Soo-yong Byun

Soo-yong Byun

Assistant Professor of Education

Educational Theory and Policy
302F Rackley Building
University Park, PA  16802
Email: szb14@psu.edu
Phone: 814-863-1626

Website: https://sites.google.com/site/sooyongbyunshomepage/

Introduction

Soo-yong Byun is an assistant professor of Educational Theory and Policy in the Department of Education Policy Studies and a research affiliate at the Population Research Institute at Penn State. Prior to joining the faculty of Education Policy Studies in July 2012, he served as an assistant director of Research Support of the Social Dynamics and Special Populations Research Program within the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education (2011-2012). In addition, he worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the National Research Center on Rural Education Support in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2008-2011) and as a research associate and survey / psychometric specialist for the Teacher Education Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M) at Michigan State University (2007-2008).  He received a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Administration from the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities with specialization in Comparative and International Development Education.

Dr. Byun’s research focuses on investigating variation in mechanisms and processes of social stratification across different countries and geographic contexts using large-scale national and international data. His work also focuses on the rigorous assessment and evaluation of educational policies and school interventions especially relating to unique populations and contexts (e.g., special education students, rural students, minority students).  His research has appeared in Sociology of Education, American Educational Research Journal, Review of Higher Education, and Rural Sociology.

Areas of Expertise

• Sociology of Education
• Comparative and International Education
• Educational Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

• Quantitative Methods

Selected Publications

Byun, Soo-yong, Judith L. Meece, Matthew J. Irvin, and Bryan C. Hutchins. Forthcoming (2012 or 2013). “The Role of Social Capital in Educational Aspirations of Rural Youth.” Rural Sociology.

Byun, Soo-yong, Evan Schofer, and Kyung-keun Kim. 2012. “Revisiting the Role of Cultural Capital in East Asian Educational Systems: The Case of South Korea.” Sociology of Education 85(3):219-39.

Byun, Soo-yong, Kyung-keun Kim, and Hyunjoon Park. 2012. “School Choice and Educational Inequality in South Korea.” Journal of School Choice 6(2):158-83.

Byun, Soo-yong, Judith L. Meece, and Matthew J. Irvin. 2012. “Rural-Nonrural Disparities in Postsecondary Educational Attainment Revisited.” American Educational Research Journal 49(3):412-37.

Byun, Soo-yong, Matthew J. Irvin, and Judith L. Meece. 2012. “Predictors of Bachelor's Degree Completion among Rural Youth at Four-Year Institutions.” Review of Higher Education.35(3):463-84.

Byun, Soo-yong and Hyunjoon Park. 2012. “The Academic Success of East Asian American Youth: The Role of Shadow Education.” Sociology of Education 85(1):40-60.

Byun, Soo-yong and Kyung-keun Kim. 2010. “Educational Inequality in South Korea: The Widening Socioeconomic Gap in Student Achievement.” Research in Sociology of Education 17:155-82.

Byun, Soo-yong. 2010. “Does Policy Matter in Shadow Education Spending? Revisiting the Effects of the High School Equalization Policy in South Korea.” Asia Pacific Education Review 11(1):83-96.

a complete list of publications here

Professional Experience

• 2012.07 – present Assistant Professor of Educational Theory and Policy; Department of Education Policy Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
• 2011.11 – present Research Affiliate, Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University
• 2011.09 – 2012.06 Assistant Director, Social Dynamics and Special Populations Research Program, Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Education, The Pennsylvania State University
• 2008.09 – 2011.08 Postdoctoral Scholar, National Research Center on Rural Education Support/Center for Developmental Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
• 2007.06 – 2008.08 Research Associate Survey / Psychometric Specialist, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA)’s Teacher Education Study in Mathematics (TEDS-M), International Study Center, Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University; Joint Appointments as Postdoctoral Fellow in the College of Education and Department of Sociology (2008.02 – 2008.08)
• 2006.06 – 2006.08 Data Analyst/Intern, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Montreal, Canada
• 2004.03 – 2007.05 Research Assistant, Research and Training Center on Community Living/Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

• 2003.08 – 2004.02 Research Assistant, Department of Educational Policy and Administration, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

Education

• Ph.D., University of Minnesota at Twin Cities, 2007, Educational Policy and Administration
• M.A., Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, 2003, Sociology of Education
• B.A., Korea University, Seoul, South Korea, 2001, Education