"Sent to English Kindergarten with Difficulty, but No Effect?"... Shocking Research Results

Research on Private Education for Infants and Toddlers
No Impact on Language Ability or Vocabulary
Little Effect on Academic Performance
Negative Impact on Self-Esteem

As private education for infants and toddlers has become overheated to the extent that the so-called '4-year-old exam' for admission to prestigious English kindergartens is widespread, a study has found that early childhood private education experience does not have a positive impact on children's language and problem-solving skills, nor on their future academic performance.

On the 15th, Eunyoung Kim, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, revealed the results of this empirical study during an 'Education to Improve Awareness of Private Education for Infants and Toddlers' for Ministry of Education staff. According to the study on 'Private Education Experience and Development in Early Childhood,' for which Kim was the principal investigator, private education experience showed no correlation or effect on language ability or vocabulary in the short term.

There was also no significant correlation with problem-solving skills. However, children who participated in arts-related private education were analyzed to have higher preventive abilities. Additionally, private education experience was found to have no correlation with emotional and behavioral traits such as conscientiousness, self-esteem, openness, and understanding of others. On the contrary, the more experience children had in academic private education, the more it negatively affected their self-esteem. Early childhood private education also showed little effect on academic performance upon entering elementary school. There was no significant impact related to self-esteem or life satisfaction, and some negative effects were even observed.

The research team stated, "Even after controlling for various variables such as children's IQ, household income, and parental education level, the independent effect of private education was minimal," adding, "This suggests the possibility that the effects of private education have been overestimated and that factors other than private education may play an important role in child development." Senior Research Fellow Kim said, "Although the participation rate in private education during early childhood is increasing, participation in private education during this period showed no substantial short-term or mid-to-long-term effects," and warned, "Excessive private education can reduce play and rest time, which may negatively affect the holistic growth of children."