CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Liberty University Digital Commons MULTICULTURAL LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF A SCHOOL DIRECTOR IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING IN SOUTH KOREA: A CASE STUDY by Janelle Christine Simmons Liberty University A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University 2016 2 MULTICULTURAL LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF A SCHOOL DIRECTOR IN AN EDUCATIONAL SETTING IN SOUTH KOREA: A CASE STUDY by Janelle Christine Simmons A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA 2016 APPROVED BY: Paul Tapper, Ed.D., Committee Chair David Benders, Ph.D., Committee Member Anthony Koyzis, Ph.D., Committee Member Scott Watson, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate Programs 3 ABSTRACT The purpose of this instrumental case study was to discover the multicultural leadership characteristics that are intrinsically necessary amongst a School Director at an international Christian elementary school in South Korea. The theory guiding this study was the Social Learning Theory by Albert Bandura as it explains the relationship of children modeling behavior and the importance of administrators along with their staff modeling principles that encourage multicultural understanding and acceptance of others. This study addresses the following questions: 1) What themes emerge in regards to leadership and multicultural leadership characteristics in the case of a school director of a Korean Christian school?; 2) How do specific leadership characteristics facilitate multicultural education in an international elementary school?; and 3) How does utilizing certain teaching curriculums and/or activities help to facilitate multicultural education in a private school in South Korea? Data was collected through the following means; an online demographic questionnaire, assessments, administration of an open-ended questionnaire protocol via in-person interviews, open-ended multicultural questionnaires and artifacts. The findings seem to support the application of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and the principles of Transformational Leadership in that both the students and the teachers take cues from the Director of School Korea. Additionally, several leadership characteristics that the Director possesses or was said to possess are characteristics associated with Transformational Leadership, which has been associated with multicultural environments. Prevalent themes that evolved during the course of this research are: diversity, multicultural issues, leadership, and classroom curriculum. Keywords: Globalization, case study, multicultural education, leadership, Korea. 4 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated in the memory of my late father, Leon R. Simmons, a man I hardly knew. 5 Acknowledgments During the seven years that it took for me to complete this degree (including the dissertation), my life changed drastically. In fact, I am not the same person I once was and sometimes…this saddens me. In pursuit of this degree, I lost a lot. I wish to acknowledge all those who sacrificed to be called “Doctor.” I would like to acknowledge my parents (Constance L. Simmons and Leon R. Simmons) who sacrificed more than I could have ever known, my brother, Justin R. Simmons who was always my best friend while growing up. I’d also like to acknowledge other family members like my uncle and aunt, James F. Adams and Lisa Adams who stood by me and helped me through this process (i.e., letting me stay over so the ten hour drive each way to Liberty would be shortened, who fed me, took me out to distract me from the drudgery of re-writes, etc.). I also take time to acknowledge my Chair, Dr. Paul Tapper and the rest of my committee members, Dr. David Benders and Dr. Anthony Koyzis. Without these men, I would not have been able to complete this written work nor pass the defense. I would be remiss not to thank Dr. James Swezey, my research consultant and previous professor who gave clear direction in regards to how this dissertation should be formatted. In addition, last but not least, I thank Kristin Libka from the Writing Center at Liberty University who, at the last minute, edited this whole dissertation. Thank you! I’d like to give special acknowledgment to the following institutions from where I garnered additional resources, which are listed as follows: John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, McGill University, The New York Public Library, The Queens Public Library, The University of British Columbia, et al. 6 In addition, I thank those doctoral students who were my online quality control. In other words, that helped me to keep a semblance of my sanity while we shared tips on how to conquer this mountain. Moreover, we did it together! Additionally, I acknowledge those who made this journey exceedingly difficult. It is my prayer that God will bless you and change your hearts to Him. It is because of all of you that I was disheartened but it is also because of you that my joy will be greater. In other words, I believe that we will all wind up where we are supposed to be. And unlike every other dissertation acknowledgement that you will ever read from Liberty University, I thank God last instead of first. It took me the last year to realize that it is not the church that I need to attend to hear His voice, and that through it all, He was with me! 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................................3 Dedications ......................................................................................................................4 Acknowledgements .........................................................................................................5 List of Tables .................................................................................................................12 List of Abbreviations .....................................................................................................13 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................14 Overview .........................................................................................................................14 Background .....................................................................................................................15 Situation to Self...............................................................................................................20 Problem Statement ..........................................................................................................21 Purpose Statement ...........................................................................................................22 Significance of the Study ................................................................................................22 Research Questions .........................................................................................................24 Central Research Question ..................................................................................25 Research Plan ..................................................................................................................26 Delimitations and Limitations.........................................................................................28 Definitions.......................................................................................................................29 Summary .........................................................................................................................31 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................33 Overview .........................................................................................................................33 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................................34 Social Learning Theory .......................................................................................34 8 Transformational Leadership ..............................................................................37 Related Literature............................................................................................................42 Globalization and South Korea ...........................................................................44 Globalization and Leadership .............................................................................51 Culture.................................................................................................................53 A Brief History of South Korea ..........................................................................54 Multiculturalism ..................................................................................................62 Education in South Korea: A Brief Overview.....................................................63 Multicultual Education........................................................................................72 Leadership ...........................................................................................................76 Multicultural Leadership Competencies .............................................................80 Summary .........................................................................................................................88