Coaching Based on the Hope Model to Address Student Success in South Korean Educational Institutions

South Korean Commitment To Education

South Korea is consistently ranked as one of the leading educational countries in the world. The Korean devotion to post-secondary education is unparalleled. The country devotes immense financial and human capital resources to higher education. Since 1990 the national South Korean educational budget has risen from $1.4 billion to $29 billion, a six-fold increase in less than thirty years (High Performance, 2015). Teaching in Korea is a highly competitive and respected career choice. Only 20% of Korean students that enter post-secondary teacher preparation programs pass the highly selective teacher examination and go on to become secondary school teachers (High Performance, 2015).

In addition to South Korea’s strong commitment to school funding, students are highly incentivized to obtain a baccalaureate degree because the earning power of a baccalaureate degree holder is up to two and half times that of high school graduates (South Korean Education Reforms, 2016). South Korea’s rapid economic and technological development has students rushing to keep up with the technological and degree-driven demands in the labor market (South Korean Education Reforms, 2016). A 2016 OCED report on education attainment found that South Korea has the largest percentage of college graduates among 25 to 34 year old’s in the world (Population with Tertiary Education, 2016).