Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles  in English

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 (La educación en la sombra, ¿fomenta o desincentiva el pensamiento creativo? Evidencia de Corea del Sur). Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 46(4), 774-808.

• Best Paper Award 2023 in the thematic area of Applied Educational Research in the Journal for the Study of Education and Development

Jon, J., Kim, H., & Byun, S. (2020). Friends matter: Korean international students’ friendship network and its relationship with study abroad outcomes. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 8(2), 138-155.

Entrich, S. R., & Byun, S. (2020). Supplementary education at college and its consequences for labor market outcomes in the United States. International Journal for Research on Extended Education, 8(2), 116-137. 

Bodovski, K., Munoz, I., Byun, S., & Chykina, V. (2020). The role of education system characteristics in stratification of math and science achievement. International Journal of Sociology of Education, 9(2), 122-153.

Kwon, K., Park, J., & Byun, S. (2020). Gender, nonformal learning, and earnings in South Korea.  Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 50(2), 202-215. doi:10.1080/03057925.2019.1596017  (equal contributions)

Lam, B., Byun, S., & Lee, M. (2019). Understanding educational inequality in Hong Kong from the perspective of secondary school segregation in changing institutional contexts. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 40(8), 1170-1187.  doi:10.1080/01425692.2019.1642736

Kim, H., & Byun, S. (2019). Immigrant integration policy and native adolescents’ attitudes towards ethnic minorities: A comparative study of European countries. Multicultural Education Review, 11(3), 172-188. doi:10.1080/2005615X.2019.1644041

Lee, B., & Byun, S. (2019). Socioeconomic status, vocational aspirations, school tracks, and occupational attainment in South Korea. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(8), 1449-1505. doi:10.1007/s10964-019-01056-5

Han, I., Byun, S., & Shin, W.  (2018). A comparative study of factors associated with technology-enabled learning between the United States and South Korea. Educational Technology Research and Development, 66(5),  1303-1320.  doi:10.1007/s11423-018-9612-z.  (equal contributions)

• 2018 Outstanding Journal Article published in the International Review of Educational Technology Research and Development by the International Division of Association for Educational Communications & Technology. 

• Erratum: p.1312. We indicated that (f) school climate for cooperation were  included in analyses, but mistakenly this variable was not included in analyses. 

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.

Bodovski, K., Byun, S., Chykina, V., & Chung, H. (2017). Searching for the golden model of education: Cross-national analysis of math achievement. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 47(5), 722-741. doi:10.1080/03057925.2016.1274881

Krupar, A., Horvatek, R., & Byun, S. (2017). Does non-formal education matter? Non-formal education, immigration, and skills in Canada. Adult Education Quarterly, 67(3), 186–208. doi:10.1177/0741713617697423

Byun, S., & Park, H. (2017). When everyone goes to college: Effectively maintained inequality of educational opportunity in South Korea. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(1), 94-113. doi:10.1177/0002764216682810 (equal contributions) 

Bodovski, K., Jeon, H., & Byun, S. (2017). Cultural capital and educational outcomes in post-socialist Eastern Europe. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 38(6), 887-907. doi:10.1080/01425692.2016.1202746

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/S1479-353920150000019006

Park, H., & Byun, S. (2015). Why some countries attract high-ability young students to teaching: Cross-national comparisons of students' expectation to become a teacher. Comparative Education Review, 59(3), 523-549. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/681930

Byun, S., & Kim, D. (2014). The roles of social capital and parental financial preparation in college completion in the United States. Korean Journal of Sociology, 48(6), 49-72.

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., 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

• see the interview article at the blog "Pushing the Boundaries." 

• Errata: p.228. In Table 1, M = 0, SD = 1 (but not M = 1, SD =0) for all composite standardized indices (i.e, family SES, children’s embodied cultural capital, and interest in reading); The original N for France should be 4,673, but not 3,926. 747 cases were mistakenly excluded from analyses. 

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 contributions)

• Media coverage: Inside Higher Ed; Korea Daily; Korea Times; The Conversation

Lee, C., Kim, Y., & Byun, S. (2012). The rise of Korean education from the ashes of the Korean War. Prospects, 42(3), 303-318. doi:10.1007/s11125-012-9239-5 

Park, H., Byun, S., & Kim, K. (2011). Parental involvement and students’ cognitive outcomes in Korea: Focusing on private tutoring. Sociology of Education, 84(1), 3-22. doi:10.1177/0038040710392719

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

• Media coverage: Chosun Ilbo; Hankyoreh 21 (in Korean)

Agger, C. A., Meece, J. L., & Byun, S. (2018). The influences of family and place on rural adolescents' educational aspirations and postsecondary enrollment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 47(12), 2554-2568.  doi:10.1007/s10964-018-0893-7

Byun, S., Meece, J. L., & 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

• Media coverage: Penn State News

Irvin, M. J., Byun, S., Smiley, W. S., & Hutchins, B. C. (2017). Relation of opportunity to learn advanced math to the educational attainment of rural youth. American Journal of Education, 123(3), 451-510. doi: 10.1086/691231

Agger, C. A., Byun, S., & Meece, J. L. (2017).  An examination of the expected timing of transitions into adulthood among rural men and women. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 7(1), 51-72. doi:10.5539/jedp.v7n1p52

Irvin, M. J., Byun, S., Meece, J. L., Farmer, T. W., & Reed, K. S. (2016). School characteristics and experiences of youth from minority backgrounds in rural communities: Relation to the educational aspirations.  Peabody Journal of Education, 91(2), 176-202. (invited submission). doi:10.1080/0161956X.2016.1151739

Byun, S., Irvin, M. J., & Meece, J. L. (2015). Rural-nonrural differences in college attendance patterns. Peabody Journal of Education, 90(2), 263-279. (invited submission). doi:10.1080/0161956X.2015.1022384

Meece, J. L., Askew, K. J. S., Agger, C. A., Hutchins, B. C., & Byun, S. (2014). Familial and economic influences on the gendered-related educational and vocational aspirations of rural adolescents. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 4(1), 238-257. doi:10.5539/jedp.v4n1p238

Meece, J. L., Hutchins, B. C., Byun, S., Farmer, T. W., Irvin, M. J., & Weiss, M. (2013). Preparing for adulthood: A recent examination of the alignment of rural youth’s educational and vocational aspirations. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 3(2), 175-192. doi:10.5539/jedp.v3n2p175

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., 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

• Media coverage: Education Week

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. doi:10.1353/rhe.2012.0023

Irvin, M. J., Byun, S., Meece, J. L., Farmer, T. W., & Hutchins, B. C. (2012). Educational barriers of rural youth: Relation of individual and contextual difference variables. Journal of Career Assessment, 20(1), 71-87. doi:10.1177/1069072711420105

Hutchins, B. C., Meece, J. L., Byun, S., & Farmer, T. W. (2012). Planning for the future: An investigation of work-bound rural youth. The Rural Educator, 33(2), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v33i2.414

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the postsecondary educational and occupational expectations of work-bound rural youth. Three groups of work-bound youth were identified (work-bound, work-bound with future educational plans, and work-bound but unsure/undecided about postsecondary education), and each group was compared to college-bound rural youth using results from a recent national investigation of the educational and occupational aspirations of rural youth. Results indicated that the majority of rural youth in this study planned to continue their education after high school (56%), followed by 34% who planned to work and further their education. Results of logistic regression analysis indicated that family characteristics and students’ schooling experiences were the strongest predictors of work-bound status. Work-bound youth were more likely to report greater family economic hardship, lower parental expectations for completing college, and more negative schooling experiences than college-bound rural youth.

Irvin, M. J., Meece, J. L., Byun, S., Farmer, T. W., & Hutchins, B. C. (2011). Relationship of school context to rural youth’s educational achievement and aspirations. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(9), 1225-1242. doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9628-8

Abstract

Though the poverty encountered by many rural youth encompasses numerous developmental challenges and substantially increases the chances for educational problems, the school context is central to promoting and constraining their development. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of school characteristics and schooling experiences to the educational achievement and aspirations of youth from high-poverty rural communities. Differences in the relationship of school characteristics and schooling experiences to the educational outcomes of students from high- versus low-poverty rural communities were also examined. Participants included 6,247 high school students from 43 low-poverty and 21 high-poverty rural communities. Approximately 51.7% of participants were female and the sample was racially/ethnically diverse (66.4% White, 9.2% African American, 8.1% Hispanic/Latino(a), 4.4% Native American, and 11.8% Multiracial). After controlling for student and family background, school characteristics (e.g., lower student–teacher ratio) were predictive of achievement for rural youth from high-poverty communities. Schooling experiences (e.g., positive perceptions of their ability, a sense of school valuing and belonging, and preparation for postsecondary education) were predictive of educational achievement and aspirations for rural youth from high- and low-poverty communities. Overall, the study highlights unique ways schools can positively shape the educational outcomes for rural youth despite community poverty.

Petrin, R. A., Farmer, T. W., Meece, J. L., & Byun, S. (2011). Interpersonal competence configurations, attachment to community, and residential aspirations of rural adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(9), 1091-1105. doi:10.1007/s10964-011-9690-2

Abstract

Adolescents who grow-up in rural areas often experience a tension between their attachment to the rural lifestyle afforded by their home community and a competing desire to gain educational, social, and occupational experiences that are only available in metropolitan areas. While these diverging pressures are well-documented, there is little information about linkages between rural high school students’ views of their communities, their postsecondary aspirations, and their school adjustment. To address this issue, this study examined perceptions of community and residential aspirations in an ethnically diverse sample of 8,754 rural adolescents (51.5% female) in relationship to their competence and risk status in high school. Participants were from 73 rural high schools across 34 states. In addition, ratings on participants’ school adjustment were provided by teachers (n = 667). High competence students (i.e., those in configurations of high positive and low negative teacher-rated characteristics) expressed positive perceptions of their rural lifestyle and many, particularly girls, indicated an interest in staying in or returning to their home community. Low competence youth (i.e., those in configurations of low positive and high negative teacher-rated characteristics) appeared to be less connected to their community and were more likely to express their intent to leave and not return. These results appear to qualify current concerns about “rural brain drain” and also suggest that the lack of attachment to the community may be a compounding risk factor for rural adolescents who have significant school adjustment problems.

Akiba, M., Byun, S., Xiaonan, Kim, K., & Moran, A. (2023). Do teachers feel valued in society? Analyzing occupational value of the teaching profession in OECD countries. AERA Open, 9(1), 1-21.  doi: 10.1177/23328584231179184

• Media coverage: Penn State News, WTFI

Abstract 

Teacher accountability reforms implemented around the globe have heightened a sense that teachers are losing the support of policymakers and the general public. To examine the global pattern in teachers’ perception of occupational value and identify possible outcomes and predictors, we analyzed the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) data. We found an overwhelming majority of teachers feel undervalued in almost all OECD countries. In addition, teachers who feel undervalued reported less collective teacher effort for school improvement and job dissatisfaction consistently in four countries of comparison with different policy contexts—the United States, Australia, Finland, and Korea. However, the relationships between three working conditions impacted by accountability reforms—compensation, classroom autonomy, and involvement in school decision-making—and perceived occupational value varied across these four countries. Specifically, these working conditions seem to matter more in the United States, where the teacher policy context produces greater disparities across schools in teacher qualifications, distribution of qualified teachers, and degree of professional control.

Woo, H., LeTendre, G., Byun, S., & Schussler, D. (2022). Teacher leadership: Collective actions, decision-making and well-being. International Journal of Teacher Leadership,11(1), 29-49. 

Abstract 

The study of educational leadership suffers from a lack of precision in definition of key concepts (Modeste et al., 2020; Wang, 2018).  This is particularly true for teacher leadership (Wenner & Campbell, 2017) where the core leadership practices that teacher leaders engage in are collaborative in nature and take many forms, including mentoring other teachers, coordinating professional development, and leading professional learning communities (Klein, Taylor, et al., 2018; Lai & Cheung 2015; Mujis & Harris 2007; Von Dohlen & Karvonen 2018).  In this paper, we discuss three key constructs of collective action: coordination, cooperation, and collaboration.  We discuss the centrality of these concepts in modeling how teacher leadership is related to decision-making and teacher well-being in schools.  We propose a consistent usage of these terms that will allow wider application when using international data sets to study the effects of teacher leadership. 

Byun, S., Chung, H., & Ahn, J. (2021). Private elementary schooling and achievement gains in South Korea. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 18(2)., 25-43. doi: 10.22804/kjep.2021.18.2.002

Abstract

Using longitudinal data for fifth graders from the Korean Education Longitudinal Study of 2013, we examined sector differences in student background characteristics. We also examined the effect of attending private elementary schools on achievement gains. To estimate the private elementary school effect more rigorously, we used propensity score matching approaches to address selection bias. We found that while private elementary schools largely served students from socioeconomically advantaged families, attending private elementary schools had a positive effect on English and mathematics achievement gains. We discussed implications of these findings for the potential role of private elementary schools in contributing to educational inequality in South Korea.

Park, J., & Byun, S. (2021). Principal support, professional learning community, and group-level teacher expectations. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 32(1), 1-23. doi:10.1080/09243453.2020.1764061

Abstract

Although much literature highlights the importance of teacher expectations for students’ academic success, a very small number of studies used large-scale data to examine school-level factors associated with group-level teacher expectations – defined as expectations that teachers have for many students in their class or school, rather than for a specific student – in the US context. Using contextual data provided by mathematics and science teachers participating in the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, the current study addressed this issue with paying attention to the roles of principal support and professional learning community in group-level teacher expectations. We found that both principal support and professional learning community were positively associated with group-level teacher expectations, even after controlling for other variables. We also found that much of the relationship between principal support and group-level teacher expectations was explained by professional learning community. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Park, H., Byun, S., Shim, J., Han, H., & Paik, Y. (2016). Teachers’ perceptions and practices of STEAM education in South Korea. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology of Education, 12(7), 1739-1759.  doi:10.12973/eurasia.2016.1531a

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ perceptions and practices of science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education in South Korea, drawing on a survey of teachers in STEAM model schools. Results showed that the majority of Korean teachers, especially those experienced teachers and male teachers, had a positive view of a role of STEAM education. At the same time, Korean teachers highlighted various challenges in implementing STEAM education, such as finding time to carry out STEAM lessons, increased workloads, and lack of administrative and financial support. Our findings suggest that sufficient support of the government, the reconstruction of national curriculum, and significant changes in the national assessment system are needed to better promote STEAM education.

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

Abstract

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002–2006, the authors investigated the effects of advanced math course taking on math achievement and college enrollment and how such effects varied by socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. Results from propensity score matching and sensitivity analyses showed that advanced math course taking had positive effects on math achievement and college enrollment. Results also demonstrated that the effect of advanced math course taking on math achievement was greater for low socioeconomic status students than for high socioeconomic status students, but smaller for Black students than for White students. No interaction effects were found for college enrollment. Limitations, policy implications, and future research directions are discussed.

Herbert, J. T., Byun, S., Schultz, J. M., Tamez, M., & Atkinson, H. (2014). Evaluation of a training program to enhance clinical supervision of state vocational rehabilitation supervisors. Journal of Rehabilitation Administration, 38(1), 19-34.

Abstract

Clinical supervision is intended to improve counseling skills and case management decisions made by the rehabilitation counselor that impact the client-counselor relationship and ultimately vocational rehabilitation outcome. We evaluated the effectiveness of a training program for state vocational rehabilitation supervisors to improve their clinical supervision. The training program involved a 3-day on-site foundational training component followed by a six-month, bi-weekly consultation supervision session (approximately 75 minutes each) to further develop clinical supervision competence. A repeated measures design using four outcome measures (clinical supervision knowledge, behavior, self-efficacy, and working alliance) across baseline, initial post-test (6 weeks after the on-site training), and second post-test (6 months after baseline) were used to determine program effectiveness. Parallel measures for each of the four outcome variables were administered on-line to supervisors who completed the initial training as well as counselors who completed outcome measures at baseline (n=21 supervisors; n=73 counselors), post-test 1 (n=17 supervisors; n=37 counselors) and post-test 2 (n=12 supervisors; n=24 counselors) administrations. Results indicated that supervisors reported a continual increase in clinical supervision knowledge across the three observations periods. No changes were found with regard to clinical supervision behavior, self-efficacy and working alliance, however. Further, no statistically significant change occurred in any outcome measure reported by counselors. Results are discussed in terms of the research questions as well as strategies to advance clinical supervision research.

Motoca, L. M., Farmer, T. W., Hamm, J. V., Byun, S., Lee, D., Brooks, D. S., Rucker, N., & Moohr, M. M. (2014). Directed consultation, the SEALS model, and teachers’ classroom management. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 22(2), 119-129. doi:10.1177/1063426614521299

Abstract

Directed consultation is presented as a professional development framework to guide and support teachers in the implementation of evidence-based interventions that involve contextual and process-oriented approaches designed to be incorporated into daily classroom management. This approach consists of four components: pre-intervention observations and interviews with school professionals, professional development workshops, online training modules, and team- and individual-level implementation meetings. In the current study, directed consultation was used to train sixth-grade teachers to use the Supporting Early Adolescent Learning and Social Support (SEALS) program, a multicomponent intervention model, to promote productive and supportive classroom contexts during the transition to middle school. The current report involved classroom observations in 14 schools (7 interventions, 7 controls) as part of a broader cluster-randomized control trial. A total of 144 classrooms were observed in late fall of the sixth grade during ongoing professional development training activities and again in the spring at the completion of the SEALS training. As compared with control classrooms, teachers in intervention classrooms used more positive feedback and less negative feedback and redirection. Furthermore, teachers in intervention classrooms provided more effective use of classroom structure, feedback to students, behavior management, communication with students, groups and social dynamics, and motivation strategies. Results are discussed in terms of implications for professional development activities aimed at enhancing classroom management.

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

Abstract

Using a nationally representative sample of eleventh grade students in South Korea, we investigated how the residentially based school assignment policy called the High School Equalization Policy (HSEP) shaped the separation of low and high socioeconomic status (SES) students between schools. We found that there was a smaller between-school separation in the HSEP regions than in the non-HSEP regions. We also found that student achievement significantly depended on a school's mean SES only in the non-HSEP regions. We discuss the implications of these findings for the potential impact of school choice policies on educational inequality for Korea and beyond.

Byun, S. (2010). Does policy matter in shadow education spending? Revisiting the effects of the High School Equalization Policy in South Korea. Asia Pacific Education Review, 11(1), 83-96. doi:10.1007/s12564-009-9061-9

Abstract

In 1972, the South Korean government proposed the high school equalization policy (HSEP) to eliminate high-stakes exams and introduce random school assignment to high school entrance. This policy was intended to reduce a financial burden imposed on families due to the costs of children’s shadow education. Since its first implementation in major cities in 1974, the HSEP has been increasingly expanded to many regions across South Korea. Yet little known is about whether the HSEP has achieved its policy goal in terms of decreasing the demand for shadow education. Using data from a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of South Korean seventh graders, this study assesses the extent to which the HSEP makes a difference in changes in household expenditures on shadow education during the middle school (grades 7–9). Propensity score matching methods are used to remove selection bias and test the heterogeneity of the effects of the HSEP. Results show small effects for the HSEP in reducing the financial burden of shadow education spending on families, particularly for lower income families. The findings suggest that the government intervention by reducing disparities among schools and competition for entering a particular school makes a difference in shadow education spending.