COVID-19 pandemic and mathematics achievement gap in Korea: the role of private education and parental support

This study aimed to elucidate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on exacerbating the achievement gap between high-achieving and low-achieving students. In addition, it delved into the relationship between the achievement gap and private education, as well as parental educational support. Utilizing the data from the Busan Education Longitudinal Study, this study compared two distinct cohorts: Cohort 1, consisting of students who were in grade 7 (the first grade of Korean middle schools) in 2016, and Cohort 2, consisting of students who were in grade 4 in 2016. While Cohort 1 graduated from middle school before the pandemic, Cohort 2 experienced it during their second year of middle school. To analyze changes in students’ achievements, the study used a longitudinal growth model based on k-mean cluster analysis to identify subgroups with distinct patterns of achievement changes. The study then focused on Cohort 2, scrutinizing the interplay between variations in private education modalities, expenditures, and the spectrum of parental educational support across six delineated growth cluster. The findings indicated an intensification of the achievement gap during the pandemic. However, students’ membership in the growth clusters was not related to parents’ educational support or private education. While changes in private education expenditure appear related to the characteristics of the growth cluster, more detailed data and theoretical discussions are necessary.