Curriculum Vitae

* Full CV attached below

Education

Ph.D., Educational Policy and Administration (Concentration in Comparative and International Development Education), University of Minnesota at Twin Cities, Aug. 2007

M.A., Sociology of Education, Korea University, South Korea, Aug. 2003

B.A., Education, Korea University, South Korea, Feb. 2001

Academic Appointments

Professor, Educational Theory and Policy Program, Department of Education Policy Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, Jul. 2022 - Present

Visiting Professor, Department of Education,  Ewha Womans University, Sep. 2022 - Aug. 2024

Associate Professor (with tenure), Educational Theory and Policy Program, Department of Education Policy Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, Jul. 2015 - Jun. 2022

Assistant Professor, Educational Theory and Policy Program, Department of Education Policy Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, Jul. 2012 - Jun. 2015

Research Associate and Assistant Director, Social Dynamics and Special Populations Research Program, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, The Pennsylvania State University, Sept. 2011 - Jun. 2012  

Postdoctoral Scholar, National Research Center on Rural Education Support, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Sep. 2008 - Aug. 2011

Research Associate and Survey / Psychometric Specialist, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement Teacher Education Study in Mathematics (IEA/TEDS-M), International Study Center, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University, Jun. 2007 - Aug. 2008

Research and Teaching Interests

Sociology of Education; Comparative Education; Social Stratification and Inequality; Rural Education; Educational Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation 

Research Grants

External Funding

K-Education Revisited: Achievements and Challenges of Korean Education,  Principal Investigator, The Academy of Korean Studies ($17,000), 08/23-07/24. 

EAGER: SaTC-EDU: A Framework for Developing Attributable Cybersecurity Case Studies, Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation ($300,000), 05/21-04/23. PI: D. Lee. 

Building a Big Data Analytics Workforce in iSchools, Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation ($537,619), 09/15-08/18. PI: J. Ryoo. 

Education and Social Mobility in South Korea, Co-Principal Investigator, Academy of Korean Studies (150,000,000 KRW; approximately $130,000), 12/15-11/18. PI: S. Lee. 

Educational Institutions and Inequality in Math and Science Achievement in Comparative International Perspective, Co-Principal Investigator, National Science Foundation ($130,670), 07/14-06/15. PI: K. Bodovski. 

Training Interdisciplinary Educational Scientists (TIES) Program, Co-Investigator, U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences ($1,099,048), 08/13-07/15. PI: K. Bierman.  

Networks of Teachers Affect Children in Transition, Principal Investigator, William T. Grant Foundation ($220,868; Subcontract to Penn State: $66,182), 08/12-07/15. PI: J. Hamm.

Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Success - Project SEALS, Co-Investigator, U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences ($397,981), 09/11-08/15. PI: T. Farmer.

The Role of Curricular and Extracurricular Experiences in the Educational Attainment of Rural Youth, Co-Principal Investigator, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Small Grant Program (R03) ($74,000), 09/10-08/11. PI: M. Irvin. 

Rural High School Students’ Aspirations, Postdoctoral Fellow, U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences ($3,200,000), 07-11. PI: J. Meece.

Internal Funding

Gender and Racial Disparities in Occupational Privilege: Effects of Occupational Discrimination on Career, Health, and Life Outcomes, Co-Principal Investigator, Penn State Social Science Research Institute ($23,837), 04/21-03/21. PI: H. Park.  

Educational Systems Characteristics and Socio-Economic and Gender Disparities in Math and Science Achievement, Co-Principal Investigator, Penn State College of Education Research Initiation Grant ($26,806), 01/16-12/16. PI: K. Bodovski. 

Educational Systems Characteristics and Socio-Economic and Gender Disparities in Math and Science Achievement, Co-Principal Investigator, Penn State Social Science Research Institute ($20,000), 09/15-08/16. PI: K. Bodovski. 

Literacy Through Photography: Examining a Multimodal Approach to Literacy Enhancement and School Attachment within a Disadvantaged Rural Setting, Co-Principal Investigator, Penn State Social Science Research Institute ($20,000), 09/13-08/14. PI: K. Powell. 

Literacy Through Photography: Examining a Multimodal Approach to Literacy Enhancement and School Attachment within a Disadvantaged Rural Setting, Co-Principal Investigator, Penn State College of Education Research Initiation Grant  ($9,000), 09/13-08/14. PI: K. Powell.

College Success for Rural Youth, Principal Investigator, Penn State Population Research Institute ($6,872), 12/12-06/13. 

Representative Publications

Byun, S., Park, S., Chung, H., Jung, J., Shin, T., & Kim, J. (2025, in press). Does shadow education affect behavioral (dis)engagement? Evidence from South Korean elementary school students. Comparative Education Review. 

Byun, S., Jung, J., & Shin, T. (2023). Does shadow education discourage or encourage creative thinking? Evidence from South Korea. Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 46(4), 774-808. doi:10.1080/02103702.2023.2230042

Byun, S., Chung, H., & Baker, D. (2018). Global patterns of the use of shadow education: Student, family, and national influences. Research in the Sociology of Education, 20, 71-105. doi:10.1108/S1479-353920180000020004.

Byun, S., Meece, J., & Agger, C. (2017). Predictors of college attendance patterns of rural youth. Research in Higher Education, 58(8), 817-842. doi:10.1007/s11162-017-9449-z 

Byun, S., & Park, H. (2017). When different types of education matter: Effectively maintained inequality of educational opportunity in South Korea. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(1), 94-113. doi:10.1177/0002764216682810 

Byun, S., & Pong, S. (2016). Children’s highbrow cultural activities and academic achievement in Hong Kong. Research in the Sociology of Education, 19, 123-148. doi:10.1108/S1479-53920150000019006

Byun, S., Irvin, M. J., & Bell, B. A. (2015). Advanced math course taking: Effects on math achievement and college enrollment. Journal of Experimental Education, 83(4), 439-468. doi:10.1080/00220973.2014.919570 

Byun, S., Henck, A., & Post, D. (2014). Cross-national variations in student employment and academic performance: The roles of national context and international law. Comparative Education Review, 85(4), 621-652. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/677143

Byun, S., Meece, J. L., Irvin, M. J., & Hutchins, B. C. (2012). The role of social capital in educational aspirations of rural youth. Rural Sociology, 77(3), 355-379. doi:10.1111/j.1549-0831.2012.00086.x 

Byun, S., Kim, K., & Park, H. (2012). School choice and educational inequality in South Korea. Journal of School Choice, 6(2), 158-183. doi:10.1080/15582159.2012.673854 

Byun, S., Irvin, M. J., & Meece, J. L. (2012). Predictors of bachelor’s degree completion among rural youth at four-year institutions. Review of Higher Education, 35(3), 463-484. 

Byun, S., Schofer, E., & Kim, K. (2012). Revisiting the role of cultural capital in East Asian educational systems: The case of South Korea. Sociology of Education, 85(3):219-239. doi:10.1177/0038040712447180

Byun, S., & Park, H. (2012). The academic success of East Asian American youth: The role of shadow education. Sociology of Education, 85(1), 40-60. doi:10.1177/0038040711417009 (equal contribution)

Byun, S., Meece, J. L., & Irvin, M. J. (2012). Rural-nonrural disparities in postsecondary educational attainment revisited. American Educational Research Journal, 49(3), 412-437. doi:10.3102/0002831211416344 

Byun, S., Meece, J. L., Irvin, M. J., & Hutchins, B. C. (2012). The role of social capital in educational aspirations of rural youth. Rural Sociology, 77(3), 355-379. doi:10.1111/j.1549-0831.2012.00086.x P

Byun, S., & Kim, K. (2010). Educational inequality in South Korea: The widening socioeconomic gap in student achievement. Research in the Sociology of Education, 17, 155-182. doi:10.1108/S1479-3539(2010)0000017008