Why do teachers not change while the national curriculum repeatedly changes?: The ‘Hidden’ resistance of teachers in the centralized system of education in South Korea

• Published in: International journal of educational development 2024-09, Vol.109, p.103105, Article 103105
• Main Author: Kim, Jonghun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Curriculum change; Educational reform; National curriculum; Teacher resistance; Teachers’ dilemma
• ISSN: 0738-0593
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103105

In the highly centralized education system, national curriculum revisions are significant because they fundamentally change the direction and nature of schooling across the country. However, any new reform will inevitably be met by opposition and resistance from various stakeholders. While the notion of increased autonomy and empowerment is predicated on teachers’ participation, in practice, teachers are often unwilling to accept or even oppose curriculum changes. Using South Korea's recent national curriculum revision in 2022 as reference, this study draws attention to the fact that despite the revision of the national curriculum, teachers’ curriculum implementation has not changed as much as expected, and even show antipathy or resistance. Resistance in this context does not mean simple opposition but rather a phenomenon that involves and intervenes in the interpretive process of new policies, and the politics of the society that surrounds individuals and schools. I argue that Korean primary and secondary teachers’ reactions to the new national curriculum reflect complex orientations towards the curriculum and resistance to its revision, shaped by personal, organizational, and sociocultural contexts. With implications of the analysis for understanding teachers’ responses to national curriculum, I conclude that we need more pay attention to the dilemma as an ambivalent emotion teachers experience requires us to consider the dynamics when the national curriculum is implemented.