South Korea’s Village Curriculum: Challenges and Promise for Community-Based Democratic Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 4:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Educational Research in the Asian Context

Abstract

This study critically examines South Korea’s village curriculum within the Innovative Education District (IED) policy to explore how school-community relationships can be reimagined as democratic educational partnerships. Drawing on Apple and Beane’s democratic schools, Gruenewald’s critical pedagogy of place, and Bernstein’s curriculum theory, we analyze how village curricula shift between instrumental and relational approaches. Through case studies of Dongcheon and Myoryang, we highlight efforts to embed local knowledge, foster student agency, and build shared governance. The study reveals both the potential and limitations of place-based democratic education within a standardized education system and offers insights for more community-embedded schooling reform.

Authors

• Shuning Liu, Ball State University

• Jaewon Jang, Ball State University