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This book constitutes a sociological, anthropological, and curricular inquiry into the factors surrounding high academic achievement rates of students in South Korea.
Taking root in similar studies conducted around the exemplary nature of the Finnish education model, it explores the phenomenon of success in South Korea, uniquely connecting it to the scholarship and models for examining the recent shift in attention and popularity of Korean culture. The authors argue that Korean education or "K-edu" can also be studied and understood as a Hallyu and an exemplary form of education. Drawing on longitudinal qualitative studies spanning over 15 years, the authors advance understandings of Korean academic success beyond more generalized understandings of how Asian students learn and towards a holistic explanation for the case of Korea. As such, the book challenges the perception of Korean students as passive learners with a controlled learning culture and instead advocates the ways in which Korean students are leading a changing culture by utilizing all available resources and opportunities in the space of South Korea's evolving ecological system of education. In addition, this book provides one explanation as to how students from East Asian countries achieve such excellent academic performance.
A crucial exploration of the culture and growth of education systems in Asian countries, this book will appeal to scholars and researchers with interests in Korean education and Korean students' academic achievement as an emerging inquiry for both Korean studies and East Asian Cultural Studies. In addition, this book will also be informative for scholars of comparative education, sociology of education, educational policy, and postcolonial educational research in the world.
List of contents
Introduction: K-education as the new Hallyu: Does the ideal model of educational power have to be that of the United States or Finland? 1. The envy of the world: PISA and TIMMS scores of Korean children 2. Beyond Finnish teachers: Korean teachers serving as an international model 3. Learning DNA: Cultural motivation for educational success 4. Before age 7: Early childhood academic training for cultivating habits of mind 5. As many McDonalds: Individualized shadow education programs outside public schooling 6. The nation of Olympiad winners: BTS-style Spartan training programs for gifted students 7. In the age of homo cyborg: Post-human learning culture with cutting-edge technology 8. Korean students' nomadic study techniques: Global teen learners' new cover dance on K-education 9. Beyond tiger parenting: Korean ‘bear’ mom's educational sacrifices for their children’s success Conclusion: Waiting for the new 'Travels on East' on education: as England is best for Soccer and Italy is best for design, South Korea is best for learning
About the author
Young Chun Kim is a professor in the Department of Education at Chinju National University of Education, South Korea.
Jae-seong Jo is an assistant professor in the Department of Education at Gwangju National University of Education, South Korea.
Jung-Hoon Jung is a research professor at the BK21 Education for Social Responsibility Research Program in the Department of Education, Pusan National University, South Korea.
Summary
This book constitutes a sociological, anthropological and curricular inquiry into the factors surrounding high academic achievement rates of students in South Korea.
