• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.57-69
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• 2012

Although the prevalence of divorce in South Korea has greatly increased since late 1990s, the impact of divorce on the parents of adult children in Korean families has received very little attention. This is particularly unfortunate because of the emphasis in Korean culture on family cohesion and obligations. To address these issues, we explored in our study the well-being of the parents of divorced adult children as well as intergenerational relationships among the members of Korean families. Total 113 parents participated (39 males and 74 females), age ranged from 46 to 65. Of the total participants surveyed, 29% were parents of divorced children (N=33), with the remainder having children in intact marriages (N=80). The measures examined four areas: (1) demographics, (2) parental psychological well-being, (3) intergeneration relationships, and (3) parental perception of their adult child's marital experience. A series of MANOVA and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted. Our findings indicate important differences between parents of divorced children and parents of non-divorced children on overall well-being, interpersonal relationships, and parental perception, which is consistent with previous studies. Parents of divorced children in this study also reported lower level of intergenerational relationships compared to parents of nondivorced children. Parent-grandchild relationships seem to be particularly important for parental well-being. In addition, we found an unexpected association between parents and their relationship with their former children inlaws. More detailed discussion was discussed.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.59-83
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• 2015

This study examined the effects of maternal parenting behavior, relationships with friends, and relationships with teachers on the subjective well-being of children in late childhood. A total of 299 fifth and sixth grade students at elementary school (141 boys and 158 girls) participated in this study. The subjects completed questionnaires on maternal parenting behavior, relationships with friends, relationships with teachers, and their subjective well-being. The data were analyzed by means of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results are as follows. First, maternal parenting behavior was found to have a direct effect on children's subjective well-being. Second, maternal parenting behavior was seen to have an indirect effect on children's subjective well-being through their relationships with friends. Third, maternal parenting behavior was found to have an indirect effect on children's subjective well-being through their relationships with their teachers. The findings from this study suggest that relationships factors established in both family and school need to be considered together in order to explain children's subjective well-being. In addition, this study emphasizes the relative importance of maternal parenting behavior in improving the subjective well-being of school-aged children, as compared to the relationships with both their friends and their teachers at school.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.69-86
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• 2019

Objective: This study aimed to provide a systematic understanding of children's peer initiative and peer acceptance and to offer specific information to increase young children's social competence. Methods: Participants were 235 5-year-old children from six child care centers in Sejong City. The participants were interviewed to measure the peer acceptance of children attending the same class. Also, a survey was conducted on their teachers to measure children's peer initiative and the relationship with them. The collected data were analyzed by hierarchical regression using the SPSS 21.0 program. Results: The results showed that significant main effects of friendly and unfriendly peer-initiatives on peer acceptance were found. The effects of teacher-child relationships and their moderating effects, however, were partial; only main influences of close relationships and the interaction effects between peer-initiatives and close relationships were significant. That is, the relationships between improper initiatives and low acceptance levels among peers were more intense when children established conflict relationships with their teacher. Conclusion/Implications: We found that close teacher-child relationships play moderating roles on the pathway from peer initiative to peer acceptance as a protective risk factor for children.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.109-126
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to explore the moderating role of children's verbal ability in the relation between shyness and teacher-child relationships. Methods: Participants were 200 children, their mothers, and their kindergarten teachers. Children's shyness was rated by their mothers and teachers, and children's verbal ability was measured using the language problem solving ability test. And teachers completed a rating scale in order to examine the teacher-child relationship. The collected data were analyzed using correlations and hierarchical multiple regressions. Results: Children's shyness had a negative relation to close teacher-child relationships. And child's verbal ability was significantly related to teacher-child relationships. Hierachical regression analysis indicted to the interaction of child's shyness and verbal ability predicted close teacher-child relationships. Children's shyness, those who demonstrated the lowest level of child's verbal ability, was significantly associated with close teacher-child relationships. Children's shyness had no significant relation to close teacher-child relationships, especially for the highest level of children's verbal ability. Conclusion/Implications: We suggested that verbal ability training for children might be valuable for shy children in order to buffer the link between shyness and teacher-child relationships.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.38 no.11
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• pp.181-191
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• 2000

This study investigated early school adjustment of institutionalized children. Subjects were 118 primary school children in 15 child-welfare facilities in Seoul(56 first and 62 second grade children; 66 boys and 52 girls). Data were analyzed with t-test, ANOVA, and Duncan test. Measures of school adjustment included relationships with leachers, relationships with peers, attitudes on school atmosphere, and observance of school regulation. Results showed that institutionalized children had the highest scores in relationships with teachers, but lowest scores in relationships with peers. Institutionalized children who perceived economic problem as the cause of entering institution showed lower adjustment scores in relationships with peers. There was no significant difference in school adjustment depending on sex, but a significant difference in altitudes on school atmosphere depending on grade.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.23-34
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) how mothers generally react to children's negative emotions; (2) whether there were relationships between children's temperament and mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions; (3) whether there were relationships between mothers' depression and parenting stress, and their reactions to children's negative emotions; (4) whether there were relationships between mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions and children's behavior problems; and (5) whether there were relationships between mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions and children's social competence. The subjects were 246 preschoolers and their mothers. It was found that emotion-focused socialization and problem-focused socialization were the most frequently used reactions by mothers to cope with children's negative emotions. Relationships between children's temperament and mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions, those between mothers' depression and parenting stress and their reactions to children's negative emotions, those between mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions and children's behavior problems, and those between mothers' reactions to children's negative emotions and children's social competency were all partially significant. Sex differences were found in some of the relationships found significant.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.44 no.12
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• pp.43-52
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between mother's management behaviors of their children's peer interaction, their beliefs about social skills, recollections of childhood peer relationships, and interpersonal competence. Subjects consisted of 258 mothers of 4- to 5-year-old children. The sample of mothers completed a series of questionnaires assessing their beliefs of social skills, their peer experiences, and the involvement activities of their children's peer relationships. The results indicated that the beliefs about social skills, recollections of childhood peer relationships, and interpersonal competence were associated with the mother's management behaviors. Maternal memories of childhood peer relationships were the best predictor of mother's management behaviors of their children's peer interaction.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1-17
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• 2016

This study aimed to investigate the effects of shyness of 3 to 5-year-olds and the teacher-child relationship on peer play behaviors. For this purpose, a survey was conducted targeting 33 teachers working with 277 three to five-year-olds at child care centers located in Chungbuk, Korea. SPSS 19.0 was used to implement exploratory analyses and hierarchical regression analysis. It was found that children with low sociability and thoes with close relationships with teachers indicated the least play disruption. Children whose assertiveness and sociability were low and whose relationships with teachers were close were likely to do the most play interaction. However, regardless of the level of the lack of assertiveness and of the lack of sociability, children with close relationships with teachers had a higher level of play interaction. Children with a higher level of lack of sociability and in conflict relationships with teachers had a higher level of play disconnection. Findings of this study highlight the importance of considering the interplay of children's shyness and teacher-child relationships in the development of peer play behaviors.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.439-454
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to explore Korean divorced mothers' experiences of noncustodial fathers' involvement in children's lives after divorce and co-parenting relationships. The data were collected from 17 mothers who were divorced between the years of 2004 and 2009, and were raising at least one minor child. Data were analyzed based on the inductive data analysis method. Divorced mothers' experiences of noncustodial fathers' involvement in children's lives after divorce were categorized in three ways: a satisfactory on-going relationship, a dissatisfactory on-going relationship, and a discontinued relationship. The results show that a few mothers were satisfied with the degree of the fathers' involvement in the children's lives 1) if the fathers were interested in their children and responsive to their children, and 2) if the fathers paid either child support or provided some financial supports for their children based on the fathers' financial abilities. However, the majority of the mothers were dissatisfied with the degree of the fathers' involvement in the children's lives. While some of the mothers maintained a relationship with the children's fathers despite their dissatisfaction, others discontinued the relationship. Regarding the co-parenting relationship after divorce, the relationships with the fathers were classified as either cooperative relationships or uncooperative relationships. The majority of the mothers experienced difficulties establishing cooperative co-parenting relationships with the fathers, but three mothers had cooperative relationships. The reasons for these uncooperative relationships were: uncooperative fathers, uncooperative mothers, or ambiguous communication regarding parenting after divorce. These findings suggest parenting education for divorced parents.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.189-212
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• 1996

The purpose of this study was to investigate how parental childrearing behavior and children's sibling relationships are related to children's self-esteem. 440 middle class families consisting of two children and their parents were the subjects of this study. The research instruments included a childrearing behavior questionnaire, the Sibling Relationships Questionnaire (Furman & Buhrmester, 1985), and the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). Analyses of the data included correlation analysis, canonical correlation, regression, stepwise multiple regression, and MANOVA with stepwise discriminant analysis as the follow-up test. The most powerful predictors of children's self-esteem were the Warmth-Acceptance of childrearing behavior and the Warmth-Closeness of sibling relationships. The self-esteem dimension was best predicted by parental childrearing behavior and by children's sibling relationships was Global Self-Worth. Behavioral Conduct was best predicted by the Rejection-Restriction factor of childrearing, and by Conflict (for boys) and Rivalry (for girls) factors of sibling relationships. Children's self-esteem was related more strongly to the Warmth-Acceptance and the Rejection-Restriction of opposite-sex parents. The effects of Permissiveness-Nonintervention were stronger in same-sex parent-child dyads. Parental childrearing behaviors accounted for boy's self-esteem better than girl's with the exception of Behavioral Conduct. Sibling relationships accounted for girl's self-esteem better than boy's. The $2{\times}2$ MANOVA revealed interaction effects of parental childrearing behaviors and sibling relationships on children's self-esteem. Two factors of Rivalry and Conflict in sibling relationships and all three factors of childrearing behaviors showed significant interaction effects, The childrearing factor of Permissiveness-Nonintervention and the sibling factor of Rivalry, which were relatively weak predictors of self-esteem when acting alone, gained power in explaining children's self-esteem within the interactional context.