Accessing Success: Social Capital and College Admissions in South Korea

• In Event: Asia and Asian American Section Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 4: Asia and Asian America Section Roundtable - Education

Abstract

In South Korea, where gaining admissions to elite universities has become of a long-term family investment, understanding how the use of various forms of social capital affects student access and use of educational resources is of interest. Research on social capital shows that family and school networks shape academic outcomes in meaningful ways, yet the Korean case challenges standard Western models. In this research, we examine how access to diverse educational resources and multiple forms of social capital via their families, shape student experiences with university admissions. Specifically, we examine how differences in access to academic preparation resources influence the highly competitive university admissions process. We consider formal and informal educational resources, the social capital derived from family and school networks, and the effect of family socioeconomic status on this access. Using interviews from 30 university students at two universities in Seoul, South Korea, we find that socioeconomic differences provide some students with better access to tutors, cram schools, or accessing helpful learning material. However, when examining family social capital, we found that as parents assisted in the college entrance exam preparation, students gained access to a variety of resources, from helping students attend study sessions or by making their lives easier to focus on studying. Interestingly, school social capital was more varied and not as beneficial to Korean students compared to what we would expect from research examining school social capital in western contexts. Student interviews suggest that because Korean teachers mainly focused on the top performers, other students do not benefit from the teacher-student relationship, limiting the impact of school social capital. Korean students would benefit from school environments where teachers do not limit their investment in students based on academic performance or potential and foster investment, trust and connections even with lower performing students.

Authors

• Scott Sais, Brigham Young University-Provo

• Elizabeth Long-Meek, Brigham Young University

• Jonathan A. Jarvis, Brigham Young University-Provo