The CEID Research Group is delighted to host Professor Soo-yong Byun for the first six months of 2026. Professor Byun is a Professor of Education, Demography, and Asian Studies at Penn State University. His research interests encompass sociology of education, international comparative education, rural education, and educational policy analysis and program evaluation. Professor Byun’s research has made him one of the world’s leading scholars in shadow education, where he often uses national and international datasets to evaluate cross national differences and explore non-academic outcomes. You can find his work on the Global Patterns of the Use of Shadow Education here and his just released examination of the role shadow education plays in behavioral (dis)engagement of South Korean elementary students here. Professor Byun has over 100 publications, including multiple books published in both Korean and English, and is invited to talk on his areas of expertise by universities around the world. To see more about Professor Byun please visit his Google Scholar page and personal website.
To get to know Professor Byun a bit better we recently asked him five questions about his stay at Moray House School of Education and Sport, his research, and his view on important areas of research for the next 10-15 years. During his time with us he has graciously agreed to contribute to our lecture series on comparative analysis, lead a workshop on propensity score matching for the Advanced Quantitative Research in Education hub and host a public lecture on his work in shadow education (details coming soon!). Now onto the questions.
Question 1: What are your primary research areas and why do you think they are important?
My primary research areas are the sociology of education, international comparative education, and educational policy analysis. Guided by an institutional perspective—which emphasizes that patterns of social stratification vary across countries depending on the institutional arrangements of national education systems, cultural norms, and policy environments, I investigate how the mechanisms and processes of stratification differ across national and geographic contexts, using large-scale national and international datasets. In addition, my research places strong emphasis on the rigorous evaluation of educational policies and school-based interventions, particularly as they affect historically underserved populations, including socioeconomically disadvantaged students. I view these two strands of research as deeply interconnected. This is because a clear understanding of the institutional mechanisms that generate and sustain inequality is essential for designing and implementing effective educational policies and programs that are responsive to diverse populations and contexts.
Question 2: What do you hope to work on during your time at the University of Edinburgh?
During my time at the University of Edinburgh, I plan to focus on several research projects.
First, I aim to complete a book manuscript that I have been developing since last year. The book examines elite education pathways in South Korea—from English-language kindergartens to prestigious universities—and how these sequential pathways shape and reproduce educational inequality. It brings together six peer-reviewed journal articles I have previously published and integrates them into a cohesive and accessible volume. Second, I am working on several manuscripts for journal submission and conference presentations. One manuscript investigates how socioeconomic disparities in adolescents’ occupational aspirations have changed over time in the United States and the United Kingdom, using PISA data. A related manuscript extends this analysis to Germany. I will present this work at the Spring Meeting of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Social Stratification and Mobility (RC28), to be held on May 20–22, 2026, in Seville, Spain. Finally, I am developing a manuscript that examines how parents’ own experiences with private supplementary education—commonly known as shadow education—are transmitted to their children, using longitudinal data on elementary school students in South Korea. This project is particularly significant because it is, to my knowledge, the first study to explore the intergenerational transmission of shadow education, conceptualizing it as a form of cultural capital in the Korean context.
Question 3: Why did you choose to spend your sabbatical at the University of Edinburgh?
The University of Edinburgh has an outstanding global reputation in educational research, and I wanted to build networks with world-renowned colleagues both at the University of Edinburgh and across the UK. Fortunately, Dr. William Smith, one of my former graduate students at Penn State, is now based here, and with his generous support, I was able to make this visit possible. In addition to my academic interests, I have a deep appreciation for history. In that sense, Edinburgh was my first choice, as it offers a unique opportunity to pursue rigorous research while also immersing myself in rich historical and cultural experiences beyond academia.
Question 4: What has been your favorite non-academic experience in Scotland or the UK so far?
I love reading books, playing golf, and traveling. However, because of the rainy and windy weather, I haven’t been able to play golf or travel much since arriving in Edinburgh. On the bright side, I’ve discovered many cozy cafés near where I’m staying and throughout the city, and I’ve truly enjoyed spending time there reading.
Question 5: What is an area of research that you think will be really important for comparative education in the next 10-15 years?
I think that shadow education is a particularly important area of inquiry within comparative education. It has expanded rapidly across the globe, and many countries with emerging tutoring markets share common concerns about its potential unintended and adverse consequences. Although scholarly interest in shadow education has grown substantially in recent years, important gaps remain in the availability of high-quality data and rigorous empirical evidence. Consequently, much is still unknown about its broader effects—not only on cognitive outcomes such as academic achievement, but also on non-cognitive outcomes, including creative thinking, mental health, and classroom engagement.
