PISA: Korean students have high creative thinking skills but low confidence

An international comparative study showed that Korean teenagers have high creative thinking skills but low confidence. In the Creative Thinking Skills Assessment by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) hosted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Korean students ranked second after Singapore among 64 countries participating in the assessment. On the other hand, Korean students’ score on creative thinking self-efficacy was ranked 49th.

The study results are welcoming in that it breaks the common belief that Korean students have high academic performance but poor creativity. In the evaluation, in which 15-year-old students from 64 countries, including 28 of the OECD member countries, participated, Korean students scored consistently high across diverse assessment criteria, such as creating diverse ideas, evaluating and improving ideas, and solving social/scientific problems. In contrast to such high performance, Korean students lacked confidence in creative problem-solving. An assessment by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) published in 2020 also found that Korean students ranked among the highest in math and science achievement. Still, their confidence and interest in both subjects were lower than the world average.

Eval‎uation results show that students in countries with high creative thinking scores tend to have low confidence scores. Students with strong academic achievement have more ambitious goals, which would have hurt their confidence. Students' self-confidence in Asian countries was generally low, presumably influenced by a culture that values humility from a young age. It is a widely known fact that Asian international students at Western universities tend not to ask questions during class and do not answer questions unless they are sure of the answer. The intense competition, a rigid evaluation system that accepts limited answers as correct, and Korea's unique entrance exam culture in which minor mistakes determine success or failure may have also intimidated students.

Generally, those who lack self-confidence overconfident are not arrogant and like to be thoroughly prepared. However, if students miss out opportunities to achieve because he or she fears failure, despite having infinite potential, this would be an immense loss for students and the country. Korea needs to focus on developing students’ physical and mental strength as well as intellectual capabilities.