Exploring Korean Elementary School Teachers’ Perspectives on Teaching and the Teaching Profession under the Influence of the Global Educational Reform Movement

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2020This qualitative study examined teachers’ perspectives on teaching and the teaching profession in light of recent educational reforms (2008 - 2016) in South Korea. As has been the case in many other countries, the educational reforms in Korea were heavily influenced by the Global Educational Reform Movement (GERM). The common features of GERM are increasing competition among schools; standardization in education; focus on core subjects; test-based accountability; and school choice. While many international and comparative studies have become interested in the education systems of top performing countries, like Korea, on PISA tests, little attention has been paid by international scholars to each nation’s distinct context and how that context may have had a significant impact on the teaching profession and teaching in that nation. Also, despite an increasing focus on teachers and teaching in international discourses, teachers’ voices have often been left unheard. To understand teachers’ perspectives in a unique national context, I addressed four research questions: 1) what are the distinct characteristics regarding teaching and the teaching profession in Korea?; 2) what are the characteristics of the Korean educational reforms enacted from 2008 through 2016?; 3) how do Korean elementary school teachers believe that the recent educational reforms have been affecting the work of individual teachers?; and 4) how do Korean elementary school teachers view teaching and the teaching profession under these circumstances? I conducted a qualitative study and collected data from documents and from interviews with 29 Korean elementary school teachers. The findings of the first question showed that Korea has been able to attract and retain high quality teachers due to certain social perceptions of teaching and the teaching profession; an opportunity for social mobility and benefits through the teaching profession; job stability; and the feminization of teaching. However, the general public recently has put little trust in Korean schoolteachers because of a number of local circumstances, including: fierce competition for the university entrance exam; excessive dependence on shadow education; and the phenomenon of “school collapse.” Regarding the second research question, the common features of GERM have also been observed in Korean educational reforms, but they have been modified by the Korean context. As for the third research question, the work of Korean elementary school teachers consists of primary work (teaching and teaching-related tasks) and supportive work (administrative tasks). Korean teachers have been experiencing chronic and persistently heavy workloads due to their many administrative tasks. In addition, earning promotion points can be considered another aspect of Korean teachers’ work. Some teachers took on more responsibilities or worked in rural areas to achieve enough promotion points to be promoted to administrators. This promotion-point career ladder system in Korea has created an administration-oriented atmosphere and culture. The recent educational reforms (2008 – 2016) have had a negative impact on classroom teaching and increased teachers’ administrative tasks. Also, these educational reforms have affected the work of teachers by devaluing their teaching, lowering teachers’ morale and self-esteem, and weakening relationships among colleagues. In answering my final research question, I found that most of my participants expressed satisfaction with their job due to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Nevertheless, some participants were simply tolerating their work. As for the roles of schools and teachers, most participants felt that they have been required to play multiple roles due to new social demands. However, one third of my participants explicitly noted that their traditional role of teaching academic knowledge has decreased whereas their role as childcare givers and service managers has increased. Regarding teacher professionalism, most participants believe that they had professionalism or expertise. However, many of the teachers in my sample did not feel that their teaching job was a profession. Based on these findings, I discussed the importance of a close examination of local contexts in international and comparative education studies; called for a more critical review of the global governance exerted by transnational actors over educational systems in sovereign nations; highlighted individual countries’ different responses to GERM; discussed the increased focus on teachers and teaching in Korea and the parallels between the Korean case and global trends; compared the Korean teachers’ promotion system with teacher career ladders in other nations; and used intensification theory to comment on their chronic and persistent workload. I concluded by discussing the implications for comparative and international education studies. I called for re-examination of the correlation between student achievement and teacher quality; made an argument for the inclusion of the voices of individual teachers; and gave some suggestions regarding the use of the conceptual framework suggested by Akiba (2017). Then, I concluded this study with recommendations for future research and Korean teacher policies