Redefining Korean Families and Their Roles in Children’s Academic Success in South Korea

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

significant changes, including but not limited to delay in marriage, the rise of divorce, and an increase of international marriages (Park & Woo, 2020). On the other hand, Korean society has seen a notable shift from strong state control and an egalitarian approach to a more neoliberal, market-oriented approach to education since educational excellence emerged as a key issue in national competitiveness in the global market in the mid-1990s (Byun, Kim, & Park, 2012). Accordingly, the roles of families and parents in promoting their children’s academic success has been changed in response to these educational changes in Korea. In this session, we discuss how recent demographic and educational changes reshape the roles of families and parents in children’s academic success in the Korean context. The audience will learn lessons from Korea with respect to efforts made by Korean families and parents to ensure children’s academic success in a highly competitive educational setting.
Overview. This session features four papers that examine the roles of Korean and multicultural families and parents in children’s academic success in changing demographic and educational context. This session also examines bullying phenomenon in Korea, in comparison with Japan. Specifically, the first paper examines the relationships among parental support, children’s growth mindset, and children’s reading literacy in South Korea, using data from 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This study sheds light on the underlying mechanism linking parental support, growth mindset, and children's reading literacy. The second paper examines how the relationships among family socioeconomic status (SES), parent-child communication, and children’s academic achievement changed over time between 2000 and 2018, using PISA data. This study offers important insights into the role of educational policy changes in shaping the relationships among family SES, parent-child communication, and children’s academic achievement within a country. The third paper examines children from multicultural families, who were either born or brought up in Korea, and their acculturation to Korean society. By studying the effect of parental neglect on multicultural adolescents’ school adjustment, this study offers insights into crafting effective interventions to support multicultural families and adolescents. The final paper examines bullying phenomenon in Korea (known as wang-ta), in comparison with Japan (known as ijime). Through a systematic review of literature, this study discusses the direction of future research and intervention addressing school bullying in Korea and Japan.
Relevance for CIES 2024. The four papers to be presented in the session are not only tightly linked to each other, but also relevant for the theme of the CIES 2024 Annual Meeting (i.e., “The Power of Protest”). In particular, our session is well aligned with the sub-theme I: Histories of Protest, as the four papers collectively address how families and parents promote children’s academic success in changing demographic and educational contexts. Families and parents are important agencies which not only form the politics of education leading to educational changes, but also adopt, react, respond to these educational changes. As described above, Korean society has experienced dramatic demographic and educational changes in recent years. Likewise, many countries around the globe have also similarly experienced demographic and educational changes in recent years. Therefore, studying the Korean case offers insights into the roles of families and parents in children’s academic success in changing demographic and educational contexts.



Structure. Each presentation will take 15 minutes. We will devote 15 minutes to discussion by designated discussants and another 15 minutes to Q & A and discussion by the audience.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Chair

• Soo-yong Byun, Penn State University

Individual Presentations

• Parental Support, Growth Mindset, and Children’s Reading Literacy in South Korea - Seoyoung Lim, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea; Soo-yong Byun, Penn State University

• Changes in the Effect of Parent-Child Communication on Children's Academic Achievement in South Korea: 2000-2018 - Suyoung Park, Pennsylvania State University; Jilli Jung, Pennsylvania State University; Soo-yong Byun, Penn State University

• The Effect of Parental Neglect on Multicultural Adolescents’ School Adjustment: Multiple Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem and Resilience - Jiyoon Ban, Seowon University; IN SOO OH, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea

• An In-Depth Comparative Analysis of Bullying Phenomenon between Korean ‘Wang-Ta’ and the Japanese ‘Ijime.’ - IN SOO OH, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea; Yuichi Toda, Yuichi Toda; Jiyoon Ban, Seowon University

Discussants

• So Rin Kim, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Haram Jeon, Chonnam National University