Transnational Migration and Education12 Voices of Hagwon

Korean test-prep academies (hagwons) embody a distinct culture of achievement, combining Eastern values, rugged American individualism, and the rise of data. The students in this study share their experiences navigating college admissions within this complex, and demanding, cultural landscape. This ethnographic study examines the experiences of seven Asian American high school students across three test preparation centers (hagwons) in the New York / New Jersey area. This study found that hagwon was a site of convergence for Eastern values, rugged American individualism, and the rise of data—creating for students a distinct and inescapable imperative centered on achievement. This “habitus of hagwon” informed behavioral, curricular, even environmental decisions for students and hagwons. Ultimately, hagwon was part of an essential cultural inscription and calculation: to optimize students’ odds for desired outcomes at every level of college admissions and beyond.