Analysis of Korean Early Childhood Multicultural Education Policies Based on a Critical Perspective

• In Event: When Policies Define Childhoods

Abstract

Discourses of multicultural education have arisen in the field of early childhood education since the late 1990s. What are the goals of multicultural education policies for young children? This study investigated the concept, ideology and goals of multicultural education for young children in the policy document. Critical Discourse Analysis was used. Findings demonstrate that, by selecting favorite words from Western multicultural education models, policymakers reframed early childhood multicultural education to assimilate ethnic minorities. National educational institutions functioned as the dominant form of producing and controlling the notion of multicultural family and education. It is recommended that policymakers consider experiences of teachers and voices of parents and children from culturally diverse backgrounds in developing multicultural education programs.

Author

• Younsun Lee, Busan National University of Education