Making Use of Old and New: Korean Early Childhood Education in the Global Context

Abstract

This article focuses on Korean early childhood education in the global and postcolonial context. Special attention is paid to Western and traditional beliefs and practices of childhood education projected by the postings on the walls of an early childhood institution in Korea. Three major features found on the walls of the early childhood institution – that is, collective postings, socially appropriate practices, and rules for self-regulation – are interpreted in terms of the layers of educational practices that consist of Korean early childhood education. This article discusses how Korean early childhood education ‘consumes' the outside influences in order to increase its educational competitiveness in the global context, while maintaining traditional educational practices.