Cultural and Artistic Experiences and Affective Achievements among Korean Adolescents

Objectives This study aims to examine the disparities in cultural and artistic experiences among adolescents ac-cording to gender and family background. It seeks to clarify the longitudinal relationship between cultural and ar-tistic experiences and affective achievements, shedding light on the growing issue of educational inequality in Korean society. Methods Using the Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey 2018 Middle School Panel, structural equation models with fixed effects were applied to examine the longitudinal relationship between adolescent cultural and artistic experiences and affective aspects such as happiness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results Descriptive statistical analysis showed that female students and those with parents of higher educational and income levels had significantly higher levels of cultural and artistic experiences. Meanwhile, the positive rela-tionship between cultural and artistic experiences and affective achievements was more pronounced among male students. Specifically, for male students, the relationships between cultural and artistic experiences during the past year and current life satisfaction, happiness, and self-esteem were statistically significant, and the creativity was positively significant for both male and female students. Conclusions The research findings demonstrate the gap in cultural and artistic experiences among adolescents across social classes, and the longitudinal relationship between the experiences and adolescents' affective development. It supports the need for enhanced accessibility to cultural and art education through public educa-tion systems.