Making Sense of Schooling during COVID-19: Crisis as Opportunity in Korean Schools

Abstract

This article explores how policy actors in South Korea understand and make meaning of school-related policies responding to COVID-19. Using sensemaking and crisis theory as a framework and informed by literature on policy culture, we analyzed qualitative data collected from interviews with teachers, educational leaders, and parents. The findings show that our participants initially thought the crisis situation would “just pass,” but they experienced “fear” and “chaos” when online and hybrid classes were implemented. After adopting unexpected policy changes to cope with the spread of COVID-19, participants sought shared responsibility to overcome the crisis. In addition, our participants made meaning of the crisis as an opportunity to transform schools, suggesting that COVID-19 catalyzed democracy, innovation, and equity in Korean school education. We conclude this article with a discussion on the role of crisis in sensemaking and the importance of national policy culture and sociohistorical contexts in shaping policy actors’ meaning making, extending comparative perspectives in education.