Park, Dahn Bee;
(2024)
A Critical Exploration of the Intersection of Korean Culture with the Policy of
Affirmative Action for Students with
Disabilities in Tertiary Education.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This study is one of the first to give a perspective on the current education system by a person with lived experience of acquiring a disability while attending a Korean university. With this insider knowledge and experience of Korean culture and its education system, I am well positioned to address the conflicting values regarding the current policy of affirmative action within the Korean education system. South Korea has developed a distinctive economy in just 70 years since its independence from the colonial period (1910-1945) and the Korean War (1950-1953). Its education system is highly regarded. However, there is a looming demographic shift, and South Korea now faces a rapidly decreasing birth rate and an ageing population, which is impacting on the education system – particularly at university level. In 1995, South Korea introduced a form of affirmative action for students with disabilities when applying for university. This policy conflicts with many of the values deeply entrenched in South Korean culture, which are based on Confucianism and meritocracy (Chang, 2016; Ma, 2021). Through this research, I explored how these values can be seen to conflict with the policy of affirmative action, with its focus on increasing opportunities for more disadvantaged students, including disabled students, to enter university, whilst at the same time, addressing the growing gaps in numbers of students attending university. This raises questions around how aspirations around equity and inclusion align with entrenched social values. In order to explore this, I applied a Critical Disability Studies lens to better understand the impact of affirmative action on students with disabilities in contemporary Korea. I explored their experiences, as well as those of the staff in university disability support centres and professionals working in this field. The analysis found that affirmative action for students with disabilities in the Korean culture highlighted a number of key issues and challenges, such as isolation, and/or the need to hide their disabilities. This research revealed that countries considering undertaking such action need to take into account consider the context of history, culture, and developmental progress.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | A Critical Exploration of the Intersection of Korean Culture with the Policy of Affirmative Action for Students with Disabilities in Tertiary Education |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2024. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10198361 |
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