Distorted+Education+Fever+in+South+Korea


 * Eunkyoung Kwon**

Before starting with the topic....Let's watch the video first. media type="youtube" key="Z-pcMMKIW2U" width="395" height="278" ▲Did you notice what the contents means? As you might know, in this episode, Homer seems to satirize Korea education--There is too much homework! If Korean people (including me) watch this clip, they wouldn't feel free to laugh or giggle about it. :(

• **The grade level of your students, and their social and economic situation.** The students will be 11-12th grades in high school. About 80% of Korean high school students choose to enter the university. They need to prepare the university entrance exam. (The exam is held on November, once a year. It is similar to the college scholastic aptitute test, the SAT.) My student's future is directly connected to these tests, so, indeed, they will know about stress! They have no power to change the entrance system.

The curriculum focuses on the multiple-choice exams, entering the university.
 * • The "event" itself and why it will matter to your students.**
 * The event:** Korea education push the students to be the best, especially entering the best university.

 media type="youtube" key="OJhzdIBUPs0" width="459" height="323"

So Korean people believe that ‘Education is a key to succeed’. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, conducted every 3 years by OECD, showed the excellent studying performance of Korean students.
 * Why it will matter to students?** : South Korea has experienced lots of turbulent social events. From the Korean War of 1950s to current year 2013, I could say that Korean people have stabilized and developed the country in the shortest time in the world. There are some reasons why Koreans have made such rapid changes so successfully. One of the reasons is “Education”. Korean is a small country, and we rarely have natural resources, such as oil or coal. Only humans are the resources to develop the Korea.

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The countries with the very highest overall reading performance in PISA 2009, were Finland and Korea (OECD, 2010). Korea has been able to raise its already-high reading performance even further, by more than doubling the percentage of students reaching Level 5 or higher since 2000 (OECD, 2010). Also, in Reading, Mathematics and Science tests, Korea and Finland are the highest performing OECD countries, with mean scores of 539 and 536 points, respectively (OECD, 2010).

 media type="youtube" key="HLjDkWukrs8" width="404" height="272" ▲President Obama mentioned several examples of Asian education environments, he seems to be impressed with the South Korean education system. (From 11:10 to 12:20, he mentioned the Educational situations in South Korea.)

But if there is a light, there is also a shadow. The overheating education fever has had serious side-effects.


 * First**, the Korean education curriculum and system are pushing the students to study like, "Just DO study, and if you enter the best university, you will get everything". Lee & Larson (2000) suggested the phenomenon as a ‘Korean Adolescents' "Examination Hell". They said,

//“In Korea, the university entrance examination is administered nationwide at the end of the final year of high school. Graduating from a high ranking university is a means of obtaining a good job, high wages, high social status, and even a good marriage (Bae and Lee, 1988). The average income of college graduates is twice that of high school graduates (Han, 1990). Thus, all students in academic high schools and even some students in vocational high schools prepare strenuously for the examination in hopes of gaining college admission” (p.250).//

//“Korean adolescents report that their parents expect them to gain admission into a university, and believe that, with sufficient effort, they are capable of doing so (Chung et al., 1993, as cited in Lee & Larson, 2000) The climate of Korean schools further encourages competition toward the university entrance examination. Classes are taught at a level geared to the top 20% of the students in a class, i.e., those who have the best chance of passing the examination (Chung et al., 1993, as cited in Lee & Larson). Class contents focuses on memorizing answers to multiple choice questions and practicing solving problems that may appear on the university entrance examination. Asking questions not directly related to the examination is thought to be a waste of time and thus not welcomed by teachers or classmates (Cho, 1993; Chung et al., 1993; Won, 1989, as cited in Lee & Larson). Especially in the 12th grade, Korean high school students are given repeated school examinations, which may include "weekly exams", "monthly exams", "mid-terms", "finals", and "university entrance practice exams". The grades for these exams are usually posted with the students' names in order to motivate them to study more” (Lee and Larson, 2000, p.251).//

Even though this study was conducted in 2000, and some citations in this report are quite old, the situation hasn't changed. Rather, it has gotten worse.


 * Second**, the overheating fever is leading the Korean students to depression, and even making them commit suicide. One in five students in middle and high schools in Korea are considered prone to depression and suicidal tendencies, deepening concerns in the country with one of the highest suicide rates in the world (Shin, 2010). Up to 46.5 percent of some 5,600 students in Incheon, west of Seoul, showed symptoms of depression, while more than 20 percent were in need of medical treatment by a psychiatrist, a state-run psychological health institute said (Shin, 2010). Some 8.7 percent of those surveyed showed suicidal tendencies and 3.9 percent were considered to be in “high danger” of attempting suicide, according to the poll (Shin, 2010). More than 19 percent were grouped as those in danger of either depression or suicide with female students more inclined to both tendencies compared to their male peers (Shin, 2010). In a poll additionally conducted on 810 students grouped as “in danger,” up to 23.5 percent answered they have actually tried to commit suicide more than once (Shin, 2010).

Adding more information about suicide, twenty-six people per 100,000 committed suicide in South Korea in 2008, the most recent year for which data are available (Shin, 2010). This is more than 2.5 times the rate in the United States and also significantly higher than in Japan, where suicide is deeply embedded in the culture (Shin, 2010). Also,the Korea National Statistical Office reported that suicide numbers for ages 10–29 years in South Korea (1,255) comprised 22.2% of the total number of suicides (5,663) for the year 2002, thus representing a higher percentage of total suicide victims, compared with those in other age groups (Kim& Kim, 2008). In addition, suicide was one of the three most prevalent causes of death in teenagers and was the first leading cause of death in 2005 for South Koreans in their twenties (Kim & Kim, 2008). Still every year, Korean adolescent’s suicide rates have been increased rapidly.

An expert, Dr. Cho, who is a doctor of the Gacheon University Gil Hospital, said, “The rampant depression and suicidal tendencies among youngsters are closely related to the growing pressure that has been put upon them to enter prominent colleges" (Shin, 2010, p.1). To conclude, excessive education fever is a social issue in Korea. It also leads other social issue, ‘Teenagers suicide”.

< South Korea's exam suicides > media type="youtube" key="8o0tcZ4mru8" width="468" height="324"

Identities: The Minister of Education in Korea, Korean (middle & high) school teachers, parents, and students.
 * • What "identities" will your students need to assume/take on to participate in this event?**

The students will contemplate their current situation. First, the students will brainstorm about “life of 12th grade in Korea” they will write about it freely. The time will be given about 5 minutes.
 * • Given these identities, how will your students "frame" or understand the activity?**

 media type="custom" key="23103028" ▲This is my thinking about the "life of 12th grade in Korea". Most of them are from my experiences, and you can find many negative words.

After five minutes, they can compare the paper with other students. Then, teacher will show a video clip, and they will watch this:  media type="youtube" key="lGkpd1P3EF8" width="417" height="321"

After watching the video, the teacher will give 7~10 minutes to discuss the video clip contents. The students can write, talk and share the feeling with classmates. (The classmates might be grouped, about 2~4 people.) When sharing their feelings, they can connect them with their experiences. Next, some students will have a brief presentation in front of the classmates. They should share their feelings about their current situation, choose the topic of brainstorming & video clips, or criticize the education system (what is wrong, how can improve, and so on).

After listening, teacher will give the two writing activities: they can choose one of them. (Also it is possible to do it via messenger apps, facebook, etc.)
 * 1) Writing a letter to the Minister of Education in Korea.
 * 2) Writing their troubles/worries on the paper related to the studying and exams, and trying to find a solution with other friends

 media type="custom" key="23102838" ▲ I personally asked my facebook friends, the question was, "How/What do you think about the Korean education system?"

media type="custom" key="23102880" ▲ The answers were various. When the answers are translated to English:

정호규(Hokyu, Jung): "I think the belief, 'The assessments should be objective' causes lots of problems. If the teachers are the experts, how about respect their perspectives? 김현진(HyunJin, Kim): "When I entered my university, I took some lectures with foreign friends. Korean usually think only results are important. I think the process(such as discussion, making something directly, drawing, etc) is also important! So I felt that the Korean education is only one-way, felt like the students are in the 'studying' factory...Those are so problems." Byongseung Myoinbong Cho : Seems too broad to say...how about sort it specifically? 문성현(Sunghun, Moon): "I think the problem is not an educational system, but the peoples' thinking." 이영균(Youngkyun, Lee) said, "I wish the education curriculum focuses on what the students like, want, and what the students are good. I can't understand why the math needs. " 신오수(Ohsoo, Shin) said, "I think the education is competition, not collaboration. So people don't like the other people are great, try to pull them down. Don't you think that the students don't know how to cooperate with others? They just focus on the results, so they think process doesn't be necessary. I wish the competitive education needs to reform.

- The teacher can make groups (about 2~4 students), and share the feelings with others. - Using the technology, the students talk with each other.
 * • How will they relate to and collaborate with others?**

To find an article about Korean education situation (such as "Suicide No. 1 cause of death for younger people" []) or to show the video clips of the Korea education, they can compare with their current situation, and make connections between the video.
 * • What reading will be involved and how will the event involve sythesizing and connecting texts?**

As said earlier, the writing participation will be chosen one of two activities: one is writing a letter to the Minister of Education, the other is writing their troubles/worries on the paper related to the studying and exams. These activities can do not only writing on the paper, but also talking with friends using the technology (such as facebook, Kakao talk which is a message app). By using the technology, they might feel comfortable and convenient than writing it on the paper. But teacher and students need to set the rules when using the technology. (e.g. not talking with off-topics, respect the grammar/syntax (Do not use abbreviations, chatting terms, and obey the ‘netiquette’ each other)
 * • What kinds of writing will students engage in? How might some of that writing be multimodal?**

The students can think about the social things-about Korean education system and testing system. They might search the Korean education history. For example, they can find about when the examination hell started, why the Korean education push the students, and how the foreign countries’ high school students are studying (other countries’ education system). Also, they can think about the solutions, and how to cope with their situations.
 * • How will the event involve critical thinking and social change? (might include addressing historical, institutional, cultural, psychological, economic perspectives)**

Beyond the class, students can find and share articles about education via their blog, facebook, twitter, etc. They can ask the problems in the other article, and share their thinking to other people.
 * • How will students engage in "metacognition"?**

- Students can learn 1. how to persuade other people, 2. how to organize the ideas effectively 3. how to introduce their thinking and feelings. 4. Using the technology, students can learn how to use the tools properly.
 * • What Common Core Standards will be addressed**

 distress, and depression. //Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29//(2), 249-271. Retrieved from [] //Child Psychiatry and Human Development//, 39(3), 221-35. Retrieved from [] Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46619703.pdf Retrieved from http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100505000048
 * Lee, M., & Larson, R**. (2000). The Korean 'examination hell': Long hours of studying,
 * Kim, H. S., & Kim, H. S.** (2008). Risk factors for suicide attempts among Korean adolescents.
 * OECD** (2010), PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary.
 * Shin H.I** (2010, May 10). Students prone to depression, suicide. //The Korea Herald.//