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Why are teachers afraid of curricular autonomy? Contradictory effects of the new national curriculum in South Korea
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.
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“In Korean settings, silence is more social–emotional, shaped by peer norms and the pursuit of group harmony (Hong and Youngs, 2016).”
From Analysis of classroom silence behaviors among Chinese and Korean undergraduates (2025) · cites this paper as Hong and Youngs, 2016
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Metadata
- Authors
- Hong, W.-P., & Youngs, P.
- Affiliations
- Yonsei University (KR)
- University of Virginia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hong, Won-Pyo
- ORCID
- Youngs, Peter
- Venue
- Asia Pacific Journal of Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2014-09-24
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- sup1
- Pages
- 20-33
- ISSN
- 0129-4776 (ISSN-L)
- 0218-8791
- 1742-6855
- OpenAlex
- W2035454579
- Cited by
- 48
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.34
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Asia Pacific Journal of Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Educational Theory and Curriculum Studies
- Social Sciences › Education › Education Pedagogy and Practices
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Global Educational Policies and Reforms
- Keywords
- teacher autonomy, curriculum autonomy, national curriculum, South Korea, secondary school teachers, teacher job security, teacher relationships, curriculum development, teacher perceptions
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