Colloquium in May 2025
Soo-yong Byun (The Pennsylvania State University, Professor of Education, Demography, and Asian Studies)
Changing schools is a common experience for American students, but it often has negative consequences for academic performance. However, relatively little is known about school mobility and its effects in non-Western contexts.
In this study, I aim to extend the literature by examining the determinants and consequences of school mobility in South Korea, using data from a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of fifth-grade students.
The results show that approximately 3% of students changed schools between Grades 5 and 6. Students from high socioeconomic status families were more likely to switch schools in pursuit of better educational opportunities. In contrast, students who experienced family disruptions, such as parental divorce or separation, those with a history of previous school changes, and those with lower academic performance were more likely to move schools for non-strategic reasons.
Regarding the academic impact of school mobility, I found no significant effect on changes in mathematics achievement between Grades 5 and 6 after controlling for prior achievement and other background characteristics.
I highlight several institutional features of Korean education—particularly the high degree of standardization and uniformity across the mainstream school system, along with the widespread availability of private tutoring—that may help mitigate the negative effects of school mobility on academic performance.
