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New article analysing the socioeconomic gap in occupational aspirations in South Korea
Co-authored by IER鈥檚 , the longitudinally investigates the socioeconomic differentials in South Korean adolescents鈥� occupational aspiration development while they approach the post-secondary transition. The paper takes into account the two-fold relation between socioeconomic status and academic performance in shaping occupational aspirations: mediation and interaction.
Using the Korean Education and Employment Panel (KEEP), the study documents two main results. First, there exists a significant socioeconomic gap in Korean adolescents鈥� occupational aspirations which is neither widened nor narrowed over the transition period. Second, the relationship between socioeconomic status and academic performance is not limited to mediation but demonstrates a significant interaction in developing occupational aspirations.