This study examined the effects of academic self-concept (internal factor) and maternal parenting behaviors (external factor) on academic delay of gratification (ADOG). Additionally, models predicting ADOG were compared between Korean and Malaysian children. The participants of this study were 100 Korean third graders and their mothers, and 100 Malaysian third graders and their mothers. The children completed the modified versions of the Academic Delay of Gratification Scale for Children, and Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire. The mothers completed the Parenting Attitude Test. Pearson's correlation tests, independent t-tests, and multiple regression analyses were conducted to test the research hypotheses. The results showed that Korean children reported higher ADOG and academic self-concept scores than that of Malaysian children. Moreover, academic self-concept was found to have a significant positive effect on ADOG among both Korean and Malaysian children. There was no significant gender difference in ADOG for both Korean and Malaysian children. However, the effects of maternal parenting behaviors on ADOG were only detected among the Malaysian children, particularly on Achievement Press. That is, only for the Malaysian children, maternal pressure about academic achievement was found to have a significant positive effect on ADOG. In conclusion, only academic self-concept was found to be a significant predictor explaining the variance in ADOG among Korean children. On the other hand, academic self-concept and maternal parenting behaviors were shown as significant predictors explaining the variance in ADOG among Malaysian children.

This study examined the parenting beliefs and the achievement pressure of Korean mothers with five to seven year old children. The maternal parenting beliefs criterion (Ahn, 2001) and achievement pressure criterion (Hong, 2001) have been applied to 212 mothers living in Seoul or Kyonggi-Do area and analyzed. The results showed that the maternal parenting beliefs were influenced by the child's gender, while the maternal achievement pressure was not. And significant difference was seen only in between the educational background and the maternal parenting beliefs, and the employment status and interaction effects were not shown.

This study determines the factors that contribute to the sense of self-identity for children from multicultural and rural families and provides a systematic understanding of individual self-identity. It also provides implications on how parents, teachers, and professionals can approach their role when instructing and rearing children of different sociocultural backgrounds. The subjects consist of the 310 children from multicultural families (Korean fathers and immigrant mothers) residing in South Korea and 280 children from rural families with similar conditions to those in multicultural families in North Jeolla Province South Korea. The sense of self-identity and maternal parenting behavior were perceived differently by children of multicultural and rural families, whose sense of self-identity was affected by school satisfaction and maternal parenting behavior.

The purpose of this study is to compare the economic burden and cost of child rearing, mainly between families with job-holding mothers and job-exit mothers. The sample consisted of 665 mothers with at least one child aged one year or less from the 2009 Panel Study on Korean Children. We found social capital reduced the child rearing costs for both job-holding and job-exit mothers, while community resources significantly reduced the costs of child rearing only for job-holding mothers. Based on these results, implications for family policy for families with young children are suggested.

This study uses the 1999-2009 Korean Time Use Survey to explore how mothers' employment affects parental time spent in activities that may relate to their children's weight. Specifically, it estimates two-part regression models to assess the effects of maternal employment upon the amount of time mothers spend in activities potentially related to their preschool children's eating and physical activity. The findings suggest that working mothers and those mothers who work longer hours allocate significantly less time in food preparation, eating with the child, and supervising the child's physical activity than mothers who are not employed and those who work fewer hours. The paper also finds that spouses of working mothers do not allocate more time to these activities to offset the reduction in mothers' time. Also, using local unemployment rates as instrumental variables, maternal employment is found to allow mothers to spend significantly more time on food preparation and family meals, although its effect on mothers' total childcare time is negative. Several aspects of Korean society may have made the relationship between maternal employment and childhood weight issues different from what was found in other countries.

This study determined the influence of personality patterns on marital adjustments mediated by communication effectiveness for 298 international marriages in South Korea. The results are as follows: (a) The mediator effects of personality patterns and communication effectiveness on the marital adjustment of international marriages were found to be significant; in addition, a mediator path with marital adjustment as a dependent variable was verified. (b) The extroversion, agreeableness, and openness of husbands were found to have a positive effect on their communication and marital adjustment in regards to the personality patterns of international. (c) Conscientiousness was identified as the only factor that affects the marital adjustment of a wife in regards to personality patterns. The implications of this study will be discussed in the conclusion part.

Smart wear integrates computing technology into fabric or a garment for additional functionality. This research explored the attitudes and opinions of the use of smart wear from the viewpoint of caregivers. Thirty two individuals including care providers of children and adult family members with health problems participated in focus group interviews. Participants reported being interested in smart wear because of the potential to detect the location (GPS) of a dependent (e.g., child, elderly) and to monitor vital signs. Participants indicated perceived advantages of smart wear such as identifying geographical location and effectiveness. Perceived concerns mentioned were privacy/security issues and accuracy of data. Participants taking care of dependents without a specific disease were hesitant to adopt and pay for smart wear. However, caregivers of elderly individuals expressed positive adoption intentions and willingness to reasonably pay for smart wear. They indicated expectations that potential insurance would provide coverage for cost savings. Caregivers expressed the need of specific requirements for future adoption such as customizability, and comfort/safety. Specific to smart wear clothing, most respondents preferred it be an undershirt or a jacket with a sensor located in the shoulder area. The findings from this study can be used in product development, promotion and marketing of smart wear.

Children have become the target of intense and specialized food advertising efforts. This study examines the content of TV food advertising and discussed possible concerns from the perspective of children. A total of 102 ads were collected from two cable networks aimed at children. Most of the food ads used emotional appeals and did not provide information clues such as nutrition values. Ads with high sales pressure and celebrity endorsements appeared frequently and the ads for snack foods and high-carbohydrate bakery products were dominant. Understanding food ads can be a significant indicator to establish the orientation of consumer ad education and build educational programs appropriate for children. The issue that appears conspicuous in child targeted advertising and marketing is the childhood obesity and food advertising relation; subsequently, there is a need to evolve advertising that targets children into a positive educational information source.