We are delighted to announce a significant research output from WERA Visiting Researcher Award 2024 recipient Jaekyung Lee (University at Buffalo, SUNY). Lee and co-author Jagmeet Kaur have published an international comparative study examining academic resilience among students in Korea and South Africa.
The study, titled “Asset-based pathways to academic resilience in Korea and South Africa: A comparative study of TIMSS math achievement gaps based on risk and protective factors,” appears in Large-scale Assessments in Education (2026). Adopting mixed research methods (statistical analyses of TIMSS 2019 8th grade (Korea) and 9th grade (South Africa) math assessment/survey databases and a case study of resilient vs. non-resilient students in South Africa), it examines both between-country and within-country inequalities of adversities (risk factors) and assets (protective factors).
To read and cite the full paper:
Lee, J. & Kaur, J. (2026). Asset-based pathways to academic resilience in Korea and South Africa: A comparative study of TIMSS math achievement gaps based on risk and protective factors. Large-scale Assessments in Education, 14(8).
We congratulate Dr. Lee and co-author Kaur on this contribution to the field of comparative education research, and look forward to continued scholarly outcomes from WERA’s Visiting Researcher Award, which forms part of WERA’s capacity building initiatives in collaboration with WERA’s association and institutional members. Calls are published throughout the year. Subscribe to our newsletter or visit our website under News & Events > ‘Calls’ to stay updated.