Week 7 objective - Narration

My persuasive argument thesis is: Every elementary schools should NOT give lessons with ability grouping.

1. What do people already know about my topic?

Everyone knows that Korean students are suffered from academic stress the most. Most people know that even elementary school students are suffered from academic stress, too. And some people may know that most elementary schools in Korea start giving lessons with ability grouping. 

2. What research has already been done about my topic?

http://www.ei-ie.org/en/news/news_details/1142 - explaining about Korean standardized test and examples of punished teachers because of rejection to this test

http://www.nea.org/tools/16899.htm - Good explanation about ability grouping, and there are existing arguments about ability grouping. And there are differences in effect of ability grouping between elementary schools and high schools.

3. What are the implications of my argument (What if I'm right? What if I'm right and people ignore me?)

Korean students still get stressed from studying. Academic stress for students will be increasing, too. Students will get stress from studying more, and at least, our society has duty to protect elementary school students from exceed stress. If people ignore me, elementary school students will get stress from studying, and there will be many tragedies, too. 

My Narration

Korean students have to participate in test at least 5 times a year. Even, Korean high school students have to participate in test at least 8 times a year. This education system makes students feel tired of studying, even makes them depressed. According to the Korea Bang Jeong-hwan Foundation and Social Development Institute at Yonsei University said that Korean students' happiness degree came to 65.98 points in 2011. And it is the lowest among 23 OECD member countries or the third year in a row. Also a researcher of the foundation said that Korean students' happiness is low because they are under great pressure to study. In other words, this result shows that Korean students are suffered from academic stress the most. 

There are many education systems which make students more stressful. There is a standardized exam called 일제고사 in Korean. It is not only standardized test but compulsory test. Here is one example which exposures the compulsion of Korean education. In 20 January 2009, seven elementary and middle school teachers in Seoul have been fired for giving students and parents a choice about whether to take a standardized test - 일제고사. El General Secretary Fred Van Leeuwen said that "Across the OECD countries, teachers are becoming increasingly concerned about the uses and abuses of standardized testing and its vastly increased stress on students and teachers". This kind if standardized testing might raise unnecessary competition among studnts and give children a heavy, stressful burden. We can infer from this example that the South Korean education system is highly competitive, with government policy compelling all elementary and middle school students across the country to sit the standardized tests.