This book examines the political, ideological, and socio-cultural politics underlying the 2009 National Multicultural Curriculum Reform and recent multicultural education policies in South Korea. Unlike the conservative groups in Western countries who argue that supporting cultural diversity and the cultural rights of minority groups balkanizes ethnic differences and divides the community, the New Rights and the conservative groups in South Korea have been very supportive of multicultural discourses and practices and have created many multicultural policy agendas geared toward ushering in what have they called "the multicultural era." Through the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of government multicultural policy documents, a range of media sources, the 2009 national curriculum reform policy documents, and the 200 Korean language arts textbooks from 23 textbook publishers, Multicultural Education in South Korea: Language, ideology, and culture in Korean language arts education examines how the conservative Korean government’s interpretation and practices of multiculturalism have been infiltrated and challenged by progressive and migrant-led agents/agencies. The analysis of academic, official, and popular discourses on migrant Others is focused on, but not limited to: "The multicultural era" and struggles for hegemonic power; Politics of multicultural knowledge control in education and society; Formation of discourses on multicultural society and multicultural education; Examining the national curriculum: The politics of representing migrant Others; and The hidden curriculum of multicultural education: Limitations and possibilities. The author’s insightful discussion on the politics of knowledge, education, and teaching in multicultural societies will prove particularly useful to policy makers, think-tank officials, and academic scholars in education.

The focus of this edited volume is on immigration’s effect on schooling and the consequential aspect of illegal immigration’s effect. To understand immigration (legal and undocumented) and K-16 education in Asia, Europe, and the US is to situate both within the broader context of globalization. This volume presents a timely and poignant analysis of the historical, legal, and demographic issues related to immigration with implications for education and its interdisciplinary processes. Arguments based on theories of globalization, socialization, naturalization, and xenophobia are provided as a conceptual foundation to assess such issues as access to and use of public services, e.g., public education, health, etc. Additional discussions center around the social, political, and economic forces that shape the social/cultural identities of this population as it tries to integrate into the larger society. The long-term causes and consequences of global immigration dynamics, and the multiple paths taken by immigrants, especially children, wishing to study are addressed. Summary discussion concludes the volume as well as projections with respect to links between immigration and key national security and international policy issues. Education can and must play an important role in a world that is more global and at the same time more local than it was almost twenty years ago. This volume intends to serve as an ambitious guide to approaching the issues of immigration and education more globally.

This conceptually rich and empirically grounded book draws upon expertise from a panel of emerging and established international scholars to explore the institutionalization and effect of multicultural education on a global scale. Previous studies of multicultural education have largely ignored the significance of understanding the combination of multiple sociopolitical influences on multicultural education in both policy and practice. Filling this void, this book sheds light on the two main reasons for taking a “glocal” perspective on multicultural education. First, children should be provided with meaningful learning opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to live in a culturally and ethno-linguistically diverse society, where the distinction between the local and the global is becoming blurred. Second, understanding both the “global grammar” and the “local semantics” of multicultural education helps researchers and policy-makers grasp the whole picture of multicultural education as an evolving social construct and phenomenon. This new book provokes a new round of discussion and research to expand and enrich our inquiry into cultural diversity and educational inclusion.

Teachers in South Korean schools have begun to pay attention to the importance of multicultural education as Korea transforms into a multicultural society from a historically mono culture society. Because of Koreans' pride in the homogeneity of their race, language, and culture, multiculturalism is an idea that is hard for many to accept. Education needs to play a key role in fostering and retaining the value of diversity. Studies suggest that teachers' positive beliefs about diversity play a significant role to develop their multicultural competence and eventually to practice better multicultural education. The problem is little evidence exists in the literature about Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity. The purpose of this study was to examine South Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity, the factors that influence those beliefs, and the impact of those beliefs on their practice of multicultural education teaching. I used a mixed methods research approach which included surveys among a group of elementary teachers in South Korea and interviews with six teachers to examine their beliefs about diversity in more depth. Results indicated that for teachers in this study: (a) intercultural experiences positively influenced Korean teachers' beliefs about diversity; and (b) teachers' beliefs about diversity had a significant impact on their practice of multicultural teaching. Based on the findings, I suggest that teacher education programs provide meaningful intercultural experiences and support teachers to develop positive beliefs about diversity, and eventually, to practice better multicultural education in South Korea.

This handbook for educators and researchers consists of an unparalleled set of conceptual essays and empirical studies that advance new perspectives and build empirical ground on multicultural education issues from 10 different selected societies in Asia Pacific. This unique, edited book will be a solid resource particularly for graduate students, educators, and researchers involved in multicultural education, given its multiple balances in terms of 1) conceptual essays, empirical studies, and practical implications; 2) contributions from emerging scholars, established scholars, and leading scholars in the field; and 3) comprehensive coverage of key subareas in multicultural education. Given the growing need for in-depth understanding of multicultural education issues in the Asia Pacific region where we have witnessed increasing human mobility and interaction across countries and societies, this edited book is the only research-based handbook entirely focusing on multicultural education in Asia Pacific.

This edited volume offers a comprehensive survey of Korean education in transition. Divided into three parts, the book first assesses the current state of Korean education. It examines how the educational system handles the effects of family background and gender in helping students smoothly transition from school to the labor market. Next, the book introduces growing concerns over whether the traditional model of Korean education can adequately meet the demands of the emerging knowledge-based economy. It examines features of new reform measures that have been introduced to help Korean education prepare students for the new economy. The third part discusses how an influx of diverse migrant groups, including marriage migrants, migrant workers, and North Korean migrants, and the rising divorce rate — two major demographic changes— challenge the fundamental assumption of cultural homogeneity that has long been a part of Korean education. This detailed analysis of a society and educational system in transition will appeal to a wide range of readers, from those involved with Korean education to educators and administrators in countries currently looking for ways to handle their own economic and demographic changes.

This peer-reviewed academic yearbook stems from the inaugural meeting of the newly formed UNESCO UNITWIN network on Arts Education Research for Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, held at the National Institute of Education, Singapore in April 2017. It presents international scholarly perspectives on issues related to arts education and cultural diversity in terms of: i) national and international policies; ii) terms, concepts and vocabularies; iii) current and ongoing research; and iv) best practices. The UNESCO UNITWIN is an arts education research think tank that gathers and leverages original research and critical commentaries on the arts and sustainable development from UNITWIN member states and beyond (Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Hong Kong, Kenya, Korea, Israel, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, the Netherlands and the United States of America).

This groundbreaking book describes theory, research, and practice that can be used in civic education courses and programs to help students from marginalized and minoritized groups in nations around the world attain a sense of structural integration and political efficacy within their nation-states, develop civic participation skills, and reflective cultural, national, and global identities.

"A collection of essays on ethnic and cultural diversity in the Korean peninsula, focusing on South Korea, including monoethnic, nationalist ideology and multiculturalism as ideology and practice, the history of migration and diaspora, transnational adoption, and interracial and interethnic relations"--

"Using both case studies and thematic essays, this volume examines the pre-colonial traditions, colonial legacies, and post-colonial ideologies that influence contemporary debates on multiculturalism in the region. It explores the areas of convergence and divergence between these different perspectives, and the extent to which they provide viable frameworks for managing ethnic and religious diversity in the region."--BOOK JACKET.