The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of the private education culture among middle school students. The object of this study was the first grade students of one class in a middle school, and the research data have been collecte...
The purpose of this study is to find out the characteristics of the private education culture among middle school students. The object of this study was the first grade students of one class in a middle school, and the research data have been collected and analyzed based on direct observations, in-depth interviews, and documents according to the qualitative research tradition from March 2008 to February 2009.
Three main characteristics were discovered through the study: 'using regular schooling as leisure time', 'going to 'another school(Hakwon)', and finally 'living adjusted to Hakwon(private educational instituion.' The first characteristic is that students take a break from their daily routines in regular schools. They release their stress, finish their works imposed by Hakwon, and do things they can’t do at their Hakwon. The second characteristic is that students have got used to Hakwon because they go there everyday, do their homework from Hakwon everyday, and their learing is managed by the Hakwon teachers. The last characteristic is to adjust their daily life according to the skedule of their Hakwon. 'Living adjusted to Hakwon' is the phenomenon that students live only for their Hakwon and getting good grades. As a result, they give up other daily activities.
According to the study, the results were as follows:
Firstly, students consider regular schools as a place to do things which they can’t do at their Hakwon. They reduce their stress which they got from their Hakwon by playing with their friends in school. The school is not the place of learning and studying, but the place where students supplement their Hakwon work and do things which they can’t do at their Hakwon. It shows that the real purpose of the school has been distorted.
Secondly, students deem studying they do at their Hakwon more important than at the regular school. They are more enthusiastic about their Hakwon work than their regular school work because they are worried about getting poor marks. It’s a kind of "Hakwon addiction" not to be able to quit going to an Hakwon. Therefore, it is necessary to eradicate the public opinions that consider the relation between public and private education as that of competition in order to improve the public education. It means that we have to try to help individual students grow into well-rounded people.
Thirdly, The result of this study shows that students believe that they are able to raise their grades and solve their educational problems by managing them from their Hakwons. It implies that students and their parents rely on private education more than public education. In conclusion, It suggests that students and parents have to overcome the mistrust of public education to solve the problem of private education.