ISSN : 1229-0718
This study aimed to explore whether persistence with a hobby predicts high levels of grit and whether self-esteem mediates this relationship. Using data from the 11th, 12th, and 13th waves of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC), this study examined the relationship between a hobby, grit, and self-esteem among 1,230 children. First, we classified the children into three groups based on the duration of participation in their hobby (no hobby, temporary hobby, continuous hobby). Next, we examined the relationship between persistence with a hobby and grit. The results showed that children in the continuous hobby group were grittier than those in the temporary hobby or no hobby group. Interestingly, no significant difference in grit was observed between children in the temporary hobby group and those in the no hobby group. Additionally, the effects of a persistent hobby on grit were fully mediated by self-esteem. This study suggests that continuous participation in a hobby can increase children’s self-esteem and contribute to the development of grit.
Questioning is the primary learning mechanism whereby children with limited knowledge actively gather information. As children grow older, their questions become more efficient. To effectively search for information, one must direct appropriate questions to suitable sources and evaluate the informativeness of the answers received. Moreover, individuals should be adept at employing strategies, such as follow-up questions, to acquire additional information. Cognitive abilities are required to navigate these processes. This review presents an overview of prior research on the developmental trajectories of children’s questioning abilities, with emphasis on the epistemic function of questions. The influence of general cognitive abilities - metacognition, probabilistic reasoning, categorization skills, and executive functions - on questioning is also reviewed. Lastly, interventions to enhance children’s questioning abilities are reviewed and areas of future research are suggested.
In this study, a comparative analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between self-concept clarity, clarity of feelings, and the mental well-being of 240 early childhood educators. The analysis was performed using SPSS 27 and Amos 26. We found that participants' self-concept clarity, clarity of feelings, and mental well-being were relatively above average. Clarity of feelings was found to completely mediate the relationship between self-concept clarity and mental well-being; however, self-concept clarity did not mediate the relationship between clarity of feelings and mental well-being. These results suggest that early childhood educators should improve their self-concept clarity through clarity of feelings to improve their mental well-being. The significance of this study is that it provides a baseline that could inform early childhood educators about the concept and importance of mental well-being.
This study aimed to verify the moderating effects of savoring moment-savoring belief (SMSB) and savoring through anticipation savoring belief (SASB) on the relationship between external entrapment (EE) and suicidal ideation (SI) through hopelessness (HL). Self-reported data from 406 Korean undergraduate students were analyzed. The moderating effects of both SBs on the relationship between EE, HL, and SI were significant. First, the effect of EE on HL decreased as SMSB levels increased. Second, the effect of HL on increasing SI decreased as the level of SASB increased, and when the level was high, HL did not lead to SI. Finally, when EE led to SI through HL, the moderated mediation effect depending on SMSB level was significant only when the SASB level was moderate or low. When the level was high, the indirect effect was not significant, regardless of the SMSB level. This study contributes to understanding the mechanism by which EE leads to SI among undergraduate students and sheds light on the individual roles of SBs.
Women‘s underrepresentation in STEM fields is a concern in many societies. However, closer inspection of this gender gap reveals a more complex picture, with women achieving parity with men at the Ph.D. level in certain STEM fields, while also being underrepresented in some non-STEM fields. The field-specific ability belief (FAB) hypothesis aims to explain this variability across academic disciplines and suggests that women are underrepresented in fields where raw intelligence is seen as required for success. This study explored the FABs of 282 Korean high school students. We found that the academic fields believed by adolescents to require brilliance are the fields with lower female representation. Moreover, there was a gender difference in how these beliefs were related to students’ interests in majors. Male students were more inclined to choose majors in fields with high FABs, whereas female students were not. These findings support the field-specific ability belief hypothesis.
This study examined whether children's grit had a moderated mediating effect on the relationship among difficulties in peer relations, self-esteem, and depression. This study utilized data from 2,607 fourth-grade students (50.4% male) who, responded in the first year of the 2018 Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) conducted by the Korea Youth Policy Institute. Results revealed several key findings. First, difficulties in peer relations were found to negatively impact self-esteem, which, in turn, contributed to depressive mood. This indicates that children having difficulties in peer relations tend to have decreased self-esteem, which can subsequently lead to depressive mood. Second, grit moderated the aforementioned pathway, indicating that the influence of peer difficulties on depressive mood through self-esteem varies according to children’s level of grit. These findings underscore the protective role of grit against depressive mood in children in the context of challenging peer interactions. A discussion on the implications of these findings and proposed directions for future research concludes this study.