| Summary: | <p>Why does Korea have the least educational inequality in terms of academic attainment as compared to Sweden and Norway? Is this the case with other educational outcomes, namely students’ satisfaction?</p>
<p>A UNICEF report (2002) A League Table of Educational Disadvantage in Rich Nations: Innocenti Report Card has shown that Korea ranked first on the league table with the least educational disadvantage, Sweden ranked ninth and Norway ranked seventeenth amongst the 24 nations which were being studied (see Appendix 1). Educational disadvantage was defined as inequality of educational outcomes in terms of academic achievement in the report. The Innocenti Report Card suggests that children in Korea have a higher chance of being educated to a reasonable standard, and a lower chance of falling a long way behind the average, than a child born in Denmark or Norway. It was also found that the percentage of 15 year-olds judged “unable to solve basic reading tasks” varies from under 7 per cent in Korea to more than 20 per cent in Denmark and Norway. The percentage considered “unable to apply basic mathematical knowledge” varies from 10 per cent in Korea to 45 per cent or more in Denmark and Norway. Reading for change (OECD, 2002) has also shown similar results: in Korea, the range of scores from the 90" to the 10" percentile on the combined reading scale is around 175 points, just under two and a half proficiency levels; in Sweden the range of scores is around 240 points; in Norway the range of scores is around 270 points.</p>
<p>Continued in thesis ...</p>
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