• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.45-54
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• 2008

This study examines the influence of acculturation level and ethnic groups as a fashion reference group on Korean-American consumer attitude toward luxury fashion brands. Of interest is the role of Korean culture, which emphasizes luxury brand consumption due to the Confucion value of 'face', on Korean-American attitudes toward luxury brands. Data were collected from 108 young Korean-Americans living in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and multiple regressions were conducted for the analysis. In general, the respondents had relatively negative attitudes toward luxury fashion brands. Even though the acculturation level did not have a significant influence, attitudes toward luxury fashion brands were influenced by Korean reference groups. Age at immigration did not have a significant relationship with attitudes toward luxury brands. Korean-Americans who maintain ties with Korean culture are more likely to have a positive attitude towards luxury fashion, regardless of familarity with American culture.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.436-443
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there are differences in three attitudes-attitudes toward English learning, attitudes toward American, and attitudes toward American culture between Korean and Chinese university students learning Korean in Korea. The subjects are 211 students, who are 101 Korean and 110 Chinese. Gardner(1985)'s AMTB questionnaire was administered to measure the learners' attitudes. And the collected data were analyzed by t-test to examine the differences between two groups. The results of this study showed that there were statistically very significant differences in attitudes toward English learning and there were significant differences in attitudes toward American between two groups. But there were no differences statistically in attitudes toward American culture between two groups. To make better learning environment for English learners, the differences in other affective variables between two groups need to be studied.

• Cross-Cultural Studies
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• v.19
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• pp.313-338
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• 2010

Attitudes toward target language culture and motivation have been known as important factors in second or foreign language learning. In this study, cadets' attitudes toward the target language community and culture were investigated to find out any relationships with English achievement. Integrative or instrumental motivation in foreign military context was investigated to determine which motivation was more positively related to English proficiency. Cadets' responses were shown highly positive and internally consistent in most cases. Military cadets' attitudes toward American culture were statistically significant and could predict their English achievement. Even though integrative motivation was statistically significant, correlation with English achievement was low. However, instrumental motivation was not significant. This result implies that attitudes toward culture is an important factor in foreign language learning and integrative-instrumental motivation dichotomy might not be enough to explain specific context like cadets' English learning situation at Korea Army Academy at Youngcheon.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.71-87
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to investigate how a sense of community, community provisions, and acculturation attitudes towards Korean and American cultures are related to Korean immigrant parents' parental satisfaction. 477 surveys, consisting of 291 females and 186 males, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results showed that a sense of community directly influenced acculturation attitudes toward American culture and parental satisfaction. Acculturation attitudes toward American culture also directly influenced parental satisfaction. A sense of community had significant indirect effects on parental satisfaction. These results imply that a sense of community within a larger community plays an important role in Korean immigrant parents' acquisition of identities as members of a new country. Building a sense of community is also important for them to experience less acculturation stress and become more satisfied with their parenting while adjusting to a new culture. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.21-30
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in body image and attitudes and behaviors regarding cosmetic surgery between Korean and Americans. Forty females in the U.S and 40 in Korea participated in the study by being interviewed. As a result, while Koreans had positive attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, Americans had negative attitudes. Higher incidences of cosmetic surgery were found among Koreans than among Americans. Koreans with lower body image tended to have ore tolerance toward cometic surgery. These results suggest that cosmetic surgery might be one of many ways to improve their self-esteem, Korean women with lower body image showed higher attitudes or behaviors toward cosmetic surgery than Americans.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.324-336
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• 2007

Throughout the twentieth century, American furniture was subject to a number of influences-both domestic and foreign. Especially, in the first half of the twentieth century, there were strong foreign influences compare to the later half of the century. Therefore, this study aimed for discussing foreign influences and for addressing issues such as attitudes toward materials, ornamentation, and technology. As a result, this study suggests how American furniture becomes instinctive moving away from strong foreign influences from the second half of the century. The twentieth century was a period of rapid and dynamic change for American furniture design. In many ways, the designs throughout the century were reflective of the social, political, and economic culture of the time. With the birth of the modern movement in Europe and a strong influx of foreign immigrants, American design in the first half of the century was characterized by a reliance on European and foreign influences. However, after the two world wars, strong domestic influences came into play. The two world wars provided the essential catalysts for change: new materials, developing technology, and changes in life style and consumer values. A historical examination of design trends and individual designers illustrates how American furniture design evolved during this period.

• The International Journal of Costume Culture
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.105-116
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• 2003

The purposes of this study were to examine the fashion adopted by young women in the United States in the 1970s and to explore how the dynamic shifts toward feminist values influenced those fashion trends. Fifteen American women who were college students in the 1970s were interviewed for the study. Throughout the decade, casual and comfortable styles became more prevalent; for example, pants became widely accepted for formal occasions as well as informal occasions due to an overall emphasis on practicality. The feminist and civil rights movements along with more liberal attitudes toward religion were among the more dominant cultural values that influenced the respondents' choices in clothing styles. Feminist presentation was diverse extreme or eclectic - and constantly renegotiating itself. This study helped us better understand the dynamics involved between fashion and value changes as well as the influence of feminism on the 1970s fashion in the United States.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.889-897
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Sexuality Attitudes and Beliefs Survey (SABS) and to assess SABS for Korean nurses. Methods: The Korean version of SABS was developed through forward-backward translation techniques. Internal consistency reliability and construct validity using confirmatory factor analysis were conducted using PASW+ PC Win (18.0) and AMOS (18.0). Data were collected from 567 nurses who worked in one of six general hospitals across the country. Results: The Korean version of SABS showed a reliable internal consistency with Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ of subscales ranging from .59 to .73. Factor loadings of the 10 items of three subscales ranged from .38 to .83. The three subscales model were validated by confirmatory factor analysis (GFI>.97, RMSEA<.05). Sexuality attitudes and beliefs for Korean nurses were more negative than that of European or American nurses. The SABS scores for Korean nurses were significantly different according to age, marriage, education, clinical experiences, and feeling about sexuality. Conclusion: The Korean version of SABS has satisfactory construct validity and reliability to measure Korean nurses' attitudes and belief toward sexuality. Education is essential to enhance importance and self-efficacy and to relieve barriers to addressing patients' sexuality.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.57 no.10
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• pp.74-86
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• 2007

An empirical study was conducted on fashion cultural products, targeting foreigners from diverse cultures. Its purpose was to identify foreigners' attitudes toward fashion cultural products of which design sources were derived from the Korean culture. The quantitative research using questionnaires was targeted at Americans, Chinese and Japanese who visited Korea. The questionnaires were back-translated into different languages for completion by the test subjects. Out of a total of 424 surveys returned, 393 were deemed usable. As a result of data analyses using SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 5.0, we found that: First, two attitude factors, the authenticity and aesthetic elements, exerted a significant effect on the intent to purchase. However, the last attitude factor, care and carriage convenience, did not significantly influence the purchase intention. Second, there was no significant difference in the attributes regarded as important when purchasing fashion cultural product between people from the U.S. and Japan. However, people from China showed differences in the attributes compared to the U.S. and Japan. Third, we found that attitudes toward fashion cultural products were different among respondents of three countries. It was revealed that the Chinese liked Korea's fashion cultural products the most, followed by Americans and Japanese. This research is significant because investigating foreigners' attitudes toward fashion cultural products for reaching out to a broader market abroad would contribute to help building an market entry planning.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.14-28
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• 2013

This study aims to identify the elements of black culture and use it to analyze the formative characteristics of casual fashion items as well as the symbolic meanings presented in the graphic designs of the items. First of all, in order to distinguish the identity of black culture, this study made a division into racial, social, and artistic aspects based on cultural specificities of Stuart Hall, a culture theorist. This was for a theoretical review and based on this review, a theoretical framework was developed to analyze the characteristics of American casual fashion design of black people. The case study selected 1719 fashion images of 137 male brands and 33 female brands from websites of companies manufacturing casual wear of black people in America. The following is a summary of the study results. The conceptual characteristics based on specificities of black culture can be categorized into ten attributes: playfulness in order to digest human grief and emotion positively, satire of the mainstream society, spontaneity through emotional expression from the heart, abstractness of various emotions elating suffering, humor trying to express negative aspects as the meaning of light and innocent laughter, dependence with passive attitudes toward discrimination and master-slave relationships in history, resistance against discrimination and disadvantages, African orientation and primitiveness pursuing natural conditions, aggressiveness against violence and unfair treatment, and confidence and defiance against social deprivation and corruption. Based on the results of an analysis through formative classification system founded on racial, social, and artistic aspects of black people, specificities of black culture are of formative characteristics of their casual fashion design. These elements are presented on graphic t-shirts through strong colors, loose silhouette, and details with many pockets. These characteristics were reflected in symbolic meanings presented in the graphic.