Sang-Jin Kang, Yonsei University

The development of any academic field depends fundamentally on theoretical progress, yet a discipline becomes isolated if such progress fails to diffuse to neighboring fields. Statistics is uniquely positioned in this regard, as it is connected to nearly all modern disciplines. For example, in the United States, many academic societies publish statistics-related journals, either independently or jointly with statistical associations, allowing statistical knowledge to circulate widely.

Within the spectrum of quantitative research, scholars can be broadly classified into three groups: mathematical statisticians; quantitative research methodologists across disciplines; and applied researchers who employ quantitative methods in substantive inquiry. Among these groups, quantitative research methodologists play a pivotal mediating role, as they are able to communicate effectively with both theoretical statisticians and applied researchers. This group includes psychometricians, educational statisticians, quantitative psychologists, quantitative sociologists, econometricians, and others from diverse disciplines. Through the quantitative methodologists statistical ideas flow into diverse fields and contribute to improving both internal and external validity of research.

From a distant, structural perspective, the circulation of knowledge appears stable and orderly. However, a closer examination reveals that this virtuous cycle is hindered by numerous practical and institutional barriers. Focusing on the field of education, this presentation examines how the virtuous cycle of knowledge has operated in Korea over the past seventy years, highlights key obstacles, and concludes with suggestions for strengthening the circulation of knowledge across the quantitative research spectrum.

about the speaker

I received my B.A. and M.A. degrees in Education from Yonsei University in Korea and my Ph.D. from Michigan State University at East Lansing, USA. My doctoral dissertation was awarded the Outstanding Dissertation Award by Division D of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). I served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1992 to 1995, and as a Visiting Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley during the 2001–2002 academic year. From 1995 to 2019, I was a Professor in the Department of Education at Yonsei University, where I received the Distinguished Faculty Award and am currently Professor Emeritus. During my tenure at Yonsei University, I held several leadership positions, including Chair of the Department of Education, Dean of the College of Education and Sciences, and Dean of the Graduate School of Education. After retirement, I served as President of Kunsan College of Nursing from 2020 to 2023.

Most of my research focuses on the theoretical development of multilevel models and their application to school effects research, secondary education policy, and college admissions policy, etc. I have published 7 articles in international journals and 62 articles in Korean journals. I have authored three single-authored books in
Korea—Multilevel Models (2016), Experimental Design and Analysis of Variance (2014), and Understanding Regression Analysis (2003)—and co-authored 21 books or book chapters. Currently, with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea, I am writing books on cross-classified and generalized multilevel models and developing a software for graphical multilevel model specification and data analysis.