As modern industry develops and quality of life improves, interest in beauty is increasing, regardless of age and gender. With the growth and distribution of Korean culture, K-Beauty’s status has increased, which occurred simultaneously alongside the anxiety over COVID-19 health concerns and individual desire for beauty, youth, and health. The beauty industry and its related markets are growing and expanding immensely, creating an extreme situation in terms of needed improvements in the status of beauty education and the educational environment in response to these modern social changes. In particular, with the advent of the 4th revolution, new occupational realms were created, causing the formation of an innovative paradigm to realize the automatization and digitalization of manufacturing processes as well as service-industrialization, which follow the developments in the beauty industry and production processes. This paradigm shift led increased social awareness and recognition of the need for human resource training in specialized fields [1,2].

This change has greatly impacted the career paths, academic decisions, and academic achievements of adolescents who often feel insecure and conflicted with regard to choosing a career. Consequently, it is critical that teachers address this issue for students’ educational satisfaction and career guidance.

Beauty education occurs at private academies such as beauty academies and vocational schools, beauty specialized high schools, community colleges, and tertiary education institutions (four-year institutions). Education at specialized high schools that require systematic learning as part of the secondary education curriculum are an important factor in fostering beauty professionals.

The teaching method adopted by beauty specialized high schools is mainly practical training rather than theoretical education. Moreover, the acquisition of national technical qualifications and employment skills are given priority. Additionally, the majority of students who attend beauty specialized high schools either choose a career path in the field of beauty at an early stage, that is, from elementary school at the earliest, or do not have career clarity; therefore, many of them are unable to maintain consistent learning and thus have difficulty concentrating, which has proven to be challenging for teachers [3].

In beauty education, it is essential for students to maintain a positive learning attitude by consistently studying the knowledge and skills delivered by the instructor. The effect of the class is maintained when the learner is immersed in learning and actively participates in the class, which in turn increases concentration and generates learning motivation. Flow is a psychologically enjoyable state, wherein an individual is interested and deeply absorbed in an action; it is likened to being immersed in an action like flowing water [4]. The state of flow is achieved when an individual devotes all their energy to autotelic activities that are performed voluntarily or continuously, even in the absence of external incentives, because they enjoy the activities, goals, or tasks [5]. In the learning context, flow positively impacts learning behavior, thereby increasing the learner’s academic achievement, and learning satisfaction [6]. In other words, learning flow is an essential condition for effective learning among students [7]. Therefore, the learning attitude of students is crucial in beauty education, which is a convergence education of skills and academics. Assessing the learning flow according to the factors of learning attitude is an essential process to improve the quality of beauty education, increase the learning level of students, and reduce the educational gap in the skills required in beauty industry.

Therefore, this study aims to provide foundational data to improve the quality of beauty education and the learning satisfaction of beauty-specialized high school students. We investigated the learning attitudes, and their effects on learning commitment, of such students in South Jeolla Province.

Theoretical background

Beauty-specialized high school

A beauty-specialized high school is an institution that provides education for students who have individual aptitude and talent in specialized fields related to beauty, or who have decided to pursue related careers by attending a beauty college and seeking beauty-related employment. Since these beauty-specialized high schools are greatly influenced by multidimensional social structural changes and the demands of industrial society, they aim to respond rapidly to changes in related fields and to complete intensive education as preparation for higher schools and specialized industries [8]. In addition, such schools aim to train professionals in the beauty field by providing basic education of beauty; they provide consumer-oriented education to help students understand overall basic beauty knowledge, such as hair, skin, makeup, and nails. By improving their practical skills, students can perform creative tasks as beauty experts [9]. However, as the beauty industry is expected to change due to segmentation, advancement, and globalization, changes in beauty education are inevitable, and psychological burdens on students facing career choices or wanting to find stability in the future job market are increasing. To manage this situation, further research on high school students enrolled in beauty education institutes and specialized high schools is critical.

Learning attitude

Learning attitude is a behavioral pattern in the learning process formed through learning experiences and is defined as a continuous and regular behavioral tendency [10]. It refers to the attitude formed through the thoughts, feelings, motivations, and consciousness generated by the students’ experiences in the teaching-learning process [11]. Furthermore, learning attitude is the tendency of an individual to react to a specific learning situation. It includes beliefs and behaviors that are influenced by the learning environment; portrays positive or negative tendencies of the individual and depicts the state of mental and neurological readiness of the individual that affects their reaction to the learning object or situation [12]. Thus, learning attitude can act as a factor that differentiates academic achievement among students depending on whether the learning experience is positive or negative. In particular, a positive learning attitude toward tasks or tests performed as part of the curriculum increases persistence and enthusiasm among students and is closely related to the learning flow, resulting in a mutual convergence [13]. Therefore, learning attitude is one of the main factors that affects learning at school, as well as the psychological readiness of the student based on their individual experiences and their reaction to the overall situation related thereto.

Learning flow

Flow is a voluntary and subjective psychological state, which is not influenced by others, and it is experienced when optimal interaction between the environment and activities given to an individual is achieved [14]. Flow generally occurs not only in daily activities but also in the learning process. The learners’ experience of the learning flow acts as a factor that enables them to develop interest, participate in learning proactively, and cooperate with teachers in activities [15]. Thus, flow is a psychological mechanism that promotes a high level of concentration and participation, generates learning satisfaction among students through experience, and enhances their intrinsic motivation [16]. Therefore, learning flow is crucial in the education environment, as it enables learners to develop an interest in the learning task itself without any extrinsic motivation or feedback, develop necessary functions and understanding for learning, and progress toward their goals [17]. Learning flow is categorized into two types, namely, cognitive and affective flow. Cognitive flow refers to the process by which learners systematically plan, think about learning and make judgments through reasoning to reach their learning goals. Affective flow refers to developing interest in learning itself without the need for external rewards or feedback in the learning process [18]. While cognitive flow controls behavior for learning achievement, affective flow motivates learning; neither should be overlooked in learning [19]. Moreover, as both motivate learners to continuously do their tasks based on pleasure and interest, educational values can be derived from the two [20].

Subjects

The subjects of this study were students from beauty specialized high schools in South Jeolla Province. A total of 370 questionnaires were distributed to the students, of which 335 questionnaires were used for the final analysis, excluding 35 that lacked sincerity.

Measurement tools

Learning attitude was measured by modifying and supplementing the scale developed by Oh [21]. The questionnaire consisted of a total of 16 questions, including five for the attention factor, five for the learning skills, and five for the self-learning factor. Cronbach’s α was 0.92. The learning flow was measured using the scales by Seok [18] and Kim [22], which consisted of 28 questions distributed into two sections, namely, the cognitive and affective domains. Cronbach’s α was 0.88, and responses to all questions were analyzed based on a five-point Likert scale.

Data analyses

Collected data and statistics were analyzed using IBM SPSS 21.0 software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).

First, frequency analysis was conducted to assess the general characteristics of the subjects.

Second, exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify the validity of the measurement tool, and Cronbach’s α coefficient was calculated to verify the reliability.

Third, descriptive statistical analysis was performed to identify the mean and standard deviation of major variables, and correlation analysis was conducted to examine the correlation between each variable.

Fourth, multiple regression analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of the learning attitude of students on learning flow. p-values of less than 0.05 were considered significant.

General characteristics of the subjects

The results of the frequency analysis, conducted to determine the general characteristics of the subjects, are presented in Table 1. According to the analysis, 118 subjects (35.2%) were first-grade students, 120 (35.8%) were second-grade students, and 97 (29.0%) were third-grade students. Eighty-six subjects (25.7%) belonged to the high academic level group, 189 (56.4%) belonged to the middle academic level group, and 60 (17.9%) belonged to the low academic level group. Motivation for admission to schools was the highest in the following order: interest and aptitude (n=205, 61.2%); recommendation from people (n=42, 12.5%); low grades at middle schools (n=32, 9.6%); and advantage for college admission to a related department (n=20, 6.0%). Satisfaction with their choice to enter beauty specialized schools was satisfactory for 195 subjects (58.2%), neutral for 126 subjects (37.6%), and unsatisfactory for 14 subjects (4.2%).

Table 1 . General characteristics of subjects.

Classification	Frequency (n)	Percent (%)
Grade
1st grader	118	35.2
2nd grader	120	35.8
3rd grader	97	29.0
Academic performance
High	86	25.7
Average	189	56.4
Low	60	17.9
Motivation to enter the beauty high school
Interest and aptitude	205	61.2
Recommendation by other people	42	12.5
Low school grades in middle school	32	9.6
Better for getting a job	36	10.7
Better for entering a related department in college	20	6.0
Satisfaction with the school of their choice
Satisfied	195	58.2
Average	126	37.6
Unsatisfied	14	4.2
Total	335	100.0

Verification of validity and reliability of measurement tools

First, factor analysis was performed, and the items with a high correlation among the construct validity items were grouped into one factor and mutual independence was maintained between the factors to verify the validity of the measurement tool. Furthermore, principal component analysis, a technique commonly used to secure the discriminant validity among construct validity items, was also conducted. Varimax rotation, a method of rotating while maintaining independence of factors, among orthogonal rotation items, was performed to simplify factor loading, and only factors with an eigenvalue of 1 or more were considered. Additionally, the degree of internal correlation between variables was examined by calculating the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) sample fit, which determines fit in factor analysis. Bartlett’s test of sphericity, which determines fit of a factor analysis model based on probability value, was also conducted. Moreover, analysis was performed using Cronbach’s α coefficient through internal consistency to verify the reliability of the measurement tool. The value of Cronbach’s α coefficient refers to the correlation between measurement items within each factor, and has a value between 0 and 1. There is no specific standard value, although in social science research, if the value is 0.60 or more, internal consistency is determined to be high.

Validation and reliability verification of learning attitude

Table 2 shows the results of validity and reliability verification for the learning attitude. According to the results of factor analysis, the KMO value was 0.869, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity showed χ²=2,981.004 (p<0.001), an appropriate value. Three factors were extracted based on eigenvalues, and the overall explanatory power was 68.900%. The three factors were as follows: factor 1 (23.675%) was “self-learning factor,” factor 2 (22.641%) was “attention factor,” and factor 3 (22.585%) was “learning skill factor.” The factor loading values of the three factors were higher than 0.40, verifying the validity, and the reliability was also higher than 0.60, verifying the reliability.

Table 2 . Validity and reliability test regarding learning attitude.

Item	Factor
	Self-directed learning	Attention & concentration	Learning skills
14. I prepare and review for class for myself.	0.871	0.141	0.165
13. I study only when my parents tell me to study (r).	0.803	-0.038	0.191
11. I am good at speaking in class.	0.769	0.076	0.351
12. I find it fun to study by myself.	0.752	0.131	0.353
15. If there’s something I do not know, I refer to books or reference books.	0.732	0.144	0.276
3. I am bored in class and hardly listen to teachers (r).	0.096	0.881	0.031
2. In class, I play or my mind wanders (r).	0.158	0.823	-0.080
4. I can hardly concentrate when I study (r).	0.106	0.798	0.094
5. Once I start studying, I study hard until I’m finished.	0.079	0.781	-0.217
1. I attentively listen to teachers explaining something in class.	-0.056	0.753	0.093
7. When I study for an exam, I study everything I think is important without missing one.	0.256	0.042	0.873
9. When a teacher marks errors on my homework, I don’t look at them again (r).	0.107	-0.177	0.785
8. I understand what I read when reading books.	0.323	-0.046	0.772
6. When I see new words, I search the words on the Internet.	0.324	0.170	0.733
10. When I learn something in my study time, I make sure I know what I’m learning at each time.	0.337	-0.019	0.645
Eigenvalue	3.551	3.396	3.388
Variance explanatory power (%)	23.675	22.641	22.585
Cumulative variance explanatory power (%)	23.675	46.315	68.900
Reliability	0.892	0.872	0.870

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO)=0.869, Bartlett’s test χ²=2,981.004 (df=105, p<0.001)..

Verification of validity and reliability of learning flow

Table 3 presents the results of validity and reliability for the learning flow. According to the results of factor analysis, the KMO value was 0.947, and Bartlett’s test of sphericity showed χ²=7,530.378 (p<0.001), an appropriate value. Two factors were extracted based on eigenvalues, and the overall explanatory power was 60.225%. The two factors were as follows: factor 1 (30.267%) was “cognitive domain,” and factor 2 (29.958%) was “affective domain.” The factor loading values of the two factors were higher than 0.40, verifying the validity, and the reliability was also higher than 0.60, verifying the reliability.

Table 3 . Validity and reliability test regarding learning flow.

Item	Factor
	Cognitive domain	Affective domain
13. When I study, I can see if I am doing right things I have to do.	0.782	0.193
1. Even when a teacher gives me a difficult task, I have enough ability to do it.	0.780	0.209
12. When I study, I can evaluate myself and see whether I am doing things well or not.	0.768	0.209
11. When I study, I can see if I am doing things properly.	0.756	0.147
8. I clearly know what I have to do.	0.751	0.301
3. When given a task, the steps to take to complete the task immediately come to my mind.	0.750	0.183
18. I study on my own before my teachers or parents tell me to study.	0.742	0.258
7. For me, studying is something I should do naturally.	0.738	0.267
9. In class, I clearly know things I have to do at the time and then next.	0.731	0.305
2. When teachers give questions, I can solve them easily.	0.719	0.280
17. I study hard even though nobody tells me to study.	0.710	0.149
10. In class, I can see for myself whether I am doing things well or not.	0.671	0.222
4. When I solve questions, correct answers naturally come to my mind without thinking hard.	0.661	0.307
6. I think that studying is a natural thing to do.	0.639	0.392
5. I don’t find it difficult to study in class.	0.619	0.298
24. When I concentrate while studying, I sometimes do not know the passing of time.	0.159	0.889
26. I enjoy studying.	0.267	0.796
25. When I solve questions, I sometimes do not know how much time has passed.	0.211	0.784
15. In class, I pay attention to teachers when they speak.	0.263	0.767
28. The process of completing a given task is fun in and of itself, and I enjoy it.	0.289	0.758
29. Learning new things in class is fun in and of itself.	0.294	0.739
27. I am happy when I study.	0.280	0.733
22. When I concentrate on studying, I don’t care about what other people think about me.	0.168	0.732
23. When I study subjects I like, I sometimes forget about time.	0.193	0.730
16. I find things I learn in class interesting and concentrate in class.	0.306	0.728
14. I am interested in things I learn in class.	0.331	0.723
21. When I concentrate on learning activities, I completely forget about other things for a moment.	0.255	0.687
20. When I try to solve given questions, I sometimes do not hear the sounds around me.	0.366	0.651
19. When I study, I tend to think about things I learn only.	0.136	0.629
Eigenvalue	8.777	8.688
Variance explanatory power (%)	30.267	29.958
Cumulative variance explanatory power (%)	30.267	60.225
Reliability	0.948	0.951

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO)=0.947, Bartlett’s test χ²=7,530.378 (df=406, p<0.001)..

Descriptive statistics and correlation verification

Table 4 shows the results of the descriptive statistics of major variables and the analysis of the correlation between the variables. As for the learning attitude, the “learning skill factor” had an average of 3.03 points, the “self-learning factor” had an average of 2.97 points, and the “attention factor” had an average of 2.95 points. As for the learning flow, the “cognitive domain” scored an average of 3.06 points, and the “affective domain” scored an average of 3.04 points.

Table 4 . Descriptive statistics and correlation test.

Classification	Mean±SD	Learning attitude				Learning flow
		Attention & concentration	Learning skills	Self-directed learning		Cognitive domain	Affective domain
Attention & concentration	2.95±0.703	1
Learning skills	3.03±0.715	0.006	1
Self-directed learning	2.97±0.827	0.191***	0.605***	1
Cognitive domain	3.06±0.704	0.241***	0.419***	0.487***		1
Affective domain	3.04±0.737	0.174**	0.509***	0.574***		0.613***	1

**p<0.01, ***p<0.001..

According to the analysis of the correlation between variables, attention factor, learning skill factor, and self-learning factor, which were sub-factors of learning attitude, showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the sub-factors of learning flow (p<0.01), namely, the cognitive and affective domains. In other words, learning attitude had a significant effect on learning flow. These results were consistent with the study of Joo et al. [23], who found that the learning flow experience can have a positive effect on learning satisfaction and contribute to increasing the intention to continue learning and maintain learning satisfaction among students. Jung [24] found that learning orientation, goal orientation, and activity orientation affected not only cognitive and affective flow, but also learning achievement, confirming the results of this study. Therefore, the learning attitude of students at beauty specialized high schools, comprising attention factor, learning skill factor, and self-learning factor, affected their learning flow, thereby improving the students’ learning, goal, and activity orientation and indicating a close relationship with learning achievement and satisfaction (Table 5). Furthermore, this study’s results support Jo [25] finding that higher learning commitment improved career self-efficacy, educational satisfaction, and intention to continue learning, while also supporting the significance of the learning pathways, career self-efficacy, educational satisfaction, and intention to continue learning. Byoun [26] claimed that students could show an active learning attitude by selecting a self-control learning strategy and gaining a sense of achievement. The study highlighted the importance of exhibiting a positive attitude within an individual’s inner environment. This is similar to Bae [27] results in which the class commitment of specialized high school students had high correlations with learning efficacy, subject interest, learning motivation, and self-directed learning readiness, and in which this was greatly affected by students’ psychological variables; different teaching styles also partially contributed to class commitment. In other words, to encourage beauty-specialized high school students to pursue active learning requires paying closer attention to the students’ psychological variables, encouraging them to experience a sense of achievement, or causing them to process positive emotions internally, leading to improving self-efficacy, subject interest, and self-directed learning, and ultimately learning immersion.

Table 5 . Effects of learning attitude on learning flow among students at beauty specialized high schools.

Dependent variable	Independent variable	Unstandardized coefficient			Standardized coefficient	t	p	F	R2 (adj.R2)
		B	Standard error		β
Cognitive domain	(Invariable)	1.052	0.197			5.348	0.000	45.541***	0.292 (0.286)
	Attention & concentration	0.179	0.048		0.179	3.766***	0.000
	Learning skills	0.223	0.058		0.227	3.862***	0.000
	Self-directed learning	0.269	0.051		0.316	5.293***	0.000
Affective domain	(Invariable)	0.852	0.193			4.421	0.000	67.455***	0.379 (0.374)
	Attention & concentration	0.102	0.047		0.097	2.188*	0.029
	Learning skills	0.280	0.057		0.271	4.944***	0.000
	Self-directed learning	0.348	0.050		0.391	6.991***	0.000

*p<0.05, ***p<0.001..

This study analyzed the effects of learning attitude on learning flow among students at beauty specialized high school in South Jeolla Province, and the results of the study are as follows.

First, the correlation between learning attitude and learning flow was analyzed. As a result, the sub-factors of learning attitude, namely, attention factor, learning skill factor, and self-learning factor, showed a statistically significant positive correlation with the sub-factors of learning flow, namely, cognitive and affective domains.

Second, the effect of learning attitude on learning flow was examined. When self-learning factor, learning skill factor, and attention factors increased, the learning flow in the cognitive and affective domains increased.

The results of this study confirmed that the learning attitude of students at beauty specialized high schools affected learning flow in the order of self-learning factor, learning skill factor, and attention factor and that cognitive and affective domains were factors that could improve learning motivation and academic achievement. Therefore, a specific educational plan aimed at improving the learning attitude and learning flow of students at beauty specialized high schools, along with promoting the development of practical skills will contribute to the improvement of education quality and the reinforcement of beauty education.

Therefore, based on the study results, we present educational plans to improve learning achievement and satisfaction through the learning flow of students at beauty specialized high schools.

First, it is necessary to establish a learning environment that can improve self-learning factors for positive learning attitudes among students. In other words, when the mutual relationship between the teacher and the student is free and permissive, the student is not afraid and can freely talk about his or her thoughts and feelings. After successfully creating a comfortable learning environment, learning skill and attention factors should be considered.

Second, to improve the practical skills of students, it is necessary to systematically plan the contents of classes so that the learning skill factor, which affects learning, can be enhanced. The learning skill factor is the methodological part of learning and includes understanding of class content, repetitive practice, and whole and part learning methods. Moreover, classes using various educational contents and active feedbacks should be provided so that students can concentrate for learning perseverance.

Third, periodically conducting continuous quality improvement (CQI) is required based on the learning flow of students, which comprises the cognitive and affective flow. Cognitive flow is the process of systematically thinking, reasoning, and judging to perform tasks based on precise goals, feedbacks, balance of challenges and abilities, integration of actions and perceptions, and a sense of control. Affective flow is the perception of satisfaction and enjoyment about learning itself without reward due to self-purposed experience, loss of self-consciousness, concentration on task, and distortion of the sense of time. In other words, if students or teachers regularly participate in CQI to improve the quality of education and improve teaching methods, both students and teachers will effectively participate in and run classes.

Since this study only targeted students at some beauty specialized high schools located in a province in South Korea, study findings are limited and cannot be generalized. Therefore, follow-up studies are needed to expand the range of subjects and identify the multifaceted relationship among variables such as learning motivation, self-efficacy, and self-direction.

The authors have nothing to disclose.