Influence of Confucian Culture and Parental Satisfaction with Engineering Majors on Academic Performance in Engineering Education

In this paper, we try to examine the role of parents in affecting their children’s sustainable success in engineering education at the university level. Specifically, this study explores the influence of the parent–student satisfactions with students’ engineering majors on students’ academic performance in engineering education. Empirical analysis utilizing university administration data with survey information from the freshmen admitted to the engineering school of one of the major Korean universities demonstrates that the satisfaction discrepancy between parents and their children positively affects the academic performance of engineering students. The paper also discusses how the generation gap in Confucian background and the understanding of technological trends may create a conflict in valuing an engineering education.