Educational reform and teacher resistance: A case from South Korea

Many governments use educational reforms to bring out social changes, however, some teachers may see them irrelevant to their students or themselves. This paper explores teachers’ resistance against a pedagogic reform in South Korea. Ideas for the Teaching English in English reform were borrowed from ‘native-English-speaking countries’ and implemented without systematic localization, therefore, it was not surprising that teachers resisted it. Drawing on works by Michel Foucault and James Scott, the paper highlights the potential impact of subtle, low-profile resistance on the course of a reform. Thus, it contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of teachers’ resistance against educational reforms.