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The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of concept mapping on mastery goal orientation and academic self-efficacy in a collaborative learning environment. The current study employed a randomized controlled pretest-posttest group design to examine if learning strategies such as concept mapping can help students with both reading comprehension achievement and intrinsic motivation of wanting to master a task at a high level. A total of 42 5th grade students at Ilshin Elementary School in South Korea participated in this study. The experiment group (n = 22) has undergone concept mapping training while the control group (n = 20) has not. All students were required to fill out questionnaires based on mastery goals, performance goals and academic self-efficacy. The results indicated that concept-mapping did not increase mastery goals and mastery goals had no effect on test scores. In addition, the interaction effect between academic self-efficacy and condition did not increase mastery goals and had no effect on test scores. In conclusion, the reduced number of samples may have caused a potential source of instability considering the statistical procedure chosen.

The purpose of the study is to investigate if the effects of chewing cinnamon flavored gum can increase mood, feeling and spelling acquisition. 5th grade students (n = 22) at Ilshin elementary school in South Korea served as participants. The same students were required to take 4 spelling tests with 1 given every day over the course of 4 days. For the 1st day, students were required to answer pre-questionnaires pertaining to mood and feeling before studying the spelling words. Students were then given 15 minutes to study while using the rote learning techniques to memorize spelling words; however, they were not given any gum. Afterwards, students were required to take the spelling test to determine memorization achievement. Lastly, students were required to retake the post-questionnaires based on mood and feeling again. On days 2-4 the same protocol was performed, however with 5, 10 or 15 minutes of gum chewing. The results indicated that in terms of the test scores, 15 minutes of chewing resulted in better performance than 5 or 10 minutes of chewing. However, there were no significant outcomes related to the mood and feeling scores. Future research should examine the type of information used for the memorization task, since recall vs. recognition tasks may be differentially affected by chewing.

Korean Americans (KAs) have low screening rates for cancer and are often not well informed about their chronic diseases. Reduced access to health-related information is one reason for gaps in knowledge and the widening health disparities among minority populations. However, little research exists about KAs' health information seeking behaviors. Guided by the Structural Influence Model, this study examines the influence of immigration status on KAs' trust in health information sources and health information seeking behaviors. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area as well as in the Gwangju metropolitan city in South Korea during 2006-2007. Two hundred and fifty-four KAs and 208 native Koreans who were 40 years of age or older completed the surveys. When comparing native Koreans to KAs, we found KAs were 3 times more likely to trust health information from newspapers or magazines (odds ratio ["OR"] = 3.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.49-6.54) and 11 times more likely to read the health sections of newspapers or magazines ("OR" = 11.35; 95% CI = 3.92-32.91) in multivariate adjusted models. However, they were less likely to look for health information from TV ("OR" = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.12-0.72) than native Koreans. Our results indicate that immigration status has profound influences on KAs' health information seeking behaviors. Increasing the availability of reliable and valid health information from printed Korean language magazines or newspapers could have a positive influence on increasing awareness and promoting screening behaviors among KAs.

As gender roles in the society are being rapidly redefined, female students today are showing outstanding academic prowess and pursuing higher education. The current study recruited Korean international students (n = 76) enrolled in universities in the US and examined gender differences in academic adjustment. The findings of the current study suggested that female "alpha psychology" might apply to international students' adjustment. Korean female students showed a higher level of adjustment than males. English proficiency was a positive predictor of adjustment. The number of Korean students in the same major was significantly and positively related to male international students' adjustment but not significantly related to female students' adjustment.

This study compared Korean students in South Korea and Korean students in the US regarding their perceptions of instructor decision authority and verbal and nonverbal immediacy. Korean students reported higher instructor decision authority and lower levels of instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy in Korean classrooms than in US classrooms. Verbal immediacy was positively related to the satisfaction of Korean students in the US, whereas it was not significantly related to the satisfaction of Korean students in Korea. Korean students studying in the US indicated lower satisfaction when their perceived levels of instructor decision authority were lower than their expected levels of instructor decision authority, compared to when their perceived levels were higher than their expected levels. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)

This descriptive qualitative study was conducted to understand supportive care needs from the perspectives of cancer patients and their healthcare providers (HCPs). Data collected from a purposive sample of 15 individuals (eight cancer patients and seven HCPs) using individual semi-structured interviews (60–90 minutes) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four themes emerged from interview data in both patients and their HCPs: (1) information and resources, (2) peer support groups, (3) support for caregivers, and (4) tailored care. These four themes were discussed with subtle differences between groups. In addition, communication with and among HCPs was discussed by patients, while survivorship was mentioned by HCPs. Findings from this study indicate that nurses and other HCPs should provide supportive care congruent with the needs, preferences, and priorities of cancer patients through active and bidirectional communication with patients as well as interdisciplinary collaboration, which may optimize patient outcomes and use of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As gender roles in the society are being rapidly redefined, female students today are showing outstanding academic prowess and pursuing higher education. The current study recruited Korean international students (n [...]

This study compared Korean students in South Korea and Korean students in the US regarding their perceptions of instructor decision authority and verbal and nonverbal immediacy. Korean students reported higher instructor decision authority and lower levels of instructor verbal and nonverbal immediacy in Korean classrooms than in US classrooms. Verbal immediacy was positively related to the satisfaction of Korean students in the US, whereas it was not significantly related to the satisfaction of Korean students in Korea. Korean students studying in the US indicated lower satisfaction when their perceived levels of instructor decision authority were lower than their expected levels of instructor decision authority, compared to when their perceived levels were higher than their expected levels. Keywords: Instructor Decision Authority; Immediacy; Expectancy Violation; International Students; Korea; USA

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively analyze metacommunication during the digital storytelling (DST) workshop process for patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Methods: HCT survivors who had undergone transplant within the past 2 years were recruited at a cancer center in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Participants (M age = 51.5 years) attended a 3-day DST workshop telling and creating digital stories around their HCT experiences. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, line by line coding and content analysis were conducted with four research team members. Results: Four themes emerged from the data: (1) communal connection; (2) expressing and processing emotions; (3) self-empowerment; and (4) multi-dimensional coping. Participants described telling and sharing their story with other HCT patients as therapeutic. Conclusion: DST shows promise as a potential coping tool and offers multiple dimensions of the role of narrative as a coping technique, in community building, and in patient-centered contexts within HCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structurational divergence (SD) theory captures negative communication cycles resulting from interpenetration of incompatible meaning structures. It is estimated that 12–15% of practicing nurses suffer from a problematic level of SD. With a sample of 713 nurses (57 departments) in a large hospital, this study tests a model positing SD as a root explanation of nursing job satisfaction and turnover. A number of variables long presumed to be explanations for job satisfaction and turnover were hypothesized as mediators between SD and those outcomes. Path analysis showed support for burnout, role conflict, bullying, and organizational identification as useful mediators, explaining 68% of the variance in job satisfaction, and 45% in intentions to leave. The study also explores relationships between SD and hospital quality indicators. SD is a concern because it powerfully explains a number of poor outcomes and provides an underlying explanation for a number of factors that predict job satisfaction and turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]