IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v13y2021i13p7347-d586015.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A News Big Data Analysis of Issues in Higher Education in Korea amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Jangwan Ko

    (College of Education, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 04063, Korea)

  • Seungsu Paek

    (Graduate School of Education, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea)

  • Seoyoon Park

    (College of Education, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 04063, Korea)

  • Jiwoo Park

    (College of Education, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 04063, Korea)

Abstract

This paper examines the main issues regarding higher education in Korea—where college education experienced minimal interruptions—during the COVID-19 pandemic through a big data analysis of news articles. By analyzing policy responses from the government and colleges and examining prominent discourses on higher education, it provides a context for discussing the implications of COVID-19 on education policy and what the post-pandemic era would bring. To this end, we utilized BIgKinds, a big data research solution for news articles offered by the Korea Press Foundation, to select a total of 2636 media reports and conducted Topic Modelling based on LDA algorithms using NetMiner. The analyses are split into three distinct periods of COVID-19 spread in the country. Some notable topics from the first phase are remote class, tuition refund, returning Chinese international students, and normalization of college education. Preparations for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), contact and contactless classes, preparations for early admissions, and supporting job market candidates are extracted for the second phase. For the third phase, the extracted topics include CSAT and college-specific exams, quarantine on campus, social relations on campus, and support for job market candidates. The results confirmed widespread public attention to the relevant issues but also showed empirically that the measures taken by the government and college administrations to combat COVID-19 had limited visibility among media reports. It is important to note that timely and appropriate responses from the government and colleges have enabled continuation of higher education in some capacity during the pandemic. In addition to the media’s role in reporting issues of public interest, there is also a need for continued research and discussion on higher education amid COVID-19 to help effect actual results from various policy efforts.

Suggested Citation

  • Jangwan Ko & Seungsu Paek & Seoyoon Park & Jiwoo Park, 2021. "A News Big Data Analysis of Issues in Higher Education in Korea amid the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7347-:d:586015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7347/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/13/7347/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jana Vojteková & Anna Tirpáková & Dalibor Gonda & Michaela Žoncová & Matej Vojtek, 2021. "GIS Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Students’ Perception)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, April.
    2. Chuan-Yu Mo & Te-Hsin Hsieh & Chien-Liang Lin & Yuan Qin Jin & Yu-Sheng Su, 2021. "Exploring the Critical Factors, the Online Learning Continuance Usage during COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Amanda M. Y. Chu & Connie K. W. Liu & Mike K. P. So & Benson S. Y. Lam, 2021. "Factors for Sustainable Online Learning in Higher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-16, April.
    4. Johanna Andrea Navarro-Espinosa & Manuel Vaquero-Abellán & Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno & Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez & Pilar Aparicio-Martínez & Mª Pilar Martínez-Jiménez, 2021. "The Higher Education Sustainability before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spanish and Ecuadorian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, June.
    5. Aleksander Aristovnik & Damijana Keržič & Dejan Ravšelj & Nina Tomaževič & Lan Umek, 2020. "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-34, October.
    6. Wahab Ali, 2020. "Online and Remote Learning in Higher Education Institutes: A Necessity in light of COVID-19 Pandemic," Higher Education Studies, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, September.
    7. -, 2020. "Education in the time of COVID-19," Coediciones, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 45905 edited by Eclac.
    8. repec:ecr:col016:45905 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hyunyoung Choi & Soh-Young Chung & Jangwan Ko, 2021. "Rethinking Teacher Education Policy in ICT: Lessons from Emergency Remote Teaching (ERT) during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, May.
    10. Oleg V. Pavlov & Evangelos Katsamakas, 2021. "COVID-19 and Financial Sustainability of Academic Institutions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-24, April.
    11. Marco Antonio Zamora-Antuñano & Juvenal Rodríguez-Reséndiz & Leticia Rodriguez Segura & Miguel Ángel Cruz Pérez & José Antonio Altamirano Corro & Wilfrido J. Paredes-Garcia & Hugo Rodríguez-Reséndiz, 2021. "Analysis of Emergency Remote Education in COVID-19 Crisis Focused on the Perception of the Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-19, March.
    12. Yang Liu & Yu Zhang & Weifeng Qiao & Lu Zhou & Hamish Coates, 2020. "Ensuring the Sustainability of University Learning: Case Study of a Leading Chinese University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Tudorel Toader & Marieta Safta & Cristina Titirișcă & Bogdan Firtescu, 2021. "Effects of Digitalisation on Higher Education in a Sustainable Development Framework—Online Learning Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-25, June.
    14. Aldo Alvarez-Risco & Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales & Marc A. Rosen & Verónica García-Ibarra & Sandra Maycotte-Felkel & Gabriel Mauricio Martínez-Toro, 2021. "Expectations and Interests of University Students in COVID-19 Times about Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jung-Kyu Jung & Jae Young Choi, 2022. "Choice and allocation characteristics of faculty time in Korea: effects of tenure, research performance, and external shock," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(5), pages 2847-2869, May.
    2. Hae Ran Kim & Eun Jung Kim, 2021. "Factors Associated with Mental Health among International Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-13, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tabea Bork-Hüffer & Vanessa Kulcar & Ferdinand Brielmair & Andrea Markl & Daniel Marian Immer & Barbara Juen & Maria Hildegard Walter & Katja Kaufmann, 2021. "University Students’ Perception, Evaluation, and Spaces of Distance Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Austria: What Can We Learn for Post-Pandemic Educational Futures?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-25, July.
    2. Maqableh, Mahmoud & Alia, Mohammad, 2021. "Evaluation online learning of undergraduate students under lockdown amidst COVID-19 Pandemic: The online learning experience and students’ satisfaction," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    3. Rozina Afroz & Nurul Islam & Sajedur Rahman & Nusrat Zerin Anny, 2021. "Students’ and teachers’ attitude towards online classes during Covid-19 pandemic: A study on three Bangladeshi government colleges," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 10(3), pages 462-476, April.
    4. Valentin Kuleto & Milena P. Ilić & Nevenka Popović Šević & Marko Ranković & Dušan Stojaković & Milutin Dobrilović, 2021. "Factors Affecting the Efficiency of Teaching Process in Higher Education in the Republic of Serbia during COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-20, November.
    5. Hyeon Jo, 2024. "From Classroom to Screen: Analyzing the Mechanisms Shaping E-Learning Benefits Amidst COVID-19," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 12979-13000, September.
    6. Hussein, Elham & Daoud, Sumaya & Alrabaiah, Hussam & Badawi, Rawand, 2020. "Exploring undergraduate students’ attitudes towards emergency online learning during COVID-19: A case from the UAE," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    7. Rubia Cobo-Rendon & Karla Lobos Peña & Javier Mella-Norambuena & Nataly Cisternas San Martin & Fernando Peña, 2021. "Longitudinal Analysis of Teacher Technology Acceptance and Its Relationship to Resource Viewing and Academic Performance of College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, November.
    8. Lu Yu & Meng Du & Xiaohua Zhou, 2023. "E-Service-Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Mainland Chinese Students Enrolled at a University in Hong Kong," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-19, June.
    9. María Alonso-García & Tamara María Garrido-Letrán & Alberto Sánchez-Alzola, 2021. "Impact of COVID-19 on Educational Sustainability. Initial Perceptions of the University Community of the University of Cádiz," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-20, May.
    10. Jia Zhu & Hang Yuan & Quan Zhang & Po-Hsun Huang & Yongjie Wang & Sixuan Duan & Ming Lei & Eng Gee Lim & Pengfei Song, 2022. "The impact of short videos on student performance in an online-flipped college engineering course," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-10, December.
    11. Fahmida Liza Piya & Sumaiya Amin & Anik Das & Muhammad Ashad Kabir, 2022. "Impacts of COVID-19 on the Education, Life and Mental Health of Students in Bangladesh," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-17, January.
    12. Johanna Andrea Navarro-Espinosa & Manuel Vaquero-Abellán & Alberto-Jesús Perea-Moreno & Gerardo Pedrós-Pérez & Pilar Aparicio-Martínez & Mª Pilar Martínez-Jiménez, 2021. "The Higher Education Sustainability before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Spanish and Ecuadorian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-22, June.
    13. Nor Aishah Abdullah & Nurulaini Abu Shamsi & Hashem Salarzadeh Jenatabadi & Boon-Kwee Ng & Khairul Anam Che Mentri, 2022. "Factors Affecting Undergraduates’ Academic Performance during COVID-19: Fear, Stress and Teacher-Parents’ Support," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-12, June.
    14. Jiajia Li & Shiyu Yang & Changju Chen & Houjian Li, 2022. "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Distance Education with the Application of Traditional and Digital Appliances: Evidence from 60 Developing Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-19, May.
    15. Aleksandra Fedajev & Dejan Jovanović & Marina Janković-Perić & Magdalena Radulescu, 2025. "Exploring the Nexus of Distance Learning Satisfaction: Perspectives from Accounting Students in Serbian Public Universities During the Pandemic," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(1), pages 4465-4495, March.
    16. Jian Yang & Ling Xiang & Shaobang Zheng & Huijing Liang, 2022. "Learning Stress, Involvement, Academic Concerns, and Mental Health among University Students during a Pandemic: Influence of Fear and Moderation of Self-Efficacy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(16), pages 1-16, August.
    17. John Elvis Hagan & Frank Quansah & Francis Ankomah & Edmond Kwesi Agormedah & Medina Srem-Sai & James Boadu Frimpong & Thomas Schack, 2022. "Linking COVID-19-Related Awareness and Anxiety as Determinants of Coping Strategies’ Utilization among Senior High School Teachers in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-15, March.
    18. Aleksander Aristovnik & Damijana Keržič & Dejan Ravšelj & Nina Tomaževič & Lan Umek, 2020. "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students: A Global Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-34, October.
    19. Liesbet Saenen & Katrien Hermans & Maristela Nascimento Rocha & Katrien Struyven & Elke Emmers, 2024. "Co-designing inclusive excellence in higher education: Students’ and teachers’ perspectives on the ideal online learning environment using the I-TPACK model," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.
    20. Catherine Tobin & Georgia Mavrommati & Juanita Urban-Rich, 2020. "Responding to Social Distancing in Conducting Stakeholder Workshops in COVID-19 Era," Societies, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:13:p:7347-:d:586015. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.