The Formation and Development of a Creativity Agenda in Korean Education Policy: Tensions and Dilemmas

• In Event: Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: National Policies in Multiple Contexts

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore how a creativity agenda has been formed and developed in Korean education policy. The study analyzes 41 policy documents related to creativity established after the mid-1990s, when a creativity agenda emerged at the forefront of Korean education policy. Particularly, the study focuses on these questions: (1) what value does a creativity agenda pursue in Korean education policy? (2) how has creativity, as an agenda of education policy, been contextualized in Korean society? The result reveals that creativity in Korean education ostensibly seeks educational value but ultimately pursues economic value. Further, it shows creativity in Korean education has been transformed into a new concept- "creativity-character," in order to coexist with traditional Confucian values.

Authors

• Kyunghee So, Seoul National University

• Yae-ji Hu, Seoul National University

• Jong A Lee, Seoul National University