From Streets to Classrooms: Forging and Enacting Teacher Agency in South Korea

• In Event: Virtual Poster Session
  In Virtual iPresentation Only: Division K - Section 02: Teacher Agency, Activism, and Leadership Virtual Poster Session

Abstract

In 2023, the suicide of a young elementary school teacher in Seoul sparked unprecedented teacher collective action in South Korea. This study examines how participation in such actions reshaped teachers’ self-perception and professional practice. Drawing on interviews with 18 elementary teachers, the findings reveal that collective action served as both a response to systemic injustice and a catalyst for renewed agency. Teachers developed stronger professional identities, collaborative relationships, and pedagogical innovation, while also adopting defensive strategies to manage institutional risks. Framed through the lens of teacher agency, the study highlights how teachers navigate constraints and enact change within hierarchical and uncertain policy environments, offering insights into sustaining professional autonomy in the face of global educational precarity.

Authors

• Hyeokeun Kwon, Yonsei University

• Won Pyo Hong, Yonsei University

• Eunjin Jeong, Yonsei University