A case study of a school curriculum implementation: From the perspective of CoP

Purpose: This study analyzed the case of a school curriculum implementation from the theoretical perspective of communities of practice. A community of practice is a group of people who share the same interests, set of problems, and passion for a particular topic and expand their knowledge and expertise in a field through continuous interaction. This study analyzed the case of a unit school as a community of practice and suggested policy measures to enhance the practice. Methods: For this purpose, an interpretive case study was conducted to analyze the curriculum management of a school that is a typical example of a community of practice that has formed over a decade. Various materials such as literature, interviews, photos, and videos were analyzed and validated through triangulation and member checks. Results: The study found that, first, the teachers had a shared educational vision of students' happy lives and sought to create a school for joyful growth; second, the school members were engaged in collaborative practices in all aspects of curriculum management; and third, the school was creating a democratic management system to overcome the constraints of the bureaucratic organization and its own curriculum document style. Conclusion: Policy suggestions for improving the effectiveness of unit schools as an educational community include improving school administration so that teachers can immerse themselves in curriculum management, establishing a customized educational support system for unit schools, allocating differential support personnel and an educational budget based on the educational needs of unit schools.