• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.349-373
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• 2010

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyze the way of knowledge production in social welfare and to graft feminist epistemology to the discipline of social welfare. To put it more concretely, as analyzing the epistemological and methodological issues appeared in the articles in "orean Journal of Social Welfare", this study examines the meanings of feminist epistemology and its implications to research and practice in social welfare. From its onset, feminist research criticized the 'mainstream' ways of conceptualizing knowledge construction via research conducted upon a positivist epistemological position. Particularly, western feminists have problematized the androcentric bias embedded within the so-called 'social sciences' that we have taken for granted as 'scientific,' 'objective,' and 'neutral,' and attempted to redirect and reformulate the way of knowledge production with new concepts of 'strong objectivity,' 'partial/situated knowledge,' and 'strong reflection.' We believe that the implications of feminist epistemology to enable us to reflect the power relationship between subject and object, I and Other, and the researcher and the researched will contribute to recover the original vision of social welfare as critical theory and liberating practice in social work.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.565-575
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• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to describe feminism and to propose the integration of a feminist method into qualitative nursing methodology in order to expand the body of nursing knowledge. Method: The world view of feminism including philosophy, epistemology and methodology was outlined, and a feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were suggested as a way of strengthening nursing research methodology using literature review. Results: Four different philosophical perspectives of feminism, that is, liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist feminism, and social feminism were described. Also epistemological perspectives including feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint, and postmodem feminism, were explained and were related to the methodology and methods of feminism. To enhance the strengths of nursing research within the feminist perspectives, feminist grounded theory and feminist ethnography were exemplified in the paradigm of qualitative nursing research. Conclusion: This paper suggested that incorporation of feminist approaches within nursing is a valuable attempt to expand the body of nursing knowledge and to enhance the quality of nursing care services by rectifying male-oriented knowledge and by empowering women in the care of other people as well as themselves.

• Research in Mathematical Education
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.245-259
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• 2019

I examine the discussions of studies related to feminist mathematics education and the implications of mathematics education in South Korea. In particular, I attempt to answer the following questions through literature reviews on feminist mathematics: What is the epistemological background of feminist mathematics education? How is feminist mathematics education defined and implemented? What does feminist mathematics education suggest in South Korea's mathematics curriculum? From the analysis of the literatures, I found that feminist mathematics education reflects not just the rights of female's rights but also a paradigm shift in epistemology of mathematics and philosophy of mathematics education. In this regard, feminist mathematics questions the existing mathematics education related to the female students who were marginalized in the composition and delivery of mathematics. Feminist mathematics education points out that in the course of the transfer of mathematical knowledge in schools, female students understand unilateral information procedurally without understanding the concept. Mathematics educators should consider alternative curricula that reflect the views of female students regarding the nature of mathematics. Students should be able to receive equal mathematics education in a school regardless of their gender. In this case, equal mathematics education refers to education methods that are suitable for both male and female students. The existing mathematics content and its teaching methods were designed based on the learning experiences of male students, which made them relatively difficult for female students to understand.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.649-663
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• 2013

As cultural diversity has gained a great deal of attention and the social fabric of Korean society is redefined, the number of studies on multi-cultural family homes has been growing in the area of human ecology, but relevant research is rarely found on the subject of housing. While the emphasis of housing research is on multidisciplinary approaches and empirical research is highly valued, a theoretical and methodological platform for discussing the new rising agenda of multi-cultural family homes is lacking. The purpose of this study was to explore approaches to and to discuss the issues in research for multi-cultural family homes in terms of housing theories and multidisciplinary approaches. To understand the housing related needs of multi-cultural families, this study highlights social constructionism, the ecological perspective, and feminist epistemology. These three multidisciplinary approaches were useful for generating an ontological analysis of multi-cultural family homes. Further, this study highlights two housing related theories, the microsociological and housing pathways approaches, for dealing with multi-cultural family homes. In conclusion, the five approaches were useful for exploring issues in housing research on multi-cultural family homes with appropriate research methods like hermeneutics, quantitative, and qualitative methods, and field research. Insights into using perspectives and holistic approaches might be useful for solving the problems of multi-cultural family homes in Korea.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.135-148
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• 2012

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings of 'Natural childbirth' from experiences of Korean women who gave birth to a baby in the midwifery using a feminist approach. Methods: This paper is a qualitative research study and applies a feminist epistemology and methodology to the experiences of women who gave birth in midwifery. The data were collected by individual in-depth interviews with eleven participants. Results: Two main themes emerged from the feminist content analyses and each main theme had three sub themes. A. transformation of control and knowledge on childbirth and the body 1) refusing coercive medicalization and building a new normality, 2) specific expectations about biological health and maternity rather than a return to nature, 3) the subject of pregnancy and childbirth, B. 'natural childbirth' practice as a new embodied discipline 1) helpers to support mothers, midwives, 2) helping the body to do 'natural childbirth', 3) from isolated labor to cooperative reproduction. Conclusion: These results indicate that women desired to practice being a subject, consultation with professionals, self-discipline and named actors except for women as 'other subjects' in childbirth.

• Journal of the Korean School Mathematics Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.55-75
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• 2005

As part of development research of a gender-neutral mathematics program, this paper provides a discussion of the fearures of the developed mathematics program. Based on the theory of feminist pedagogy and critical theories about women' ways of knowing, this mathematics program for girls pursues the mathematical empowerment of girls. Specifically, this mathematics program facilitates girls' awareness of their mathematical potentials, encourage them to position women at a center of mathematics in order for th equity in mathematics education. For the purpose, this program emphasizes constructive learning through girls' active participation. Thus, the instructions will value girls' own cognitive resources such as their experiential knowledge and ways of mathematical justification and provide an environment to support the growth of girls' own mathematical potential. This developmental research will be furthered to the systematic program evaluation to extend this program to support the equity for the marginalized poppulations as well as girls in mathematics education.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.573-586
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to review the conceptual framework of social constructionism and critical social constructionism in the research area of multi-cultural family homes, using a literature review. Fopp argued that social constructionism had an objectivation problem that only considered the actor side as a policy object; therefore he suggested a weaker social constructionist perspective with moderate relativism and the application of feminist epistemology to marginal life for maximizing objectivity. This article explores a conceptual framework for studying the reality of housing of multi-cultural families in Korea in the light of constructionist ideas and presents a review of empirical positivist data to support the framework. Based on results, using the social constructionist framework, five contexts (structural, institutional, organizational, operational, and intersubjective) were reviewed and ideas were suggested to develop an appropriate future situation for multi-cultural family homes. For a weaker social constructionist framework, three National Survey of Multi-Cultural Family Homes data sets were reviewed to determine the real condition of multi-cultural family homes. Further, from a feminist perspective, the empirical data of marginalized multi-cultural family homes were reviewed from the perspectives of gender inequality of decision making, cultural adaptation, and differentiation in housing related areas. In conclusion, two perspectives were useful for understanding multi-cultural family housing in Korea but must be compensated with substantial empirical data for a holistic approach.

• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.85-109
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• 2012

This qualitative study explored a middle-aged lesbian's life and her identities by the oral life history approach in feminist epistemology, where the participant is not the object but the subject of knowledge. The participant kept her own perspective that her homosexuality was not intrinsic but constructed. In her life's history, she was a "docile body" accepting socially constructed historical meaning of homosexuality, as well as a "resistant body" protesting against social discrimination and oppression for homosexual population. She overcame an embedded negative recognition of her scaled injured body and her sexuality as "deficient". Finally, she showed an amazing resilience and an indomitable spirit for reconstructing the meaning of her body as "blessed." Beyond the deficient body, as an active agent not the pathologic sexual minority, she could cultivate compassion and empathy for others. From the results, it is important how to place gender and sexuality in the context of social work theory and practice. Sexuality, not sexual orientation, is 'our' collective agenda to address the social problems which were associated with social hierarchy, inequality, and injustice.