PROPOSAL FOR A CULTURALLY AND ETHNICALLY INCLUSIVE CURRICULUM DESIGN IN KOREAN DANCE HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Korea is undergoing a rapid transformation into a multiethnic society because of the influx of migrants (Kim, 2008; Han, 2007). In response, efforts to adopt multiculturalism gathered by the Korean government, and the field of education has not been an exception. (Lee & Kim, 2012; Chung 2012). While many efforts have been made to integrate multiculturalism into education, multicultural dance education programs at undergraduate institutions are non-existent or underdeveloped. This study proposes a multicultural dance education program to be considered for implementation as a required course for dance education students at undergraduate institutions in the near future. “Multicultural” in Korea has several meanings: 1) multi-race 2) minority culture 3) diverse (Ahn 2012). In this study, I use the term, a “multicultural” to refer to multiethnic people who migrated to Korea. The term “multicultural students” was used in this study to describe students who are immigrants or children of immigrants from the following groups: 1) migrant workers 2) marriage-based migrants, 3) ethnic Chinese, and 4) North Korean defectors. The purpose of the study is to develop a university dance education program that reflects the increasing diversity of the Korean population and should be a required course for education students. My intention in designing this curriculum is to help future dance teachers to be culturally and ethnically responsive to the student population in their classes. Specifically, my research explores the following questions: What aspects need to be included in a dance education curriculum so that it reflects the increasingly diverse population in Korean education? This research question is addressed through the following sub-questions: How has Korean dance education developed historically from 1945 to 2015? What are some of the social, cultural, and educational factors that inform the development of a multicultural dance curriculum in dance education? What are some of the core concepts and values that need to be embedded in dance pedagogy that reflect both traditional Korean aesthetic values and the value systems of diverse migrant and ethnic minority populations? This dissertation is a qualitative research that examines how university undergraduate dance education programs in Korea can reflect the increasing diversity of the student population in their curricula. This study employs two methods: questionnaires for dance teachers in school settings and semi-structured interviews with key persons in Korean dance education and Korean multicultural education. In addition, this study outlines historical context of dance education in Korea from 1945 to 2016, focusing on major events, key persons, and influential institutions and organizations and give overview of current and recent Korean government legislation and policy documents alongside multicultural movements that have influenced dance education in Korea. Some of the themes that emerged from the questionnaires include: Learning Attitudes of Multicultural Students, Facing Linguistic Challenges, Dance as a Medium of Communication, Communication through In-depth Discussion and Understanding, Integrated Ways of Teaching, and Finding Commonalities between Cultures. In addition, the themes that emerged throughout the interviews are Education through ‘Hŭng,’ Teaching Korean Dance in a Global Context, The Importance of the Teacher’s Role as a Cultural Facilitator, and Multicultural Curriculum as Awareness Education for All. All of these findings give insight toward developing a multicultural dance education course to foster students’ understanding of Korean aesthetical values and concepts within traditional dance, especially among multicultural students. Throughout this study, I developed a multicultural dance education course for undergraduate dance students based on three components: Bennett’s multicultural education theory, findings from questionnaires and interviews, and two major Korean dance standards: the 2015 Revised Korean National Curriculum of Physical Education and the 2014 Development of Teaching-Learning Plan of Culture and Arts Education (Dance). The goals of this proposed course were developed based on Bennett’s six goals and this course will incorporate dance studies and dance movement every week with readings, writings, and discussion. This sequence of class is based on strategies such as “in-depth communication”, “beyond dance technique”, “finding commonalities between cultures”, and “through ‘Hung’” which come from my questionnaire and interview findings.