Abstract
Using interview data from secondary teachers, this study examines conflicting perspectives on the effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea, which was intended to grant more autonomy to individual schools and teachers. Contrary to the general belief that teachers want more autonomy to customize their curricula to meet students' needs, this study found that the participating teachers did not welcome the enhanced curricular autonomy nor did they believe it would diversify the school curriculum. The primary causes of this contradiction are the gap between the desired and the granted autonomy, the new national curriculum's negative impact on the relationships among teachers and their job security, and the prevalent credential culture in South Korea. Based on these findings, this study suggests wider implications for curriculum scholars and policymakers in other contexts concerning the nature and effects of teacher autonomy in curriculum development.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 20-33 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Asia Pacific Journal of Education |
| Volume | 36 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 Jan 15 |
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All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Education
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Why are teachers afraid of curricular autonomy? Contradictory effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea. / Hong, Won Pyo; Youngs, Peter.
In: Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Vol. 36, 15.01.2016, p. 20-33.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - Why are teachers afraid of curricular autonomy? Contradictory effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea
AU - Hong, Won Pyo
AU - Youngs, Peter
PY - 2016/1/15
Y1 - 2016/1/15
N2 - Using interview data from secondary teachers, this study examines conflicting perspectives on the effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea, which was intended to grant more autonomy to individual schools and teachers. Contrary to the general belief that teachers want more autonomy to customize their curricula to meet students' needs, this study found that the participating teachers did not welcome the enhanced curricular autonomy nor did they believe it would diversify the school curriculum. The primary causes of this contradiction are the gap between the desired and the granted autonomy, the new national curriculum's negative impact on the relationships among teachers and their job security, and the prevalent credential culture in South Korea. Based on these findings, this study suggests wider implications for curriculum scholars and policymakers in other contexts concerning the nature and effects of teacher autonomy in curriculum development.
AB - Using interview data from secondary teachers, this study examines conflicting perspectives on the effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea, which was intended to grant more autonomy to individual schools and teachers. Contrary to the general belief that teachers want more autonomy to customize their curricula to meet students' needs, this study found that the participating teachers did not welcome the enhanced curricular autonomy nor did they believe it would diversify the school curriculum. The primary causes of this contradiction are the gap between the desired and the granted autonomy, the new national curriculum's negative impact on the relationships among teachers and their job security, and the prevalent credential culture in South Korea. Based on these findings, this study suggests wider implications for curriculum scholars and policymakers in other contexts concerning the nature and effects of teacher autonomy in curriculum development.
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U2 - 10.1080/02188791.2014.959471
DO - 10.1080/02188791.2014.959471
M3 - Article
VL - 36
SP - 20
EP - 33
JO - Asia Pacific Journal of Education
JF - Asia Pacific Journal of Education
SN - 0218-8791
ER -