Yun-Kyung Cha

Positioning Education in the Information Society: The Transnational Diffusion of the Information and Communication Technology Curriculum

One of the most distinctive qualities that characterize present-day society is the social fact that we are shifting to the information age. In recent years, we have witnessed remarkable developments in information and communication technology (ICT), in which microelectronics, computers, and telecommunications have converged. Transnational debates on its social and economic significance have made ICT “socially meaningful,” attracting considerable attention in different fields within the social sciences and humanities. In the 1980s, international agencies began to elaborate rationales in which ICT was viewed as providing scaffolding to enhance education (e.g., UNESCO 1986; World Bank 1988), as many scholars stressed the importance of informatics as a new language in the contemporary social condition under which the cooperative production of creative knowledge is highly emphasized (e.g., Toffler 1980; Lyotard 1984). In 2000, the Group of Eight heads of state adopted a charter that advocated providing more opportunities for school children to develop ICT literacy in order to prepare them to be “capable of responding to the demands of the information age” (G8 Heads of Government 2000, 2). With such processes of rationalization and further technological innovations, the social meaning of space and time has changed substantially, and

Educating Supranational Citizens: The Incorporation of English Language Education into Curriculum Policies.

This study investigates the cross-national institutionalization of English as a regular school subject over the past century and discusses how the rise of English as a global language in today’s curricular policy models around the world reflects an expansive conception of supranational citizenship. Our extensive comparative and historical data suggest that substantive societal characteristics of individual countries have played fairly insignificant roles in the rapid diffusion of English language education, especially in the past half century. This result sheds light on the institutionalist perspective in which the worldwide spread of English language education is understood to reflect universalistic nation-state purposes and principles of education that emphasize the empowerment of the individual in global society.

Redesigning Teacher Education in the Multicultural Context of Korean Society

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the universality and particularity of the discourses on multicultural education in Korea, and to construct a conceptual framework that is applicable to the teacher education programs. The current change Korea is witnessing can be viewed as revolutionary, for it affects us at the deeper level and leads to question how we define our family, ethnicity and cultural identity. The following illustrates one of the reactions of addressing this fairly new change in Korea from the perspective of multicultural teacher education. This paper addresses three main issues. First, it addresses what multiculturalism means to Korean society and why it has gained a widespread importance. Secondly, how the discourses of multiculturalism has shaped multicultural education and its cultural implication in Korea is illustrated. Finally, it explores the key concepts that should be addressed in the transformative multicultural teacher education that might open the avenue for redesigning teacher preparation programs in Korea.

Multicultural Education Policy in the Global Institutional Context

While multicultural education is still a contested concept with multiple meanings (May and Sleeter 2010; see also Banks in this volume), few would disagree that envisioning an inclusive education toward social justice and equity for all children regardless of their cultural group memberships is an integral part of what may be called multicultural education. Multicultural education, in such a rather loosely defined sense, has emerged as an important policy issue in an increasing number of countries around the world (Banks, 2004; Cha et al. 2012). As the pace of economic and cultural globalization has accelerated, the importance of multicultural competence demonstrated by schoolchildren has been receiving increased attention from educational policymakers and researchers, as immigrant populations are increasing rapidly in a growing number of countries.

Epilogue: Toward a Glocal Perspective

The worldwide diffusion and constant elaboration of educational equity as a public policy discourse since the mid-twentieth century epitomizes policy innovation on a global scale. The evolution and expansion of various discursive networks that tie educational professionals and reformers across countries has facilitated spreading educational equity as a universalistic policy principle throughout most parts of the globe, raising renewed awareness of inequalities and exclusions rooted deeply in social structures. A majority of countries have formally announced that their education systems are committed to education for all regardless of sociocultural group memberships.

Educating Supranational Citizens: The Rise of English in Curricular Policies

Preparing future citizens for “post-national society” (see Ramirez, Bromley, and Russell in this volume) necessitates an education for communication in intercultural and international contexts. English language education, which is now a global phenomenon, is an illustrative example. In this chapter, we investigate the cross-national institutionalization of English as a regular school subject over the past century and discuss how the rise of English as a global language in today’s curricular policy models around the world reflects an expansive conception of supranational citizenship that emphasizes the empowerment of the individual in global society. We also extend our discussion to the possible problem that the discursive rationalization of English language education as an indispensable tool to help children become supranational citizens can also lead to the legitimation of some new forms of social inequality both within and across countries, especially if curricular policies on English language education are not accompanied by sustained and shared efforts to constantly identify and minimize their unintended consequences.

Multicultural Policy and Ethnolinguistic Minority Learners’ Academic Engagement

As an integral component of the multicultural policy scheme, multicultural education has been receiving more attention from educational policymakers and researchers around the world (Banks 2008; Cha and Ham 2014; Grant and Lei 2001). Despite the concerted attention given to multicultural education as a policy agenda, systematic research on how effectively such policy effort has achieved the intended goals is less extensive than might be expected. As an attempt toward filling this void in research, this study aims to develop an empirical knowledge base that provides insight into how student learning varies depending on multicultural policy contexts. A particular analytic attention is given to examining the effect of multicultural curriculum policy on student engagement in learning by analyzing extensive international data from the TIMSS 2011 survey.

yungbokhap education, autonomy, bridgeability, contextuality, diversity, educational ecology

In an effort to redesign the traditional model of schooling, the yungbokhap model of education has recently been envisioned and experimented with as an alternative approach to schooling in South Korea. This study sheds light on the yungbokhap model of education, exploring the possibility for an expansive (re)conceptualization of the model. We conceptualize the yungbokhap model as an integrative and holistic approach to teaching and learning in accordance with the ABCDs—autonomy, bridgeability, contextuality, and diversity—as the guiding principles, not only in terms of classroom practices but also with respect to administrative and policy arrangements at multiple layers of the education system. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of nurturing a larger educational ecology, which we call the ABCD-E, in which sustainable school improvement is constantly fostered rather than externally imposed.