• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2022

The purpose of this study is to analyze which factors affect safety awareness of foreign workers and international students. In the correlation analysis, individual characteristics related to the safety awareness of foreign workers were nationality, status of stay(visa types), place of work, educational background, and Korean proficiency while international students were relevant with only the types of residence. There were significant differences in the safety awareness of foreign workers in nationality, status of stay(visa types), region of residence, educational background, place of work, and Korean proficiency. However, there was a significant difference only in the types of residence for the international students. In the regression analysis of factors affecting safety awareness, there were significant differences in nationality, status of stay(visa types), place of work, and Korean proficiency in the case of foreign workers. It was analyzed that nationality and status of stay had a negative (-) effect, and the place of work and Korean proficiency had a positive (+) effect. In the case of international students, it was analyzed that only the types of residence had a negative (-) effect on safety awareness.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.309-326
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• 2011

This study examines the relationship between second language use outside of class and oral proficiency development. It first identifies out-of-class activities of international graduate students in the U.S. and the average time spent speaking English in those out-of-class activities. Interviews and student self-measurements of time spent speaking English each day were used to investigate the types and quantities of out-of-class activities. In addition, two sets of student oral proficiency test scores were collected. Correlation analysis is used to find out the relationship of the variables between the most salient out-of-class activities and oral proficiency gains. The findings indicate that second language use outside of class is important for international graduate students to improve their oral proficiency. This is especially true with regularized interaction such as talking at work and the average time spent speaking in English a day outside of class. This study suggests that learners of English in an ESL environment should be encouraged to take part in out-of-class activities in addition to English use in the classroom in order for them to improve their oral proficiency.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.49-56
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• 2017

Much research attention has been directed to identify how native speakers perceive non-native speakers' oral proficiency. To investigate the generalizability of previous findings, this study examined segmental, phonological, accentual, and temporal correlates of native speakers' evaluation of L2 Korean proficiency produced by learners with various levels and nationalities. Our experiment results show that proficiency ratings by native speakers significantly correlate not only with rate of speech, but also with the segmental accuracies. The influence of segmental errors has the highest correlation with the proficiency of L2 Korean speech. We further verified this finding within substitution, deletion, insertion error rates. Although phonological accuracy was expected to be highly correlated with the proficiency score, it was the least influential measure. Another new finding in this study is that the role of pitch and accent has been underemphasized so far in the non-native Korean speech perception studies. This work will serve as the groundwork for the development of automatic assessment module in Korean CAPT system.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.318-321
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• 2017

This commentary presents the regulatory backgrounds and development of the national proficiency testing (PT) scheme on asbestos analysis in the Republic of Korea. Since 2009, under the amended Occupational Safety and Health Act, the survey of asbestos in buildings and clearance test of asbestos removal works have been mandated to be carried out by the laboratories designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) in the Republic of Korea. To assess the performance of asbestos laboratories, a PT scheme on asbestos analysis was launched by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) on behalf of the MOEL in 2007. Participating laboratories are evaluated once a year for fiber counting and bulk asbestos analysis by phase contrast microscopy and polarized light microscopy, respectively. Currently, the number of laboratory enrollments is > 200, and the percentage of passed laboratories is > 90. The current status and several significant changes in operation, sample preparations, and statistics of assigning the reference values of the KOSHA PT scheme on asbestos analysis are presented. Critical retrospect based on the experiences of operating the KOSHA PT scheme suggests considerations for developing a new national PT scheme for asbestos analysis.

• Journal of the Architectural Institute of Korea Structure & Construction
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.173-180
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• 2019

Construction work is a labor-intensive industry, which is required systematic production activities using materials, manpower, and equipment. Among them, manpower resources play a very important role in achieving efficiently production in the organization. Construction work is highly dependent on construction craft workers, and the level of proficiency can be directly related to the construction productivity and quality. However, a rapidly aging construction craft workers in Korea, is being replaced by a foreign construction craft workers because of advoidance of new laborers in the construction site. In the future, if the continuous development and management of construction manpower is not made properly, it may be lead to adverse effects such as setbacks in production, delayed completion, faulty construction, industrial disasters, and decreased productivity in construction site. In this study, it was proposed four important factors for work capacity management of construction craft workers. These were ensuring of physical strength through the health management of construction craft workers, securing of proficiency through career management, ensuring of productivity through work capacity and establing of informatization through work capacity management. By introducing a systematic system, it is possible to improve construction craft workers' professionalism, enhancing the level of welfare, reflecting the realities of labor costs, increasing the quantitative and qualitative levels of construction craft workers, Futhermore it was demanded the continued interest and policy support for the realization of effective management of construction craft workers.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.28-37
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• 2021

Background: Career success is the psychological achievement associated with an individual's work. Protean career management behavior is the behavior of managing individual careers in order to achieve individual career goals. The purpose of this study was to clarify the career success of dental hygienists as perceived by clinical dental hygienists and to compare the relationship between career success and protean career management behavior. Methods: Nationwide convenience samples of clinical dental hygienists were obtained; 354 people were surveyed online, and the data of 350 people were finally analyzed. The perception of career success of dental hygienists was assessed using a multiple response method. T-test, ANOVA, and χ2 tests were performed to investigate the differences and relationships between protean career management behavior and career success according to the general characteristics. Results: Career success was recognized by clinical dental hygienists as "income", "work proficiency", "patient consultation", "self-satisfaction", and "recognition by superiors" in order. There were significant differences in protean career management behavior according to general characteristics (p<0.05). Higher career management behavior was common in those higher in age, in married participants, in those with higher educational background, and in those with a higher career, better position, and more job change experience (p<0.05). Among the variables of career success perceived by clinical dental hygienists, "work proficiency" had a significant effect on "career management behavior" (p<0.05). "Work proficiency" and "recognition by superiors" were significant in "protean technological development behavior," and they also influenced actual behavior (p<0.05). Conclusion: The relationship between dental hygienists' career success and protean career management behavior was clarified. Dental hygienists performed career management behaviors to develop work ability and skills. In addition, the relationship between career management behavior and long-term employment was confirmed.

• English Language & Literature Teaching
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.153-171
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• 2003

The scores of TOEFL, TOEIC, and TEPS have been increasingly used for many purposes in Korea. In particular, these test scores are being used as a predictor for determining readiness for and success in college work, or as a measure of the testees' overall English proficiency. Nonetheless, studies have rarely proposed that the validity of the test scores is used for either purpose. As a preliminary step to explore the predictive validity of the test scores, we collected the scores of TOEFL, TOEIC, and TEPS from thirty students of a university as well as their cumulative grade point averages (GPAs). The correlations between the test scores and GPAs show that TOEFL will be most likely to have the highest validity coefficient as a predictor for determining success in college work as well as a measure of overall English proficiency. Although this study has a few limitations such as the small number of participants, their homogeneousness as a group, etc., it provides some insight into the use of the three tests for college admissions and measurement of overall English proficiency and suggests need for conducting further validation studies in these areas.

• Korean Journal of English Language and Linguistics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.229-252
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• 2004

The TOEIC has widely used to evaluate business English proficiency in Korea, but those who achieved high scores still often face difficulties in performing their duties in English at work. This implies that the test may not evaluate business English proficiency effectively enough. With an ultimate goal of proposing an effective way of assessing business English proficiency, therefore, his study analyzed the predictive validity of the TOEIC. A correlation analysis was conducted between TOEIC scores of 64 office workers of multinational companies and their working skills in English evaluated by themselves, and their colleagues and seniors. Its results illustrated a significant correlation between their listening and reading scores and their working skills measured by all the groups, but not between their scores and their working skills in speaking and writing. In addition, the study did a delphi study to identify working skills in English to be assessed in business English tests and a contents analysis of the TOEIC. The results suggest business English tests should be able to assess working skills by work types and more direct testing of working skills in speaking and writing is needed.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.35-43
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• 2023

In recent years, there has been a growing trend of occupational accidents involving foreign workers. As the number of foreign workers continues to increase, the risk of occupational accidents is also on the rise. Therefore, it is crucial to take proactive measures to prevent occupational accidents among foreign workers. To establish a common safety culture among foreign workers with varied backgrounds and educational experiences, and which is harmonized with Korean workplace. Safety communication, which includes culture respect and participation in the workplace, plays a significant role in shaping and developing the safety culture of foreign workers. Therefore, this study aims to assess the level of safety culture in workplace employing foreign workers by analyzing the reliability and validity of factors such as 'occupational accident awareness' and 'safety communication,' which constitute the safety culture at these workplace. Additionally, the mediating effect of 'work proficiency' on the relationship between 'safety communication' and the level of improvement in 'occupational accident awareness' using the validation method proposed by Baron & Kenny(1986). As a result of statistical analysis, The influence of'safety communication'on'occupational accident awareness'is 𝛽=0.339, and it has been found that this influence decreases to 𝛽=0.113 when'work proficiency'is introduced, indicating partial mediation.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.338-348
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine correlations between nurses' self-leadership and individual work role performance and correlations between self-leadership in nursing units and team members' work role performance. Methods: Participants were 202 conveniently selected general nurses from 5 general hospitals in Korea. The study was carried out on 35 nursing units. Data were collected during February 2015 with self-report questionnaires. Results: For factors affecting individual work role performance, self-expectation, self-goal setting, constructive thought, clinical career in the present nursing unit and marital status accounted for 44.0% of proficiency, while self-expectation, self-goal setting, constructive thought, and marital status accounted for 42.3% of adaptivity. Self-expectation, self-goal setting, constructive thought, self-reward, clinical career in the present nursing unit and position accounted for 26.4% of proactivity. In terms of team members' work role performance, self-reward and self-expectation in nursing units explained 29.0% of team members' proficiency. Self-reward and self-expectation in nursing units explained 31.6% of team members' adaptivity, and self-reward in nursing units explained 16.8% of team members' proactivity. Conclusion: The results confirm that nurses' self-leadership affects not only individual self-leadership but also team members' work role performance. Accordingly, to improve nurses' work role performance in nursing units of nursing organizations, improvement in nursing environment based on self-leadership education is necessary and nurses' tasks rearranged so they can appreciate work-autonomy and challenges of work.