중학생들의 과시소비 및 자원절약행동에 관한 연구

Abstract

Modern consumers are showing a different lifestyle from the past. Irrational consumer trends such as conspicuous consumption are emerging. While this tendency is expanding not only to adults but also to adolescents, its intensity is increasingly stronger, which can establish it as one of the social problems Among them, adolescents of today can now enjoy more abundant consumer life such as abundant services as well as materials due to the increased amount of their discretionary consumption than the past and are very active and substantial consumers. In other words, adolescent consumers are becoming increasingly important. While adolescents came to play the role of consumers with social influence, they have not had proper learning regarding this at home or school. Wrongful consumption behaviors formed between peers with no accurate knowledge of or standard for consumption are emerging as a social problem. Among them, the biggest problem is adolescent consumers' conspicuous consumption behaviors. In this regard, this study aims to investigate what are the effects on middle school students' conspicuous consumption and their resources-saving behaviors. The specific research questions established to achieve this research objective are as follows.

Study Issue #1: What is the general trend of conspicuous consumption and resource saving behaviors of the subjects of the study?

Study Issue #2: What is the tendency of conspicuous consumption of the subjects of the study influenced by?

Study Issue #3: What are the resource saving behaviors of the subjects of the study influenced by?

To solve these research questions, the study randomly sampled 270 students in the second grade from 3 schools in the Gwangju area and conducted a questionnaire survey with them. This study selected the variables related to middle schoolers' conspicuous consumption and resources-saving behaviors based on previous studies, and the research tool was constructed by the author of this study after modifying and complementing those of previous studies to match with the purpose and the research questions of this study. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS 21.0 and specific methods are as follows. 1) The frequency and percentage of the variables related to the study subjects' socio-demographic characteristics were calculated

2) The frequency and percentage of the variables related to the characteristics of their consumer life education were calculated.

3) A descriptive analysis was performed to examine the characteristic variables related to their conspicuous consumption and resources-saving behaviors. 4) To examine the difference in their conspicuous consumption and resources- saving behaviors according to their general characteristics, independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted, and Duncan's test was used for post-test to examine the difference between the groups.

5) To examine the difference in their conspicuous consumption and resources-saving behaviors according to their consumer life education, independent sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted, and Duncan's test was used for post-test to examine the difference between the groups.

6) To examine the difference in their resources-saving behaviors according to their conspicuous consumption, one-way ANOVA was conducted, and Duncan's test was used for post-test to examine the difference between the groups.

The findings of this study are as follows. First, there was a statistically significant difference in the study subjects' conspicuous consumption according to their genders and allowances. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in their resources-saving behaviors according to their genders, while there was none in their allowances. Second, there was a statistically significant difference in their conspicuous consumption according to their fathers' and mothers' levels of education, the status of their parents' dual incomes, and their families' cohesion, while there was none in their fathers' and mothers' jobs, their household incomes, and their living standards. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in their resources-saving behaviors according to their fathers' levels of education, their household incomes, their living standards, and their families' cohesion, while there was none in their mothers' levels of education, their fathers' and mothers' jobs, and the status of their parents' dual incomes,

Third, there was no statistically significant difference in their conspicuous consumption according to their and their parents' consumer life education, the places of the consumer life education, the effective teaching methods for the consumer life education, and consumers' socialization. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference in their resources-saving behaviors according to their parents' consumer life education and consumers' socialization, while there was none according to their parents' consumer life education, the places of the consumer life education, and the effective teaching methods for the consumer life education. Fourth, there was a statistically significant difference in their resources-saving behaviors according to their conspicuous consumption.

To sum up, the advanced research results of adolescents' consumption trends could be obtained through researching middle schoolers' conspicuous consumption lives and their resources-saving behaviors, and it is judged that these results will be utilized as academic base for educational data for the inculcation of the awareness for right consumer life and resources-saving into the minds of middle schoolers who have come to play the role of consumers.