Early childhood education in Korea: discrepancy between national kindergarten curriculum and practices

Abstract

This study examines to what extent the Korean National Kindergarten Curriculum has actually influenced pre‐school practices. This study explores the characteristics of the National Kindergarten Curriculum as it is implemented in Korea. It also examines pre‐school teachers' perceptions, daily practice and the curriculum content in pre‐school settings in Korea. This study shows that despite a child centred Korean National Curriculum and the teachers' beliefs, the actual practices in the pre‐schools are significantly different from child‐centred philosophies.