It has been found that graduates from domestic gifted schools tend to enroll more in comprehensive universities than in science and technology specialized universities. Additionally, these students show a high dependence on private tutoring after entering high school, and some have confirmed a career shift towards medical school.
At an educational conference held on the 28th at Seoul National University of Education, Mina Lee, the General Manager of the Korean Educational Development Institute (KEDI), and Hee-hyun Lee, the Deputy Minister and Senior Researcher, revealed these details through a presentation titled 'Current Status and Issues of Gifted Education through the Perspective of Graduates from Gifted Schools.'
According to the study, an analysis of 2,091 graduates from eight gifted schools across the country between 2019 and 2022 showed that their average enrollment rate in comprehensive universities was 60.0%, while the enrollment rate in science and technology specialized universities was 40.0%. The science and technology specialized universities include the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH.
In particular, tracking about 800 students who enrolled as first-year students in the gifted school in the 2017 academic year revealed that the most attended university based on the 2022 academic year was Seoul National University (28.1%). Following that were KAIST (20.8%), Yonsei University (11.0%), and Korea University (10.0%). Among science and technology specialized universities, UNIST was 4.3%, while POSTECH was 4.1%.
Furthermore, some students from gifted schools have shifted from science and engineering-centered paths to the medical field. Among the students who enrolled in the 2017 academic year, the percentage who transitioned to the medical field in the 2020 academic year was 6.4%, but this increased to 11.2% in the following year, representing a rise of 4.8 percentage points within a year.
The participation rate in private tutoring has also increased. The percentage of first-year students at gifted schools participating in private tutoring was 73.1% in the 2017 academic year, but it rose to 89.0% in the 2022 academic year. The researchers analyzed that 'it appears the dependence on private tutoring has continued even after enrollment.'
The main purpose of students receiving private tutoring was overwhelmingly for improving school grades (78.9%), while only 3.0% was for exploring areas of interest. However, as the grade level increased, the proportion of private tutoring showed a tendency to decrease somewhat.