지위 달성과 선발 시스템의 한일 비교

Comparison of Status Attainment and Educational Selection System between Korea and Japan

Japan can be a good comparison reference in detecting characteristics of Korean society, and vice versa, because they have a lot of subtle differences in their social structures as well as similarities, This paper explores the features of educational selection system and their effects on the chances of educational and status attainment in Korea and Japan by comparing the school system in the secondary education in these societies The author points out that in Korea the rapid expansion of secondary education has accompanied substantial levelling of educational chances, while it has not in Japan, These differences can be explained well by the societal demand for the educational equality between social classes in each country besides the power of the state and the timing of its expansion, In Korea aspirations for educational attainment of students are universally high regardless of the social status of their family, and they would be gradually differentiated in the process of school education, In sum, the educational system in Korea undertakes extremely heavy societal duties of "fair selection" due to the pressure both from the government and from students and their parents, This is the main factor that generates a wide spectrum of serious educational problems in Korea.