Educational Pathways, Parenting, and the Development of Self-Esteem from Adolescence to Young Adulthood: Evidence from South Korea

Despite strong research traditions in educational stratification and parenting, few studies have simultaneously examined how educational tracks and parenting styles jointly predict self-esteem from adolescence into young adulthood, particularly in the East Asian context where status and pressure are markedly salient. This study examines how educational pathways and parenting dimensions shape self-esteem trajectories from early adolescence to post-high school in South Korea. Using three waves of data (2010-2016, ages 13 to 19) from the nationally representative Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) (N = 1,484, 52% females; Mage = 15.89 years, SD = 0.34), results indicated pathway stratification in self-esteem. Compared with the academic-to-university pathway (56%), adolescents in the academic-to-junior (21%) and technical-to-postsecondary (10%) pathways reported significantly lower self-esteem across waves, though no significant differences emerged for the technical-to-labor market (9%) and academic-to-labor market (4%) pathways. Parenting dimensions showed robust associations: affection was positively associated with self-esteem, whereas excessive expectations and excessive interference were negatively associated. Moderation analyses revealed parenting operates as a context amplifier, primarily among the technical-to-postsecondary pathway. The results demonstrate that self-esteem development in adolescence is shaped by an integrated framework that combines macro-level educational structures with micro-level family processes, suggesting a practical need for school-family partnerships and parent education programs that emphasize warm and autonomy-supporting parenting, especially for youth experiencing major educational transitions.