Leiden University Student Repository

Richter, Nika (2024)

The Hidden Costs of Academic Pressure in South Korea: A Documentary Analysis of 'Reach for the SKY (공부의 나라)' and Its Insights on South Korea's High-pressure Educational Environment in Light of Mental Health

Bachelor thesis | Koreastudies (BA)

This thesis discusses the effects of private education and the Sunŭng on the mental health of Korean adolescents, within a high-pressure academic environment. Through a deductive narrative analysis based on previous research surrounding this topic, and by making use of Chatman’s narrative theory, this research has studied the effects of academics on mental health within cultural and psychological frameworks. Using the narrative analysis on the documentary ‘Reach for the SKY (공부의 나라)’, this thesis has found multiple factors that are part of the education system and negatively influence mental health, not only in the story, but also in the discourse of the documentary. In conclusion, this thesis argues that the Sunŭng exam and shadow education both significantly contribute to the effects of academic stress on young Koreans and that the Korean educational system is harmful to adolescent mental health.

educational system

mental health

documentary

academic pressure

shadow education

Author

Richter, Nika

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Supervisors

Choi, W.

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en