Are the Effects of the Test-Free Semester Sustainable? Longitudinal Evidence on Student Well-Being and Career Maturity in South Korea

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 17
  In Roundtable Session: Understanding the Effects of High School Programs and Policies on Student Academic and Socio-Emotional Outcomes

Abstract

Since 2016, Korean students have been experiencing a special semester in their first middle school year, so called test-free semester, in which schools are prohibited from producing any test score but encouraged to extend students’ learning activities inside and outside of schools. This study aims to investigate (1) how students’ well-being and career maturity change over years after the end of the test-free semester, and (2) whether students’ follow-up classroom experience can help them sustainable for the three consecutive years. Our preliminary findings showed while students’ well-being tends to be retained or increase one year after the test-free semester, career maturity decreased. Also, students’ follow-up classroom experience consistently had a positive effect on career maturity as well as well-being.

Authors

• Won Seok Choi, Korean Educational Development Institute

• Eun Hye Ham, Kongju National University