The 2025 KAERA Conference brought together 139 attendees for a full day of scholarly exchange, mentorship, and community building at the University of Colorado-Denver. The event opened with a pre-conference presidential session where Dr. Junghwan Kim and KAERA leadership, including incoming President Dr. Chansoon Danielle Lee and Vice President Dr. Jackie Reyea, discussed key organizational priorities. These included establishing a KAERA foundation, broadening outreach to teachers and students, launching a KAERA journal, and strengthening inter-organizational partnerships.
The official program began with opening remarks from Dr. Kim, followed by a congratulatory message from Dr. Byeonggu Kang of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, who emphasized the Embassy’s support for KAERA. Fourteen scholars were honored with research and paper awards, and six of them presented on how KAERA’s support contributed to their research.
A robust mentoring session followed, offering graduate students and early career scholars practical guidance on dissertation writing, publishing, job searching, tenure preparation, AI in education, and more. Tables were organized by topic and career stage, fostering targeted and meaningful dialogue.
This year’s special session featured a virtual address by Dr. Hye Won Ko, President of KRIVET, celebrating the signing of an MOU between KRIVET and KAERA. Dr. HwaChoon Park introduced KRIVET’s international work and discussed how this new partnership can support global research on vocational and adult learning.
Dr. Wonsup Chang of Yonsei University delivered the keynote speech, “The Study of ‘Education of Work’ and ‘Masterity,’” emphasizing the lifelong role of work and pursuit of mastery. A panel discussion followed, moderated by Dr. Minjeong Jeon and featuring Dr. Chang, Dr. Park, and Dr. Jongpil Cheon of Texas Tech University.
Forty scholars presented research across two rounds of roundtable sessions, which covered a wide range of topics including workforce education, educational policy, multicultural education, qualitative research, and technology in learning.
The conference concluded with a dinner, award ceremony, and business meeting. Twelve individuals were recognized with KAERA awards and scholarships, including Dr. Seock-Ho Kim (University of Georgia), recipient of the KAERA Leadership Award. Dr. Kim delivered the annual business report and welcomed the incoming leadership team, with Dr. Lee beginning her term as president for 2025–2026. The evening ended with a group photo and the traditional exchange of tumblers symbolizing mutual support.
As KAERA looks ahead, plans are already underway for the 2026 Annual Conference, which will be held in Los Angeles, California, in April. KAERA looks forward to continuing this spirit of connection and scholarship next spring.
KSEA e-Letters 