Teachers’ Difficulties in Curriculum Planning and Operation in Multicultural Student-Concentrated Schools

This study aims to empirically classify teachers into distinct types based on the difficulties they encounter in curriculum planning and operation within schools characterized by high concentrations of multicultural students in South Korea. Utilizing data from a survey of 820 elementary and middle school teachers in Gyeonggi Province, this research employs K-means cluster analysis to classify teachers based on their perceived challenges. The analysis revealed four distinct clusters: the ‘Comprehensive High-Difficulty Type,’ ‘Task-focused High-Difficulty Type,’ ‘Moderate Difficulty Type,’ and ‘Stable Competency Type.’ A key finding is that environmental and contextual factors, such as the school’s geographical location and the specific ratio of multicultural students, are more significant predictors of cluster membership than individual teacher characteristics like teaching experience. This suggests that the difficulties are largely structural rather than personal. The findings highlight the heterogeneity within this teacher population, underscoring the possible limitations of one-size-fits-all support systems. This study argues for a paradigm shift towards differentiated, tailored support policies that address the unique characteristics and contextual challenges of each teacher cluster, thereby enhancing the quality of education in these increasingly common school environments.