Making Our Schools More Creative: Korea’s Efforts and Challenges

Abstract

The Korean government has been interested in developing creativity in education and has attempted to increase the creativity of schools since the mid-1990s. This study aims to critically review the policy efforts of the Korean government for the last twenty years. To achieve this aim, the study analyzes government documents and related department website materials since mid-1990s when creativity emerged as a key agenda in Korean education policy. The results reveal that the government’s endeavors for achieving creativity include increasing flexibility in the national curriculum, developing teachers’ creativity by improving teacher education, and establishing supporting systems such as online information websites and teaching and learning materials. However, these efforts have been inadequate for an authentic transformation of schools. This study recommends that the government should emphasize creativity education through subject matter, support teacher-driven development of teaching materials, define student creativity as an ultimate goal of teacher creativity, and cultivate a co-operative and communicative school culture.