Contradiction, mediation, and school change: An analysis of the pedagogical practices in the Hyukshin School in South Korea

Abstract

This article analyzes the pedagogical practices of an emerging school change project in South Korea called the Hyukshin School movement. Using Yrjo Engestrom's cultural historical activity theory and Basil Bernstein's framework of pedagogical practice as theoretical lenses, we investigate experiences of this school change project to answer research questions regarding the contradictions teachers perceive in their pedagogical practices, the mediational tools they use and how they learn through school change experiences. The data were obtained through interviews with participating teachers, observations, and other meaningful artifacts. Teachers in this movement view test-driven competition-based pedagogy as the main contradiction that obstructs democratic and collaborative education. In response to this contradiction, teachers in Hyukshin Schools have created various mediation tools, such as a new school vision, a U-shaped seating arrangement, collaborative school rule-making, and a whole-school approach to the sharing of classroom teaching. Our findings in this study help outline the relationship between teachers' learning through new practices and school change activity.