KJC Korea
Journal Central

Lifelong education, carrying over the tradition of social education in Korea, has constructed its practice areas with regards to central government policy implementation system after 5.31 Education Reform Plan of 1995 and Lifelong Education Act of 1999. The purpose of this study was to critically review the legal aspects of lifelong education practice in terms of Lifelong Education Act. Particularly, this review was done while the Basic Law on Human Resources Development turned out to be a dead letter since 2008. The author, first, discussed the meaning of lifelong education in the context of learning society and lifelong learning. The author argued that 'lifelong education' cannot be used in the law to represent certain practice areas. Second, the author critically reviewed and problematized the status and practice areas of the current Lifelong Education Act. Third, the author argued that we need to deconstruct Lifelong Education Act and introduce ‘Law on Lifelong Learning Promotion’ and ‘Adult and Continuing Education Support Act’. The author argued amending various problems of the current Lifelong Education Act is inseparable from making new legal framework with concepts of lifelong learning and learning society.

This study aimed at reviewing career competencies embedded in different approaches in career theory and suggesting implications of lifelong learning perspective to the study of career competencies. For this purpose, career competencies in three approaches of career theories were briefly reviewed, based on different focus on career in terms of: 1) career as life development, 2) boundaryless career, and 3) integration of life, career, and learning. Career competencies from those perspectives revealed intertwined features of individual career unfolded throughout one's lifetime in society. To complement career theories' approaches to career competency, it was argued that lifelong learning perspective should be introduced to the study of career competency. The implication of lifelong learning for the study of: the concept of career, different dimensions of career learning, and career competency studies were discussed. Suggestions for future research for career competencies from the perspective of lifelong learning followed for building the liaison between work and learning.

The purpose of the study was to develop a group counselling program for women who have career discontinuities and examine the effectiveness of the program in terms of social supports and psychological interests. The developed program consisted of 5 modules, which include the understanding oneself, job information searching activities, open job matching process, job-seeking and hiring strategies. The program was focused on motivating and supporting the women who have not been involving job searching and employment processes by providing concrete job information and self-sustainability minds. In the result, the program was effective in supporting the women's social relatedness although not fully effective in sub-components. Also, it was highly effective in psychological interests in terms of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

In an ever-changing learning society, the learning innovation by regional basis to regenerate lifetime education is called the learning city establishment project. In the learning city, the information is the foundation of the regional learning capabilities. Hence, through the environmental status analysis of the cyber-network system and the constituents of the system for the learning city, the objective of this research is to contribute in the development of the learning city by determining constructing factors and to identify effective proposals in the operation. In the context of the regional development and the resolution of the regional problems through regional information orientation, the information-orientation of the learning city is necessary. The following detailed research objectives were established in order to determine the constructing factors of the cyber-network system and the effective operation of the lifetime learning city. For the research method, in order to analyze the infrastructure environment, the content analysis was carried out. For the quality assessment of the cyber-network system, the system's utilization was analyzed using the Heuristic research method through the probe process. Using the following research scope and the methods the effective operation method and the detailed factors were derived. In the quality assessment of the system, many operational factors were identified but the most important factor is the continuous operational management and the sharing of information. Hence, the objective of the system quality assessment is to vitalize the learning through communication by allowing the system to produce, process and distribute the learning information. By comparison analysis of case cities' cyber-network systems, the following research results confirms the various factors and based on the analysis, operational guidelines and suggestions should be set according to each city's advantages. The learning city cyber-network, based on the readily approachable regional information network, will promote the regional learning culture and allow the further development.

How was Korea National Open University (Hereinafter referred to as “KNOU”) able to develop into Korea’s most representative open university after being originally established as a solution to the problems of students who failed university entrance exam? In order to answer this question, this study has classified subject matter into 3 categories, i.e. the origin of KNOU, system development and its execution, and examined a series of incidents and moments at the current levels based on the methodology of historical sociology. KNOU’s idea of open university was materialized through the university’s subjective efforts rather than through any government education policy. In 1968, the government centrally controlled the higher education opportunity to limit the number of university students; however, when the number of students who failed university entrance exam increased, the government embodied 'Air and Correspondence College' as a 2‐year junior college attached to Seoul National University to solve the social problems related to the university entrance procedure. Professors belonging to the college of education of Seoul National University including Seo Myeong‐won, the Chairman of the KNOU founding committee and Kim Jong‐seo, the first President and other social education practitioners devised a part‐time student‐centered Open University and systematically developed it. As a result, KNOU was launched in 1972 as a junior college open to all. Throughout its history, KNOU has used an open entrance system and distance teaching methods to deliver a higher education opportunity to the general public who have lost opportunities to go to school due to economic or other reasons. In 1994, the english name of the university was changed to ‘Korea National Open University’ by the efforts of the university to better reflect its purpose.

Even though the development of testing tool for student adjustment for university students had started and been in use for quite a while, it has not been so for Distance University students yet. However, in this study we aimed to standardize testing tool for student adjustment, which corresponds with the characteristics of Distance University students, and then adopt a criterion for a standardized testing tool by carrying out a student adjustment test to KNOU students and examine the characteristics by analysing the reliability and validity of the test. The results showed that adjustments in study, emotions, and career expectations were important factors, which decide the overall adjustment of Distance University students, and we need totally different criterions for each gender. Therefore, we have put forward a plan for the use of the standardized student adjustment test, which is based on the results of the study, and made some suggestions, especially on policy makings and the analysis of the effectiveness of supporting programs for Distance University students.

Social welfare university education has trained professionals in social work fields through field practicum education. Field practicum is an essential curriculum in social welfare education as it enhances the vocational performance as a professional. Recently, social welfare education institutes applying e-learning methods(e.g. blended learning) to field practicum are increasing and the importance of vocational performance is becoming stronger. This study focuses on the relationship of field practicum related factors and online university students' vocational performance. data was collected from five online social welfare universities in Seoul, including students who have completed their field practicum. Results show that volunteer work, administrative supervision, attending classes, school involvement, and practicum satisfaction were significant factors. Social welfare implications and further research ideas are discussed.

In following research we studied changes that has happened in the distance education for North Korean adults during its development and what its specific character is as they developed. In late 1940's, North Korea strongly emphasized on 'Education system of learning as you work' when the development of distance education for the adult working class has happened. We can divide its development into 3 stages. First, using the postal system for correspondence education. Second, utilizing the mass communication media. Third, using e-Learning system that is based on development of ICT which you can interact with each other. With government support North Korean distance education has grown and organized using the first stage correspondence education in late 1940's. After 1970's, North Korean distance education has combined with mass communications like radio and television supporting correspondence education. Distance education using e-learning has been emphasized after 2000's, which is introduced along with 'Education system of learning as you work' and 'Education system specialized in scholarship' In other words, recent North Korean distance education takes integrated way of distance education that includes broadcasting education and e-learning, on the basis of correspondence education. Distinguished characters of the distance education for the adults of North Korean are first, correspondence education which is organized and managed by the government is in its core. Second, dual systems of North Korean higher education which is divided into 'Higher education for the people specialized in scholarship' and 'Higher education for the people working and learning'.

This study intended to develop an educational program for preparing women college students to adapt for their future place of work. In order to do this, a literature review, survey, qualitative interview, and focus group interview were performed. Based on careful analysis, program has developed as follows : 1) Primary contents were organized orientation for ice-breaking, understanding self, understanding organizational culture, training problem solving ability, cultivating active & positive attitude, and reflecting one's learning outcomes. 2) Educational methods were focused on participation, sharing, and reflection. This educational program showed us proper educational contents and methods for woman resource development in higher education institutions.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate practices of the u-learning experimental schools initiated by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology and to suggest useful implications for the successful management of them. We evaluated nine elementary and middle schools in terms of instructional effectiveness and school management. To achieve the research goal, we reviewed the previous research and related literatures with regard to educational practices in ubiquitous computing environment, we drew some useful implications to enhance the management of the u-learning schools and then, developed the assessment tools, comprising 11 items, to evaluate the experimental schools. From the evaluation, we identified some problems of the current u-learning school management, such as (1) the vague identity of the u-learning policy, (2) the work overload in teachers, (3) the lack of support by the expertise in u-learning. We also suggested possible ways of improving the K-12 u-learning and revising the current u-school policy, including the university-school partnership and scaling up the sustainability.

With increased exchange of human resources (HR) among countries, there has emerged an urgent need to identify the quality of HR in each country and to compare it with that of other countries from a global perspective. Developing an index which can be used both as a tool to identify the quality of HR at a national level and to make cross‐national comparisons would be an effective way to address this need. In order to accurately assess a nation‘s current state of the quality of its HR, the index should cover not only intellectual abilities of its HR but also their communication skills, attitudes and values, and other aspects. At the same time, the index should reflect features of today’s globalized labor environment to promote cross‐national comparisons. The present study is an attempt to meet global needs for such an index. The study consists of two parts: the first part comprises the development of an index which can assess the quality of a nation’s HR from a global perspective and the second part applies the index in measuring the quality of HR in 55 nations in pursuit of cross‐national comparisons. The index is named as the Human Resource Opportunity Index (HROI). To develop the index, well‐established existing indexes including the Digital Opportunity Index, the Growth Competitiveness Index, the Human Development Index, and the World Competitiveness Yearbook Index were extensively analyzed with regard to conceptual frameworks, specific measurement indicators and development procedures. Based on the analysis, HROI indicators were created and reviewed by experts in human resource development and training. The revised HROI indicators were then sent to a group of researchers in the HR field for confirmation. As a result, nine indicators in three categories were identified. This index was then applied to identify the HR opportunities of 55 nations. Quantitative data on the indicators were collected from official documents of several international organizations and governments and used to calculate the HROI of 55 countries. Using these HROI indices, cluster analysis was performed to identify major factors influencing the index scores, and correlation analysis was conducted to identify the concurrent validity of the index. The results demonstrated that intellectual property rights and overall productivity were the most influential indicators for HROI values. The concurrent validity was secured by the high correlations between HROI and other indices; GCI(.78), HDI(.80), and WCYI(.80). It is concluded that the HROI is a reliable and valid tool for measuring a nation's quality of HR.