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Social-cognitive factors influencing success on college entrance exams in South Korea

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Abstract

We investigated the influence of social-cognitive factors on students' success on college entrance exams in South Korea. Subjects were 291 college freshmen attending either a prestigious or a less prestigious college. They completed a self-report questionnaire assessing perceived parental control, fear of failure, anxiety, self-efficacy, and time management skills. The results showed that parental psychological control had debilitating effects and self-efficacy had facilitating effects on the performance on the college entrance exam for all students. Fear of failure positively influenced the performance of the students in the less prestigious college but not in the more prestigious college. In addition, comparison of the two colleges revealed that students attending the prestigious college used better time management skills than students attending the less prestigious college. Further, students in the prestigious college tended to be from families with a higher SES level than students attending the less prestigious college. Information is provided to students, parents, and teachers regarding alternative methods for preparing for college entrance exams.

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Wha Kim, C., Dembo, M.H. Social-cognitive factors influencing success on college entrance exams in South Korea. Social Psychology of Education 4, 95–115 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009659529840

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