Today, amid the crisis of regional extinction caused by a rapid decline in the school-age population, the joint curriculum is garnering attention as a measure to supplement the educational capacity of small schools. However, existing research has pred...
Today, amid the crisis of regional extinction caused by a rapid decline in the school-age population, the joint curriculum is garnering attention as a measure to supplement the educational capacity of small schools. However, existing research has predominantly focused on verifying policy effectiveness or suggesting institutional improvements, failing to sufficiently illuminate the experiences and inner growth of teachers who actually bridge the gap and create practice within a trend emphasizing field autonomy. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experience of a Head Teacher who planned and operated a joint curriculum for two years and eight months in a small elementary school in a remote island area of Jeollanam-do, within the policy environment of the Jeollanam-do Office of Education that supports autonomous design tailored to school contexts, using autoethnography, and to deeply reveal its educational significance.
To this end, this study established the following research questions. First, what did the Head Teacher experience in the process of operating the joint curriculum in a small elementary school in Jeollanam-do? Second, what are the implications of the Head Teacher's experience in operating the joint curriculum?
The researcher collected diverse qualitative data, including reflective journals, recall records, official documents, and interview data, and derived core themes by analyzing them in depth according to the procedures of Thematic Analysis. The major research results are as follows.
First, the researcher inevitably faced the joint curriculum amidst a strange environment due to the rotation system and the crisis of population extinction. Initially, the researcher participated as a developer for the regional unit and produced materials but experienced limitations in their utilization in the field. This served as an opportunity to shift identity from a developer to an operator helping colleagues' implementation. In this process, the researcher reserved the personal desire to conduct classes directly and internalized public accountability to create an environment where fellow teachers could focus solely on instruction.
Second, as an operator, the researcher structured and practiced three types: 'Intra-school Multi-age', 'Inter-school Linkage', and 'Village Linkage', and unified scattered cooperative activities into a single curriculum system. In the intra-school multi-age model, the researcher alleviated teachers' anxiety and fostered a collaborative culture, while in the inter-school linkage, schedule and budget conflicts were coordinated by paralleling formal and informal communication. In addition, in the village linkage operation, efforts were made to select and adjust local resources to secure educational quality and safety, overcoming the limitations of simple experiential consumption.
Third, in the process of operating the joint curriculum, the Head Teacher functioned as a professional performing multi-layered roles beyond a simple administrative manager. The roles of a 'Planner' promoting teachers' agency, a 'Facilitator' supporting practice through the standardization of administrative procedures and unification of projects, and a 'Mediator' leading relational and structural conflicts to educational consensus were revealed.
Fourth, it was confirmed that an institutional basis capable of overcoming the dedication and burnout of specific individuals is essential for the sustainability of the joint curriculum. The researcher integrated and formalized individually operated cooperative activities into the school education plan, introduced standardized operation plans, and prepared a foundation to institutionally settle voluntary practices, such as providing incentives to participating teachers through the Personnel Advisory Committee.
In conclusion, it was confirmed that the joint curriculum of small schools is not simply applying a given program, but a dynamic process co-created through conflict and cooperation among teachers, students, and the local community. This study shows the process of a Head Teacher growing into a 'Leader of Professional Practice' beyond an administrator and suggests that collaborative school culture and structural/institutional support to reduce teachers' workload must be supported for the stable operation of the joint curriculum.