EAI Early Study Abroad Report: Education and Early Study Abroad Report

Abstract

As Korean society rapidly transitions from an industrial society to a global knowledge-information society, the educational environment, like other sectors, is facing demands for fundamental reform and innovation. The current state of our education system remains accustomed to centralized control and regulation, and rigid, uniform operational methods by educational authorities. Our educational system still maintains outdated operational structures and methods. Furthermore, controls and regulations unsuitable for the current trend of accelerating inter-country mobility of young people still persist.

Consequently, there is widespread dissatisfaction that the diverse educational demands of the public are not being met. Distrust in educational policy and public education, the worsening problem of overheated private education, and the recent spread of learning mobility phenomena are escalating into serious social issues.

In other words, we aim to understand early study abroad not as a pathological social phenomenon confined to a select few, but as a strategic consumption behavior chosen by educational consumers—students and parents—within the global trend of 'borderless learning mobility.' This study was planned to provide persuasive and realistic educational policy alternatives to the government and the public, based on a sober analysis of the causes and background of the current early study abroad craze, and to help adolescents struggling with college entrance competition form their identities and future visions.

This study aims to contribute to urging a paradigm shift in approaching the issue and to foster productive discussions and policy consensus, based on an objective analysis of public perception changes regarding early study abroad and Korean education issues, utilizing public opinion survey data conducted in seven major cities across the country in 2007.

Authors

National Education and Human Resources Panel

Chair Lim Chun-soon (Department of Education, Sejong University)

Member

Seo So-jeong, Department of Child and Family Studies, Kyung Hee University

Lee Nae-young, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Korea University

Lee Byung-min, Department of English Education, Seoul National University

Jeong Il-jun, Department of Sociology, Korea University

Jeong Han-ul, EAI Public Opinion Analysis Center

Ha Yeon-sup, Department of Public Administration, Yonsei University

Support Team

Kwak So-hee, EAI

Song Moon-hee, EAI

Lee Sang-hyeop, EAI

Table of Contents

Introduction: Changes in the Educational Environment and Early Study Abroad _7

Research Methodology _9

Overview of the Survey _9 Survey Design _10

Composition of the Research Team and Panel _11

Review of Previous Research _12

Background of the Early Study Abroad Discussion _12

Current Status and Diagnosis of Problems in Early Study Abroad _14

The Need for a New Approach to Early Study Abroad _20

University Prestige-ism and the Crisis of Public Education as Seen Through Public Opinion _22

Factors Influencing the Evaluation of Public Education _23

Causes of Public Education Failure _30

Changes in Social Perception Due to Public Education Failure _38

Strategic Choices of Education Consumers: Early Study Abroad _43

Current Status of Early Study Abroad _44 Why Choose Early Study Abroad? _49

Summary of Discussion and Recommendations _61

References _64

Introduction: Changes in the Educational Environment and Early Study Abroad

The environment surrounding our education system is rapidly changing. The core of this environmental change is the transition to a knowledge-information age driven by globalization and informatization. The shift to a knowledge-information society signifies that the educational paradigm formed during the industrial age can no longer be effective.

As Korean society rapidly transitions from an industrial society to a global knowledge-information society, the educational environment, like other sectors, is facing demands for fundamental reform and innovation. The current state of our education system remains accustomed to centralized control and regulation, and rigid, uniform operational methods by educational authorities. Our educational system still maintains outdated operational structures and methods. Furthermore, controls and regulations unsuitable for the current trend of accelerating inter-country mobility of young people still persist.

Consequently, there is widespread dissatisfaction that the diverse educational demands of the public are not being met. Distrust in educational policy and public education, the worsening problem of overheated private education, and the recent spread of learning mobility phenomena are escalating into serious social issues (Ihm et al. 2007).

The diverse educational demands in Korean society, varying by social class, age, preference, and ability, have become too complex and differentiated to be resolved by a single principle, rigid operational methods, or administrative system alone. The competition for university admission is also entering an era of rapidly increasing diversified educational demands based on social class, age, preference, and ability. The strong enthusiasm of Korean parents for their children's education, amplified by the recent trend of globalization and internationalization, is manifesting as a craze for overseas study. In particular, the early study abroad craze is another manifestation of the pervasive 'education fever or university prestige-ism' in Korean society. The strong emphasis on academic credentials and university prestige-ism prevalent in our society is powerfully driven by a socio-psychological mechanism where a child's education and social success directly lead to upward social mobility for the family.

The 'educational exodus,' where nearly 30,000 students departed for early study abroad in 2006 alone, and over 100,000 minors are staying abroad long-term when including early language study programs, demonstrates that Korean education is failing to adequately meet educational demands and needs, and remains confined within the rigid framework and system of state control. Regarding the current educational challenges facing our society, the strategies and goals for educational policy must be radically transformed with new perspectives and approaches. Korean education must not only actively respond to the diversification of educational demand but also offer more refined and multi-layered solutions.

For the past five years, the East Asia Institute (EAI) has strived to make substantial policy and academic contributions to Korean society by publishing research reports on governance, including parliamentary reform, political reform, and presidential system reform. We argue for the necessity of approaching the current hot issue of 'early study abroad' from the perspective of educational governance. As a private non-profit research organization, free from any form of political or social pressure, EAI seeks to understand this issue from a new angle through objective and empirical data collection and analysis, moving beyond the existing normative and dogmatic approaches to educational issues, including early study abroad. In other words, we aim to understand early study abroad not as a pathological social phenomenon confined to a select few, but as a strategic consumption behavior chosen by educational consumers—students and parents—within the global trend of 'borderless learning mobility.' This study was planned to provide persuasive and realistic educational policy alternatives to the government and the public, based on a sober analysis of the causes and background of the current early study abroad craze, and to help adolescents struggling with college entrance competition form their identities and future visions.