In consideration of alignment between secondary and postsecondary education, this study
examined the effects of course-taking in high school on STEM students' academic commitment in
university through analyzing the longitudinal data from Korean Educational Longitudinal Study
2005. The result indicates that medical and pharmaceutical students were less likely to take
advanced math and science subjects than natural sciences and engineering students. Half of the
students majoring in natural sciences and engineering took advanced chemistry and advanced
biology courses in high school. The regression analysis finds that taking advanced math and
science courses in high school had modest effects on STEM students’ academic commitment.
Specifically, taking advanced math and science subjects had a modest positive effect on the
academic commitment of students who study natural sciences in university while the effects of
taking advanced courses in math and sciences were insignificant for students studying
engineering, medical, and pharmaceutical sciences. These results might imply the loose alignment
between secondary and post-secondary education in South Korea.