Curriculum Reform in Korea: Issues and Challenges for Twenty-first Century Learning

Asia-Pacific Education Researcher

Volumn 23, Issue 4, 2014, Pages 795-803

  So, Kyunghee ^a   Kang, Jiyoung ^a  

^a Seoul National University   (South Korea)

Author keywords

Competency based education; Curriculum reform; International achievement assessment; Korean education system; National curriculum; Twenty first century learning

Indexed keywords

EID: 84919913977     PISSN: 01195646     EISSN: 22437908     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s40299-013-0161-2     Document Type: Article

References (68)

1. ACARA. (2009). Curriculum design: Version 2.0. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
2. ACARA. (2010). The shape of the Australian curriculum: Version 2.0. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
3. Anthony, L. (2008). Teacher concerns about curriculum reform: The case of project learning. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,17(1), 75–97.
4. Apple, M. (1978). Ideology and curriculum. New York: Routledge.
5. Baek, K. (2010). The elementary teachers’ perception about the school based curriculum autonomy. The Journal of Elementary Education,23(2), 47–73.
6. Boyd, S., & Watson, V. (2006). Shifting the frame: Exploring integration of the key competencies at six normal schools. Te Aro: New Zealand Council for Education Research.
7. Chan, K., Wong, A., & Lo, E. (2012). Relational analysis of intrinsic motivation, achievement goals, learning strategies and academic achievement for Hong Kong secondary students. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,21(2), 230–243.
8. Choi, S. (2010). A study on the autonomy of elementary school curriculum. The Journal of Elementary Education,23(2), 153–174.
9. Choi, S., Shin, C., & Park, G. (2013). Directions for implementation of free learning semester. Seoul: Korean Educational Development Institute.
10. Darling-Hammond, L., & Bransford, J. (Eds.). (2005). Preparing teachers for a changing world: What teachers should learn and be able to do. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
11. Gibbons, M., Limoges, C., Nowotny, H., Schwartzman, S., Scott, P., & Trow, M. (1997). The new production of knowledge. London: SAGE.
12. Gim, C. (2010). An analysis of the possibilities and limitations of the national curriculum 2009 in Korea. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,28(3), 57–83.
13. Gim, C. (2011). A critique of the policy discourse of school-based curriculum autonomy in Korea. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,29(4), 47–68.
14. Hong, W. (2011). Policy efforts for autonomous and diversified school curriculum: Paradoxical results and potential alternatives. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,29(2), 23–43.
15. Hong, W. (2012). An international study of the changing nature and role of school curricula: From transmitting content knowledge to developing students’ key competencies. Asia Pacific Education Review,13(1), 27–37.
16. Hong, W., & Lee, K. (2011). Implementation of competency-based curriculum in practice: Based on the case of Quebec, Canada. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,29(1), 67–86.
17. Hong, H., Lim, Y., & Jang, S. (2013). An inquiry on the loose semester for career exploration for secondary school students based on the survey of stakeholders. The Korea Educational Review,19(2), 33–68.
18. Hung, D., Lee, S., & Lim, K. Y. (2012). Moving forward: Key areas of educational research for the Asia pacific. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,22(2), 219–220.
19. Jeong, K. (2006). A narrative inquiry on two teachers’ experiences of the practical process of integrated subject matters’ implementation in elementary school. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,24(3), 125–146.
20. Jeong, Y., & Lee, K. (2011). Study on teachers’ acceptance of curriculum autonomy polices. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,29(3), 93–119.
21. Jeong, K., Park, C., & Lee, M. (2011). An analysis of elementary teachers’ perceptions and concern levels on the school curriculum autonomy. Journal of Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction,11(4), 349–372.
22. Jo, W. (2008). A study on academic life and culture of Korean High School students. Seoul: Korean Educational Development Institute.
23. Jonnaert, P., Masciotra, D., Barrette, J., Morel, D., & Mane, Y. (2007). From competence in the curriculum to competence in action. Prospects,XXXVII(2), 187–203.
24. Kang, C. (1996). A sociological study on educational aspiration in Korea. A Journal of Research in Education,8, 209–227.
25. Kim, B. (2007). The hermeneutical reconceptualizing of curriculum and teaching-learning process. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,25(4), 61–80.
26. Kim, W., & Park, Y. (2006). Indigenous psychological analysis of academic achievement in Korea: The influence of self-efficacy, parents, and culture. International Journal of Psychology,41(4), 287–291.
27. Klieme, E., Avenarius, H., Blum, W., Döbrich, P., Gruber, H., Prenzel, M., et al. (2004). The development of national educational standards. Berlin: BMBF.
28. Korea Education Development Institute. (2012). Analysis of statistics of education: Statistics of primary, secondary education. Seoul: Korean Educational Development Institute.
29. Korea Employment Information Service. (2008). Report on the practice of career education. Seoul: Korea Employment Information Service.
30. Lee, M. (2007). The features and the problems of Korean modernization: Focusing on Chabol and educational enthusiasm. The Humanities,40, 107–132.
31. Lee, J., & Choi, Y. (2004). The patterns and social contexts of classroom teaching progress in the elementary school. Anthropology of Education,7(1), 131–173.
32. Lee, K., Jeon, J., Huh, K., Hong, W., & Kim, M. (2009). Redesigning elementary and secondary school curriculum for developing future Koreans’ key competences. Seoul: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
33. Lee, K., Kwak, Y., Lee, S., & Choi, J. (2012). Design of the competencies-based national curriculum for the future society. Seoul: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
34. Lee, K., Min, Y., Jeon, J., Kim, M., & Kim, H. (2008). A study on developing key competencies in the primary/secondary school curriculum for the future of Koreans(II): Focused on the establishing sub-domains and components for key competencies. Seoul: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
35. Maeil Economist (2010, October, 3). Competition rate for secondary teachers in Seoul is up to 52: 1. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?year=2010&no=532201.
36. McCluskey, N. (2010). Behind the curtain: Assessing the case for national curriculum standards. Policy Analysis, 661. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/behind-curtainassessing-case-national-curriculum-standards.
37. McKinsey and Company. (2007). How the world’s best-performing schools systems come out on top. Retrieved June 3, 2013, from http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/Worlds_school_Systems_Final.pdf.
38. McKinsey and Company. (2010). How the world’s most improved school systems keep getting better. Retrieved June 3, 2013, from http://mckinseyonsociety.com/downloads/reports/Education/How-the-Worlds-Most-Improved-school-Systems-Keep-Getting-Better_Download-version_Final.pdf.
39. Min, Y. (2008). The limitations and possibilities on expanding the autonomy of school curriculum in Korea: An analysis of the 2007 New National Curriculum Organization and implementation guidelines. Journal of Learner-centered Curriculum and Instruction,8(2), 137–158.
40. Ministere de l’Education. (2007). Education in Quebec: Overview. Saskatoon: Quebec.
41. Ministry of Education. (1992). General guideline of national curriculum. Seoul: Ministry of Education.
42. Ministry of Education. (2013a). Basic plan for national achievement assessment in 2013. Seoul: Ministry of Education.
43. Ministry of Education. (2013b). Basic Plan for free learning semester in secondary schools. Seoul: Ministry of Education.
44. Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. (2009). General guideline of national curriculum. Seoul: Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology.
45. Mullis, I., Martin, M., & Foy, P. (2008). TIMSS 2007 International mathematics report: Findings from IEA’s trends in international mathematics and science study at the fourth and eighth grade. Chestnut Hill: Boston College.
46. National Statistical Office. (2010). 2010 Statistics of adolescence in Korea. Retrieved June 25, 2013, from http://academic.naver.com/ openUrl.nhn?doc_id = 38200025&linkType = doclink.
47. New Zealand Ministry of Education. (2007). The New Zealand curriculum. New Zealand: Ministry of Education.
48. Nichols, S., & Berliner, D. (2007). Collateral damage. Cambridge: Harvard Educational Press.
49. OECD. (2010). PISA 2009 results: Overcoming social background (Vol. II). Paris: OECD Publishing.
50. OECD. (2011). Education and skills. In OECD (Ed.), How’s life?: Measuring well-being. Paris: OECD Publishing. Retrieved June, 5, 2013, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264121164-9-en.
51. Park, M. (2007). A narrative inquiry into elementary teachers’ implementation of integrated curriculum: Based on three teachers’ stories. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,25(1), 69–93.
52. Park, S. (2008). A beginning discussion on searching for the starting-point and direction of curriculum decentralization in Korea. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,26(2), 87–105.
53. Park, M. (2009). Analysis of the characteristics of competence-based curriculum and its critical issues. The Journal of Curriculum Studies,27(4), 71–94.
54. Park, J., Park, C., Seo, H., & Youm, Y. (2010). Collection of Korean child well-being index and its international comparison with other OECD countries. Korean Journal of Sociology,44(2), 121–154.
55. Reid, A. (2006). Key competencies: A new way forward or more of the same? In L. Sandra (Ed.), In New Zealand Council for Educational Research, key competencies: Repacking the old or creating the new? (pp. 5–16). Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
56. Schleicher, A. (2008). Seeing school systems through the prism of PISA. In A. Luke, K. Weir, & A. Woods (Eds.), Development of a set of principles to guide a P-12 syllabus framework: A report to the Queensland Studies Authority Queensland, Australia (pp. 71–85). Brisbane: Queensland Studies Authority.
57. Shon, M. (2011). The possibility and limits of competence based curriculum. The Journal of Korean Educational Forum,10(1), 101–121.
58. Sorensen, C. W. (1994). Success and education in South Korea. Comparative and International Education Society,38(1), 10–35.
59. Sung, Y. (2011). Cultivating borrowed future: The politics of neoliberal loanwords in South Korean cross-national policy borrowing. Comparative Education,47(4), 523–538.
60. Sung, Y., & Kang, M. (2012). The cultural politics of national testing and test result release policy in South Korea: A critical discourse analysis. Asia Pacific Journal of Education,32(1), 53–73.
61. The Korea Times. (2011, February 6). South Korea: 146 students committed suicide last year. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2011/02/117_80889.html.
62. Webber, B. (2006). Key competencies: Repacking the old or creating the new? Conference proceedings, April, 2006. Te Aro: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
63. Weinert, F. E. (2001). Vergleichendeleistungsmessung in schulen -eineumstritteneselbstverständlichkeit. In F. E. Weinert (Ed.), Leistungsmessungen in schulen (pp. 17–31). Basel: BeltzVerlag.
64. Welner, K., & Oakes, J. (2008). Structuring curriculum: Technical, normative and political considerations. In F. Connelly, M. He, & J. Phillion (Eds.), The Sage handbook of curriculum and instruction (pp. 91–111). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
65. WHO. (2012). Country reports and charts. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://www.who.int/mental_health/media/repkor.pdf.
66. Yin, H., Lee, J., & Jin, Y. (2011). Teacher receptivity to curriculum reform and the need for trust: An exploratory study from Southwest China. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher,20(1), 35–47.
67. Yoon, H., Kim, Y., Lee, K., & Jeon, J. (2007). A study on developing a key competence in the primary/secondary school curriculum for the future of Koreans. Seoul: Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation.
68. Zhao, Y. (2009). Comments on the common core standards initiative. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice,6(3), 46–54.