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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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 Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:19 pm Post subject: Survey says Korean kids less interested in class |
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http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2890636
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Korean elementary students scored the lowest among four countries in their interest in school classes and respect for others, the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation announced yesterday.
The institute conducted a survey of 2,349 fourth graders at elementary schools in Korea, the United Kingdom, France and Japan.
While 55 percent of French students answered they find their school classes interesting, followed by the U.K. with 48 percent and Japan with 42 percent, only 35.2 percent of Korean students said so.
Eighteen percent of Korean students said they concentrate during class, lower than in the U.K. with 46 percent, France with 46 percent and Japan with 35.7 percent.
�Some students do not listen to what I teach and just study on their own during class,� said a 28-year-old teacher at an elementary school in Seoul, who refused to be named. �I think they lost their interest in class because they have already learned everything at private cram schools.�
Korean students also scored the lowest in respect or tolerance for others. While more than half of students in France and the U.K. said they learn to understand or respect others in the classroom, only 15 percent of Korean students said so.
More than half the students in France and England also answered that they learn and practice social rules and regulations in the classroom, followed by 20 percent of students in Japan and only 18 percent in Korea.
�In England and France, schools pay much attention to students� compliance with rules and tolerance for others,� said Jeon Hyo-seop, a researcher at the institute.
�To discipline students and raise their interest in class, much improvement needs to be made including reducing the number of students per class.� |
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/dat...00806030050.asp
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Korean elementary school students took less interest in school compared to the French, British and Japanese, according to a study released by a state-run research institute.
A survey of 2,349 fourth and fifth graders in the four countries showed that 35.2 percent of the Korean respondents found their classes interesting, compared to 55 percent in France, 48 percent in Britain and 42.6 percent in Japan.
Only about a fifth of the Korean students said they understood their lessons well in school, far less than 41.7 percent in Japan, 34 percent in France and 32.3 percent in Britain.
The research team led by Jeon Hyo-sun of the Korea Institute of Curriculum & Evaluation said this was because Korean students had too much to study and teachers were unable to provide individualized guidance based on each student`s academic level.
"(Korean) students do not get adequate feedback from the teachers due to superficial evaluation and it`s usually the teachers who ask questions, not the students," the KICE research team said.
"This may be one of the reasons why Korean students depend more on private education."
Forty percent of the Korean respondents said their teachers often went around the classroom to check whether the pupils understood the lessons well, compared to 66.9 percent in Britain, 61 percent in France and 41.7 percent in Japan.
Slightly more than a fifth of the Korean and Japanese students said they were happy when studying in class, far less than 53 percent in France and 42.5 percent in Britain.
Only 18.3 percent of the Korean students said they enjoyed studying, compared to 48 percent in Britain, 42 percent in France and 19.1 percent in Japan.
To help intrigue students, Jeon`s team suggested reducing the number of students per teacher, developing diverse study materials, enhancing teachers` expertise and creating a more pleasant and affective classroom environment.
Ironically, however, only Korean students believed in the importance of school lessons to achieve academic excellence. Seventy-two percent of the Koreans said one must pay attention to the lessons in order to do well in school, in contrast to one percent or less in the three other countries.
"This seems to be because other countries offer a variety of field activities and external study programs in addition to the classes," Jeon said.
Korean students were also less inclined to respect their teachers and classmates.
Only about 16 percent of the Korean students said they learn how to understand and respect others in class, far less than 60.6 percent in Britain, 60 percent in France and 28.7 percent in Japan.
"We visited and observed the schools in the four countries and found that Korean elementary school students had less respect for rules, teachers and other people in general," Jeon said.
The survey by KICE was conducted in 73 schools in Korea and three or four each in France, Britain and Japan |
No suprise here. If you have a class of 40+ students, you're bound to have people not paying attention. I've heard lot's of stories about students using class time to studying or napping... while they use hogwon class time for actual learning.
Most interesting to me was this:
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| Forty percent of the Korean respondents said their teachers often went around the classroom to check whether the pupils understood the lessons well, compared to 66.9 percent in Britain, 61 percent in France and 41.7 percent in Japan. |
And it confirms my thinking - people would love to bash the teachers here (foreign or Korean), but with the larger class sizes, it's just impossible to give1:1 instruction. Add to that the public's insistance on "everyone being equal", and you have a 50 student class of learners with a WIDE variety of skill - it'd behell to teach that.
Personally, I think they public system should focus on
1. Decreasing class size.
2. Assigning low, intermediate, and advanced classes based on performance.
3. Avoid teaching "tests" and start teaching skills.
4. Focus on life skills (ie. practical job skills).
5. Avoid the insistence that EVERYONE must study English. |
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Imrahil
Joined: 04 Feb 2008
Location: On the other side of the world.
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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| When you consider all of the studying they do: public school, hogwans and study at home. It is no real surpise, is it? |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject: Re: Survey says Korean kids less interested in class |
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| Quote: |
The survey by KICE was conducted in 73 schools in Korea and three or four each in France, Britain and Japan |
.[/quote]
I think that this says it all. If you pick 73 schools you are going to get a good mix. On the other hand if you only pick 3-4 (and presumably) these are better known schools (since why would someone pick a school way out in Hicksville, where interest in school is also presumably lower) you are going to get more interested and motivated students.
And I wouldn't be suprised if KICE did exactly that in order to push their agenda.
Regardless 3-4 is FAR too small a sample size to draw any meaningful comparisons. Must have been a slow newsday or something...I'm surprised this even got printed.
That said Korea DOES need to focus on revamping its education system. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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The education system doesn't need revamping, its the PARENTS who need revamping.
It doesn't matter how you change the education system. Korean Parents always want their children to be "ahead of the curve".
Also, you can't separate the kids by ability level because the parents would raise hell because their son/daughter isn't in the higher level class. And then the parents with kids in the lower level class would feel "inferior" and lose face.
How do you create a curriculum and education system where the parents take it upon themselves to always educate their children beyond what public education provides? |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
The education system doesn't need revamping, its the PARENTS who need revamping.
It doesn't matter how you change the education system. Korean Parents always want their children to be "ahead of the curve".
Also, you can't separate the kids by ability level because the parents would raise hell because their son/daughter isn't in the higher level class. And then the parents with kids in the lower level class would feel "inferior" and lose face.
How do you create a curriculum and education system where the parents take it upon themselves to always educate their children beyond what public education provides? |
I've had many Korean parents joke with me about "how every Korean child is a genius". I think that goes in line with what you are saying.
The sad thing is, many kids are not. Heck, many kinds need stylized attention - and in the current system, they are not getting it. |
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bovinerebel
Joined: 27 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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These kids are ground to the bone. Instead of having short stimulating class times , they have crazy hours where even the most enthusiastic student eventually would become desensitised and catatonic. It's counter productive in every way , although I don't think the Korean necessarily see a non questioning , broken down , machine like individual as a bad thing.
If my class is a short break from the slave driving they normally encounter, then so be it. This generation who've experience our ways of doing things are going to grow up with different attitudes to the west and learning and it can only be a positive and levelling influence on Korea. |
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Brady
Joined: 25 Jul 2006
Location: Bucheon
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:36 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, that's it. We'll have to give them more homework. |
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jdog2050
Joined: 17 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 7:56 pm Post subject: |
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| pkang0202 wrote: |
The education system doesn't need revamping, its the PARENTS who need revamping.
It doesn't matter how you change the education system. Korean Parents always want their children to be "ahead of the curve".
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THREAD SHOULD HAVE ENDED HERE
I can say that I *did* work at an elementary school where the english section was seperated by levels. Well, I thought that it was about the only thing that this school had going for it honestly (it's considered the best elementary school in korea), but, instead of maintaining that integrity, the new principal decided to fire all the english teachers, replace them with people she basically hand picked, and get rid of the level system, practically because of parents whining that their kids were in C or B level, etc.
I swear...are North and South Korea even really separate countries? SK sure as hell does seem to love communism. |
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ajgeddes
Joined: 28 Apr 2004
Location: Yongsan
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject: Re: Survey says Korean kids less interested in class |
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| Captain Corea wrote: |
Personally, I think they public system should focus on
1. Decreasing class size.
2. Assigning low, intermediate, and advanced classes based on performance.
3. Avoid teaching "tests" and start teaching skills.
4. Focus on life skills (ie. practical job skills).
5. Avoid the insistence that EVERYONE must study English. |
1. That has to happen, however, at my last school, plenty of classes were below 30 students and still the students had no interest in doing anything.
2. I think this is a bad idea at the elementary level. Mostly because you are basically assigning a kid his spot in life at a young age. If they are in lower levels at this age, they will never catch up.
3. Completely agree.
4. Agree.
5. Disagree. All elementary school kids should have to study English. Just like they should have to study every other subject they have in schools. They are kids and should be given a wide variety of subjects to study.
I think both number 2 and 5 would be better applied to middle school or maybe even wait until high school.
I think there needs to be a change in teacher attitude as well. When I started my first elementary school job, I had to teach a teachers class. During the interview (I had to divide them into 2 levels) I asked them, why do you like teaching. From about 23-25 teachers, 2 or 3 said they liked teaching. All the other said they didn't like teaching, but did it because it was a stable job. If this is not a problem, I don't know what is.
And, does anyone else find it funny that Korean students lack in respect and tolerance when they actually take a morals and ethics class??? That's funny to me. |
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jeffkim1972
Joined: 10 Jan 2007
Location: Mokpo
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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1. Decreasing class size.
This won't help because none of the teacher's like to teach. Smaller classes sizes, means more teachers, but more teachers that don't like to teach. Also, all the women teachers who marry and start having kids never go back to teaching. So instead of having X amount of indifferent teachers, now you have 2X.
2. Assigning low, intermediate, and advanced classes based on performance.
[see above]
3. Avoid teaching "tests" and start teaching skills.
[see above]
The teachers don't know any skills either.
4. Focus on life skills (ie. practical job skills).
Well, they have plenty of time to do that once they finish school. As whatever career they start off as, taxi driver, steel worker, minimart clerk, they have the rest of their lives to hone their skills.
5. Avoid the insistence that EVERYONE must study English.
English is the only way for people to escape this horror.
Korea is stuck with this system because.
Money and status are the laws of the land here. This is a fact that won't change at all until Korea is totally obliterated by some asteroid.
Only reason to be a teacher is for status, decent wage and job security. But the job is too secure, so the reason for being a teacher have nothing to do with wanting or enjoying teaching.
Only reason to be a private tutor is for money, but you must earn this money by actually trying to teach. |
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Yu_Bum_suk
Joined: 25 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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| jeffkim1972 wrote: |
1. Decreasing class size.
This won't help because none of the teacher's like to teach. Smaller classes sizes, means more teachers, but more teachers that don't like to teach. Also, all the women teachers who marry and start having kids never go back to teaching. So instead of having X amount of indifferent teachers, now you have 2X.
2. Assigning low, intermediate, and advanced classes based on performance.
[see above]
3. Avoid teaching "tests" and start teaching skills.
[see above]
The teachers don't know any skills either.
4. Focus on life skills (ie. practical job skills).
Well, they have plenty of time to do that once they finish school. As whatever career they start off as, taxi driver, steel worker, minimart clerk, they have the rest of their lives to hone their skills.
5. Avoid the insistence that EVERYONE must study English.
English is the only way for people to escape this horror.
Korea is stuck with this system because.
Money and status are the laws of the land here. This is a fact that won't change at all until Korea is totally obliterated by some asteroid.
Only reason to be a teacher is for status, decent wage and job security. But the job is too secure, so the reason for being a teacher have nothing to do with wanting or enjoying teaching.
Only reason to be a private tutor is for money, but you must earn this money by actually trying to teach. |
Well now isn't that ever encouraging and optimistic (I'm not saying you're completely wrong, btw). |
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PeteJB
Joined: 06 Jul 2007
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:12 pm Post subject: |
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| BS, UK has far worse Education problems than Korea. You only have to spend some time in UK to realize that simple fact. This report is full of horse **** |
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marlow
Joined: 06 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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None of this is surprising. Kids are pushed too much, but they can't not do it, otherwise they will be left behind.
The only escape is students leaving Korea forever.
I think Korea is a good lesson for the rest of the world. An over-crowded country with no resources equals too much competition. |
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Summer Wine
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Location: Next to a River
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| Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 11:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Also, all the women teachers who marry and start having kids never go back to teaching. |
Sorry mate, this is bullshit.
I work with 4 teachers in thier 40's who started work and had kids and went back to teach. One just today said she started at 23 and she has 2 children and is still working. (by the way, she thinks having 18/19 NET here is not intelligent). |
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Temporary
Joined: 13 Jan 2008
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| Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:36 am Post subject: |
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| I think the education here is boring and bad.. All they ever do is arts and crafts, and study about KOREA and More KOREA.. Nothing outside of those things are ever done. Its also very specialy oriented, girls do well but they could do much better. |
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