Search results

The world Englishes (WE) paradigm gravitating around the recent models of English has been theoretically discussed in the applied linguistics profession: that is, English today has gone beyond the general description of post-colonial and institutionalized varieties and is being defined as the linguistic diversity realized by all global users (Ates et al., 2015). This advocates the creation of “multidialectical English speakers/listeners” among WE with intercultural insight and knowledge (Lee, 2012) by supporting linguistic and cultural diversity with cultural tolerance. While theoretical discussions on WE abound, this paper aims to focus more on local learners/users of WE: it investigates Korean university students’ perceptions of WE, their attitudes toward WE and finally factors that affect their perceptions and attitudes.

Sixty Korean students in a university participated in the survey. Data include questionnaires and interviews.

Results indicate that the students still have a preference and are able to more easily recognize the inner circle (IC) Englishes but have a keen interest in being exposed to WE for less stressful, more interactive, communicative and comprehensible uses. Pedagogical implications and suggestions are also discussed.

The data enable researchers to gain more insight into several of the social, political and cultural aspects or dimensions that are at play in the WE debate. As previous studies have indicated, an individual’s attitude toward WE is not just a simple matter of choosing which form of English to learn; it is one that has important ramifications in shaping a person’s worldview and cultural perspectives. Within the context of the WE paradigm, this study reveals the influence still held by IC countries yet provides strong evidence that an awareness of the reality of and interest in WE presently exists in Korea.

This finding has important implications for English instructors, institutions and educational policy makers in the expanding circle where local varieties of English are emerging.

This paper is all originated from the current study’s research questions and interviews. Students were all attending a university at that time. This study carries an important value, as it reports how Korean university students feel/value WE in relation to IC Englishes and how they feel and shape their attitudes toward the theoretical justification of WE.

This chapter describes the status of past and current special education, inclusive education, and Low-Incidence Disabilities (LID) in South Korea by introducing historical background, legal development, and current trend. Four main areas related to special education in South Korea are highlighted: the historical background and legal development of special education; current laws relating to special education; inclusive education and LID; and the future of LID support in South Korea. This chapter will provide valuable information for those who want to become more knowledgeable about the current status of special education and inclusive education for learners with LID in South Korea.

The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that can influence on the police officer’s perception of the effectiveness of the performance management system (PMS). This study examines the effect of the attitude of employees and causal relationships between organizational/individual factors and the effectiveness of PMS during the implementation process.

The authors conducted a nationwide online survey of 10,619 police officers in South Korea. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze multiple relationships simultaneously. The authors constructed a baseline model and also examined an alternative model in order to increase the model’s explanatory power.

Police officers’ perception of the understanding of the PMS, manager’s concern, participation and performance information (PI) usage exerted significant effects on the perceived effectiveness of the PMS. However, the relation between understanding of the PMS and PI usage was not significant. The study identified organizational and institutional settings for the success of the PMS. Overall, results support findings of previous studies that suggest an important role of common consensus on performance indicators and agreement between managers and employees.

While the data size of this study is quite large, it should be considered that the respondent’s preferences on the PMS might have influenced survey results. Findings are limited by the use of a cross-sectional design. Future studies may investigate changes in causal relationships over time by employing a panel design. In addition, various survey items related to the practices of the PMS within the police organization need to be included in future studies.

To improve the effectiveness of performance management in the police organization, decision makers and managers must emphasize behavioral aspects of the system, especially the causal relationship between practices and perception of the usefulness of the system.

Despite the wide use of PMS in police management practice, police officers’ perception of the effectiveness of these systems has received little attention in the field. This study indicated a causal link between the factors in the PMS and the perception of the police officers.