Analysis of Korean Child and Youth Panel Survey by Era
6.4% P Increase in '4-Year University Graduation Hope' from 2006 to 2022
Career Decision Rate Decreases
Over the past decade, the proportion of high school students wishing to enter four-year universities has increased, while the number of students who have decided on their desired occupation has decreased.
On the 14th, the Korea Youth Policy Institute analyzed cohort data by era from the Korea Child and Youth Panel Survey, revealing that the percentage of students hoping to graduate from a four-year university rose from 70.8% in 2006 to 77.2% in 2022. This comparison was based on responses about educational aspirations from 3,121 second-year high school students in 2006 and 2,252 second-year high school students in 2022.
On the 16th, the day of the 2024 College Scholastic Ability Test, a test taker is waiting for the exam to start at Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps
While the number of students aiming to attend four-year universities increased, the proportion of those who responded that they had decided on a specific career path decreased. In 2006, 28.1% of students answered that they had a specific occupation in mind, but this dropped by 10.6 percentage points to 17.5% in 2022. Meanwhile, the response "I have not yet decided on a desired occupation" increased by 9.3 percentage points, from 21.9% in 2006 to 31.2% in 2022.
The prioritized values regarding occupations also showed changes over time. In 2022, high school students selected 'income (wages)', 'aptitude and suitability', and 'pleasant environment' as the most important job values. In contrast, high school students in 2006 prioritized 'working harmoniously with others', 'aptitude and suitability', and 'contribution to the nation and society'. Notably, aspects such as working harmoniously with others and social contribution, which were considered important by past high school students, received lower evaluations from students in 2022.
In the report, the research team analyzed the difference between the desire to enter university and the degree of career decision, suggesting that "recent high school students' educational aspirations may be more of a vague hope influenced by academic credentialism rather than the result of thoughtful consideration about their future career paths." The researchers also noted that "there is a tendency for the intrinsic value of occupations to be evaluated relatively lower over time," and recommended "providing opportunities to consider a balanced perspective on occupational values at both personal and social levels."
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