ABSTRACT
This study identifies and explores the hidden curriculum of shadow education utilized by students in the South Korean educational system to excel in achieving high GPAs and KSAT scores to ensure admission into prestigious universities. Further, it examines the “backwash effects,” or unfavorable consequences, of shadow education on students, teachers, and the overall perception of education. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it will encourage educational researchers to extend the realm of hidden curriculum studies to shadow education. Also, importantly, it identifies and acknowledges the negative and unintended impacts of shadow education on students, which can adversely affect their approach to and perspective on learning indefinitely.
