Path-dependency or path-shaping? An analysis of the policy to target exam-orientation in South Korea

Abstract

This article draws upon Torfing’s dialectics of path-shaping and path-dependency to shed light on the persistent challenge faced by the policymakers to reduce academic burden in Korea. It is argued that the policy agenda to promote a more all-encompassing form of education reflects the path-shaping motivation of the Ministry of Education to modify the existing stable path of exam-orientation. In the course of enacting the policy to target exam-orientation, path-dependency is manifested through a paradoxical increase in exam pressure and perpetuation of the students’ dependence on private tutoring. Furthermore, both path-shaping and path-dependency are evident in the strategy of Korean educators to devise teaching approaches that synthesise indigenous and foreign ideals and practices. The example of Korea testifies to the formation of a dominant policy path due to the complex interplay between official rhetoric, local histories, socio-cultural norms on teaching and learning, and major policy actors.