Application of Multi-state life table techniques to measuring education level in the case of South Korea

Abstract

This study aimed at measuring the educational attainment for the South Koreans as a whole as of 2010, by applying a multi-state life table technique. The results from application can be evaluated to describe South Koreans’ educational progress and attainment successfully. The lifetime transition probabilities appeared to be almost 100 percent for elementary school and middle school, 70 percent for high school, 6.5 percent for university, and 11.9 percent for master’s course for both sexes. The lifetime graduate probabilities appeared to continuously decrease for both sexes, being higher for females than for males in all levels of education. The lifetime dropout probabilities appeared to increase with level of education for both males and females. For future studies, it is recommended that the application of multi-life table techniques to education be made in time-series and for cross-countries.