Yun, Taeyoung;
(2025)
“Self-Appraisal System”, a Key for Autonomy or a Technology of Governmentality?: A Case Study on Accountability Policy and Power in Education in South Korea.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This research raises a critical question about a policy shift within the accountability context in South Korean schools, specifically in the local educational government of Gyeonggi-do: whether the Schools’ Self-Appraisal System (hereafter SSAS), which started in 2009, was a true means of teacher empowerment with enhanced autonomy or an evolved method of control through different and complex approaches to power exertion under neo-liberal governmentality. To answer this question, the study addresses teachers’ perceptions, practices, and self-translation regarding autonomy, control, subjectivity, and professionalism under the current accountability policy, represented by the SSAS. The thesis argues that the SSAS is a technology of neo-liberal governmentality, alongside other current performative accountability measures, and supports this argument with evidence of practical changes in policy enactment, focusing on how autonomy, surveillance, and accountability contribute to the strengthening of power and government. This core thesis is supported by empirical data collected from a case study that interviewed 16 teachers from 4 different primary and secondary schools and 2 current and past policymakers and theoretical discussions on how the SSAS operates with diverse political technologies, tactics, strategies, and techniques regarding teacher autonomy, surveillance, and accountability. It also examines the consequences or changes in terms of teacher professionalism and subjectivity, using concepts and explanations on power from Michel Foucault, such as bio-power, pastoral power and governmentality. After thorough examination, I conclude that the SSAS is an extension of political control, specifically the technology of neo-liberal governmentality, which is more intricate and effective in addressing the modern and post-modern neo-liberal teacher population in Korean educational settings, making overall accountability more complex and discursive.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | “Self-Appraisal System”, a Key for Autonomy or a Technology of Governmentality?: A Case Study on Accountability Policy and Power in Education in South Korea |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en). 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 Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education > IOE - Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10218937 |
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