritage language acquisition. It also examined how different types of L1 knowledge are selectively affected by each factor. The results showed that the maturational factor accounted for the largest variance in their ultimate L1 outcomes, but that non-maturational factors aided in further explaining the L1 variance. The multivariate model was able to predict not only the degree of incomplete L1 knowledge among heritage speakers, but also the types of L1 knowledge that they are likely to acquire incompletely. The current study suggests that variability in ultimate L1 outcomes among heritage speakers can largely be understood as a function of the age at which their exposure to the L1 was reduced and the nature of L1 input they received in childhood. It is argued that lack of exposure to the L1 in childhood has a long-lasting effect on heritage speakers' L1 grammar and that, in this input-constrained context, non-maturational factors come into play, where language aptitude compensates for reduced L1 input, and language attitude allows for prolonged L1 input.Item CONTRIBUTIONS OF PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, MOTIVATION, AND STRATEGIES TO KOREAN COLLEGE STUDENTS' L2 WRITING DEVELOPMENT(2011) Chae, Soo Eun; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The current study examined Korean college students' L2 writing development and performance, motivation, and strategies while taking ESL writing classes. The present study expands the literature by examining the effects of various learner characteristics on L2 writing development. The selection and the expected effects of learner variables were particularly guided by the Model of Domain Learning (MDL). Prior work has demonstrated motivation, strategy, and prior knowledge are associated with L2 writing development. For example, a study by Leki (2007) showed L2 writing motivation (i.e., goals) to be related to L2 writing proficiency. He (2005) developed a model and a measure for assessing strategies relevant to motivation in L2 writing. The current study sought to expand and elaborate on previous works, as the extant L2 writing literature has been limited in showing changes in learning factors over time and in incorporating learner characteristics into studies of L2 writing. The current study sought to answer the following questions: 1. To what extent and in what manner do Korean college students' initial self-efficacy and interest contribute to changes in L2 writing performance over time?; 2. How are Korean college students' interest and self-efficacy at the beginning (Time 1) and at the conclusion (Time 3) of an L2 writing course related to L2 writing performance and self-reported strategiy use at time 1 and 3?; 3. How is Korean college students' prior L2 writing knowledge associated with their L2 writing motivation, self-reported strategy use, and writing performance? In order to answer these questions, a multi-methods design was performed, where interviews were used to support what was found in analyses results with self-report measures. Results based on growth curve modeling with cohort data at three time points suggested that students' motivational orientation significantly predicts Korean college students' L2 writing performance at the beginning of a semester. However, the influence of initial motivation on the growth rate of L2 writing proficiency, specifically L2 writing performance, was negative. The cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in this study concluded that the contributions of motivation constructs to L2 writing performance depended on time. While there were a few exceptions (i.e., non-significant relation between L2 prior knowledge and students' interest at Time 1), study findings generally indicated that L1 and L2 writing prior knowledge were significantly related to L2 writing motivation, performance, and strategy use. In addition, interview data demonstrated students' level of L2 writing self-efficacy, interest, and strategy uses. While the records from self-report data and interview data did not perfectly match, the two data sets were similar.Item CIVIL SOCIETY AND RELATIONSHIP CULTURE: KOREAN AMERICANS' EXPERIENCE WITH THEIR ETHNIC COMMUNITY AND BEYOND(2011) Lee, Susan Sohyun; Alford, Charles Fred; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Along with the increase in interest in civil society among Political Theorists, there is the growing concern with the decline in community amongst Americans. Ethnic communities, however, are largely excluded from this discussion, though ethnic minorities are often found to be quite active in their communities and civil society. Diversity is hailed as an ideal, and we are uncomfortable with homogeneous groups, especially those racially/ethnically homogeneous; and yet, ethnic communities seem to be thriving. Using the Korean community as a case study, the overarching question of my dissertation is: What can we learn about building community from the Korean American community? Is the Korean community incompatible with a healthy and vibrant American civil society? Through interviews and participant observation of the second and 1.5 generation of Korean Americans in the Washington metropolitan area, I argue that there is more than common ethnicity to the livelihood of the Korean community, and that the relationship culture, the defining of oneself and others in terms of relationships, reinforces the obligatory nature of relationships that are in place within this ethnic community. I further argue that there are serious benefits the ethnic community has provided for its members, and that we need not categorically be uncomfortable with ethnic homogeneity, as diversity is not a good in itself. I conclude by acknowledging that Korean Americans are at a point in time that will not be repeated, and that while we do not yet know what the nature of the ethnic community will be for the third and later generations of Korean Americans, there is a glimpse of hope for compatibility between the relationship culture and a healthy American civil society.Item Three young Korean children's English language learning in two American preschool classrooms(2010) Yi, Sunkyoung; Klein, Elisa L; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The purpose of this study was to examine the process of English language learning through social interactions in a preschool. Three Korean ELLs in two American preschool classrooms were observed over the course of one school year, and their interactions were analyzed using qualitative methods to describe and explain how their learning developed over time. ELLs developed English skills using five types of actions and interactions. Non-communicative action (NCA), private speech (PS), Non-verbal communication (NVC), and Non-responses (NR) were used while ELLs became accustomed to their classroom routines and members. As the children understood routines and interactions, they employed verbal communication (VC) by access and initiation with the teachers and peers; descriptions and attention-getting were mostly used to communicate with others. Three steps of language learning were identified: 1) children actively participated through observation and listening; 2) peer involvement or teachers scaffolding provided understanding and competence through reoccurring instructions and themes; 3) English competencies developed through everyday social interactions with other children. Joint-attention (Yawkey & Miller, 1984) or mutual involvement (Camoinoni, 1979) played a central role in maintaining interactions. For mutual involvement to occur, ELLs had to find cooperative and loyal peers. To build such friendships, ELLs had to use other-centered strategies at the beginning of the school year and become avid observers and active participants. Social relationships thus were essential to facilitate social interactions and shared understanding. Play types (cooperative, parallel, and solitary), selection of friends or play partners, and attitudes toward peers influenced friendship-building and the development of English language comprehensions.