Is education fever treatable?: Case studies of first-year korean students in an american university

This paper explores how cultural factors are reflected in or influence educa- tional decisions and the academic lives of South Korean secondary school students. This paper also discusses what the government policy related to those educa- tional activities is like and how it is related to culture. Based on interviews with Korean undergraduate students attending a large, well-regarded U.S. state uni- versity, this paper explores their personal stories of activities, interests, values, and feelings during the years leading up to their college choice decision. The findings reveal that "education fever" weighs heavily on their college choice deci- sions and educational behaviors and how culture is embedded in each educa- tional decisions and why culture needs to be considered for policy initiatives to change educational practices. This paper will help to understand why reforms made at the top levels of education organizations often fail to produce changes in educational behavior.