October 16, 2025

A Study on Teacher Participation Patterns in National Curriculum Reform: Focusing on Implications of the Finnish Case for Korea

Key Points

Teacher participation in Finland was marked by systematic involvement, recognizing educators as 'co-developers' of the curriculum.
Finland involved about 300 teachers in working groups, while Korea had around 8,000 participants, focusing on one-off events rather than ongoing engagement.
Analysis used theoretical frameworks including decentralization of decision-making, emphasizing teacher agency and policy network theory.
Proposed strategies for Korea include enhancing systematic participation, improving communication, and acknowledging teachers as professional developers.

Abstract

Purpose This study seeks to systematically analyze teacher participation patterns in Finland's national curriculum revision process and contrast them with Korea's approach, with the goal of achieving a comprehensive understanding of the theoretical foundations and practical mechanisms underlying teacher participation. Methods To achieve this purpose, this study established three theoretical approaches as analytical frameworks: decentralization of curriculum decision-making, teacher agency, and policy network theory, and conducted a comparative analysis of Finland's 2014 curriculum revision and Korea's 2022 curriculum revision cases. Specifically, through systematic literature analysis, teacher participation patterns in both countries were analyzed from structural, agential, and relational dimensions. Results The findings of the study are as follows: First, Finland recognized teachers as 'co-developers' of the curriculum and established a continuous and systematic participation system where approximately 300 teachers participated in 30 working groups. Second, Korea achieved quantitative expansion with about 8,000 teachers participating through the Curriculum Field Network, but participation was concentrated at specific points in time and lacked continuity in subsequent processes. Third, while Finland realized teacher agency and decentralization through bottom-up approaches and transparent communication systems, Korea was dominated by top-down approaches with unclear communication systems among multiple institutions. Conclusion To enhance the effectiveness of teacher participation in Korea's curriculum reform, it is necessary to shift the paradigm to recognize teachers as professional developers, strengthen the continuity and systematicity of participation, clarify communication and coordination systems among multiple institutions, strengthen feedback and reflection systems, and expand institutional support. Through these measures, it will be possible to create a democratic and participatory curriculum development culture that respects and utilizes teachers' expertise.

Ask AI

Mark Helpful

Bookmark

Relay