Happiness, politics and education reform in South Korea

Building ‘happy human capital’ for the future

Bibliographic Data

ID11894799
AuthorsMin Ji Kim (0000-0002-6027-7031, Department of Education, Practice and Society, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume59
Issue4
Pages489-505
Publication date2022-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueComparative Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0305-0068 • E-ISSN: 1360-0486
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03050068.2022.2147633
OpenAlexW4311250962
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited58

There has been a growing tendency to use humanistic and utopian goals in the naming and framing of education policies. The case of the Happiness Education Policy (HEP) in South Korea is illustrative and demonstrates the potential of such framing, combined with references to external authorities, to neutralise domestic opposition and generate support from diverse national stakeholders. The HEP focuses on nurturing ‘happy human capital’ for the future through education initiatives such as the Free Semester/Year Initiative, character education, STEAM-based curriculum, and software education. Through an analysis of a corpus of policy documents and press releases, this article demonstrates how happiness, as a floating signifier, has been redefined in ways that align and support the different sociotechnical imaginaries envisioned by political regimes over the past decade which depart from its humanistic focus. // \n \n \n教育政策的命名及制定越来越倾向于使用人文主义和乌托邦的目标。韩国的幸福教育政策(HEP)就是一个例子,它显示了这种框架的潜力,结合对外部权威的引用,可以化解国内的反对意见,并获得国内不同利益相关者的支持。韩国幸福教育政策的重点是通过自由学期/学年倡议、品格教育、基于STEAM的课程和软件教育等教育举措,为未来培养“幸福的人力资本”。通过对一系列政策文件和新闻稿的分析,本文展示了幸福作为一个漂浮的能指,是如何被重新定义,以配合和支持过去十年中政权所设想的不同的社会技术愿景,而这些愿景却偏离了人文主义的主旨

Curriculum · Economic growth · Economics · Education policy · Framing (construction · Happiness · Higher education · Human capital · Humanism · Opposition (politics · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Social science · Sociology · Engineering · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Law · Public Administration

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