The Korean national curriculum for physical education: a shift from edge to central subject

Background: Within the last half century, the Korean national curriculum has undergone seven periods of reform, each at intervals of just 6–8 years. The most recent ‘seventh curriculum’ was developed in 1997, and implemented in schools from 2001. Continual curriculum change has been driven by national and social needs, keeping in line with the philosophical and theoretical positions popular in the field of education. The main theme for the seventh curriculum that sets it apart from previous curriculum reform is it is a ‘differentiated curriculum.'

Purpose: This study is intended to reflect and analyze the historical change of the Korean National Curriculum for Physical Education (KNCPE) over the past 60 years, covering the first through to the seventh curriculum reform phases, and then to propose the shaping and future directions of physical education (PE) national curriculum in Korea in a context of demonstrable global academic achievement among other neoliberal concerns.

Discussion and conclusions: Fifteen years have passed since the inception of this ‘new’ curriculum. A number of studies have been conducted to investigate its educational effects. Nevertheless, the results are unclear and many problems exist in this area. First, PE is still regarded as a minor subject area compared with other subjects such as mathematics or science. Second, major philosophies and principles employed to construct the framework for movement activities are heavily based on Western concepts and approaches. And lastly, many students are still physically unfit and passive in their daily life suggesting that the curriculum messages have not been effective. Now, further change is needed to refocus the PE curriculum, arguing that PE in Korea is at a curriculum cross-roads.