'Korean children unhappiest among OECD countries'

[negacoca]

Here's the deal: Korea doesn't exactly have a lot of natural resources to work with. No child is going to go out to his parent's soy field and discover an oil field or anything. So in order to provide their children with a proper future that doesn't involve driving a soju truck, parents will make their kids into the best scientists and engineers in the world. This way, they'll have a lucrative future. Basically, the US exports grain, Korea exports engineers.

That's all well and good... for children who are well-suited, temperamentally, to be scientists and engineers.

(Well, kind of.  Even for scientific types, there is still this thing called "balance" to worry about.)

[Browncoat Japhy]

I taught in a large city for two years and most of my students (mostly elementary) were miserable with all of the hagwons and pressure and all that, but I just moved out to the sticks and the kids here are exponentially happier which is great! However they are nowhere close to the level of my city students despite having good teachers and great facilities. As much as I hate to admit it the hagwons (and the pressure) are producing real results. So, it is basically up to the parent to let their children have a fun childhood and fall behind, or be stressed to death and hopefully succeed later in life.

[kezzlesnezzle]

Another survey conducted by the OECD regarding unpaid work that was published in March shows that Koreans spend the least time of any of the 22 countries on childcare. I can only imagine that this lack of contact with the family group has a negative effect on kids emotional and social wellbeing.

Here's the full report if anyone wants to have a read. The section I'm referring to is on page 17.
 http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/41/37/47258230.pdf

Hope the link works haven't put a hyperlink in my posts before

[confusedsafferinkorea]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

I'm not sad.
South Korea is at the top of one list that ranks education in various countries, and "happy" Spain hovers around 25th.

Fixed it for you.
Scores in reading and writing are obviously biased towards students whose first language is more simple in terms of phonetics and grammar, such as Korean.  We also have to take into account the "saving face" factor.  I have been told by bosses multiple times to adjust/lie about scores, attendance etc to placate the higher ups/parents.  If I refuse, the scores are just changed by the administration anyway.  That kind of thing is not tolerated so readily in the west.
I guess the 95% of Koreans have met over the past 10 years who have nothing but criticism for the education system here were wrong, which is why Korea has won ALL those Nobel prizes...

Yeah, I think comparing global test scores is a little dicey given that tests are so different in every country, the education systems and how they prepare for tests are so different, AND the ethos behind measuring these kinds of scores also differs, as you point out.    It's a lot harder to measure this kind of thing than like, rates of suicide, which just basically comes down to numbers.

Beyond that, I think it's REALLY important to point out that criticisms of the education system don't just come from disgruntled Waygooks!  I too have heard a lot of Korean teachers (usually the most experienced/traveled/skilled ones) comment negatively on the amount of time students spend on schoolwork and how it prevents them from having a normal childhood and how THAT is bad for their development as people.  A lot of my opinions about the education system here are partly based on what I've been told by other Koreans.

There is a lot more to Education than getting top scores !!!

[mroy_birdcap]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

I'm not sad.
South Korea is at the top of one list that ranks education in various countries, and "happy" Spain hovers around 25th.

Fixed it for you.
Scores in reading and writing are obviously biased towards students whose first language is more simple in terms of phonetics and grammar, such as Korean.  We also have to take into account the "saving face" factor.  I have been told by bosses multiple times to adjust/lie about scores, attendance etc to placate the higher ups/parents.  If I refuse, the scores are just changed by the administration anyway.  That kind of thing is not tolerated so readily in the west.
I guess the 95% of Koreans have met over the past 10 years who have nothing but criticism for the education system here were wrong, which is why Korea has won ALL those Nobel prizes...

Yeah, I think comparing global test scores is a little dicey given that tests are so different in every country, the education systems and how they prepare for tests are so different, AND the ethos behind measuring these kinds of scores also differs, as you point out.    It's a lot harder to measure this kind of thing than like, rates of suicide, which just basically comes down to numbers.

Beyond that, I think it's REALLY important to point out that criticisms of the education system don't just come from disgruntled Waygooks!  I too have heard a lot of Korean teachers (usually the most experienced/traveled/skilled ones) comment negatively on the amount of time students spend on schoolwork and how it prevents them from having a normal childhood and how THAT is bad for their development as people.  A lot of my opinions about the education system here are partly based on what I've been told by other Koreans.

My vocational school students don't even take the national tests.  I believe it is because they are so far below the curve.  Which in my opinion completely changes the results.  Is South Korea really above other countries that test ALL kids whether they are below the curve or not?

[scravens]

Here's the deal: Korea doesn't exactly have a lot of natural resources to work with. No child is going to go out to his parent's soy field and discover an oil field or anything. So in order to provide their children with a proper future that doesn't involve driving a soju truck, parents will make their kids into the best scientists and engineers in the world. This way, they'll have a lucrative future. Basically, the US exports grain, Korea exports engineers.

Usually the best scientists and engineers in the world are rewarded and as far as I can tell the only Nobel Prize Korea has walked away with was the Nobel Peace Prize that was given to President Kim Dae-jung. There have been 813 individuals rewarded and only one South Korean. Now I don't know about you, but that means something to me. Japan has numerous winners and lord knows their society is much different.

[carr0444]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/dec/07/world-education-rankings-maths-science-reading

I'm not sad.
South Korea is at the top of one list that ranks education in various countries, and "happy" Spain hovers around 25th.

Fixed it for you.
Scores in reading and writing are obviously biased towards students whose first language is more simple in terms of phonetics and grammar, such as Korean.  We also have to take into account the "saving face" factor.  I have been told by bosses multiple times to adjust/lie about scores, attendance etc to placate the higher ups/parents.  If I refuse, the scores are just changed by the administration anyway.  That kind of thing is not tolerated so readily in the west.
I guess the 95% of Koreans have met over the past 10 years who have nothing but criticism for the education system here were wrong, which is why Korea has won ALL those Nobel prizes...

Yeah, I think comparing global test scores is a little dicey given that tests are so different in every country, the education systems and how they prepare for tests are so different, AND the ethos behind measuring these kinds of scores also differs, as you point out.    It's a lot harder to measure this kind of thing than like, rates of suicide, which just basically comes down to numbers.

Beyond that, I think it's REALLY important to point out that criticisms of the education system don't just come from disgruntled Waygooks!  I too have heard a lot of Korean teachers (usually the most experienced/traveled/skilled ones) comment negatively on the amount of time students spend on schoolwork and how it prevents them from having a normal childhood and how THAT is bad for their development as people.  A lot of my opinions about the education system here are partly based on what I've been told by other Koreans.

My vocational school students don't even take the national tests.  I believe it is because they are so far below the curve.  Which in my opinion completely changes the results.  Is South Korea really above other countries that test ALL kids whether they are below the curve or not?

I agree completely the data that trickles up from the schools should be taken with a hefty grain of salt.  Aside from any data doctoring that might go on behind the scenes (only witnessed it in regards to student demographic studies), considered the way students here are tested.  For speaking tests, I am forced to give my students the answers before hand.  They simply have to memorize them.  The test questions are also pulled directly from the book..it's pure memorization.  The majority of students are test taking machines that can't apply or independently build upon 90% of what they learn.  Korea tends to build students who are excellent at replicating (really hard not to rant about plagiarism here).  Western school systems tend to build students to be excellent creators.  There is a place for both in the world.  I'm not rich, why buy an Infinite G-37 when I can buy the knock-off, Hyundai Genesis for $6000 less. 

[woman-king]

Here's the deal: Korea doesn't exactly have a lot of natural resources to work with. No child is going to go out to his parent's soy field and discover an oil field or anything. So in order to provide their children with a proper future that doesn't involve driving a soju truck, parents will make their kids into the best scientists and engineers in the world. This way, they'll have a lucrative future. Basically, the US exports grain, Korea exports engineers.

I hear this from Koreans and it doesn't really add up for me.  Kids in the West aren't told that"well, you could find an oil-gusher in the middle of Texas so you might as well get your summers off and play sports after school." 

I think it's more that Korea's history of war and oppression and poverty has made them value wealth and success as THE means to happiness.  In the West, we're fortunate to have been wealthier/developed longer, so we're more aware of the fact that those things don't guarantee happiness, and while we value independence and hard work and "making it on your own" we also culturally seem to recognize the importance of prioritizing things like family time.