A Strategy for Community Small-school Activation through a Case Study: Focusing on the experiences of small - school teachers in Gyeongsangnam-do province

Abstract

Objectives Agricultural, mountainous and fishing villages realistically have to worry about the existence of schools due to the decrease in the school-age population and the movement of students to urban schools. Small-schools in the old city center are also closing down. The specific reasons for the occurrence of small-schools could be so different that they might include whether the reason is because of the natural trend of population decline, the migration phenomenon caused by changes in industrial conditions, poor educational conditions in the region which cause residents to leave, or leaving because they couldn't make ends meet. Therefore, the small-school activation strategy should be approached differently according to the conditions and circumstances of the school and community. In addition, increasing the school satisfaction of teachers currently working in small-schools and the educational satisfaction of students and parents can be a major factor in small-school activation.
 Methods To this end, first this study analyzed the operation plan and curriculum of the school for the year, and surveyed teachers' perceptions, experiences, and opinions about small-school. To grasp the actual circumstances of various small-schools, when selecting schools for the study, they were divided into urban type (including schools located in myeon although they belong to city districts in terms of administrative division) and rural type, and the school size was also divided into various sizes ranging from less than 20 to about 180 students. The first survey was conducted targeting the teachers of the six selected schools, and based on the survey results, an interview survey was conducted focusing on questions to know in depth. The survey was conducted on all teachers of six schools, and 47 out of 66 teachers who responded to the survey showed a response rate of about 72.3%. Nine out of 47 respondents were managers.
 Results When considering the developmental stage of students in elementary school, the activities that can be directly felt and manipulated with body such as experimentation, observation, and play, etc. are needed. Through these activities, students' creativity can be increased, and when doing these activities, the learning effect can be higher. Small-school showed high satisfaction of parents not only in the educational effects of regular classes but also in various after-school classes. This is to keep in mind the possibility of operating a curriculum based on the concept of a grade system that is not tied to the school level, and it will need to be more activated in the future.
 Conclusions In order for small-schools to be activated, classes, education, internalization of justice, and strengthening of basic academic skills should be preceded. Second, it is necessary to analyze policies to improve the workload of teachers in small-schools and the environment in which it is difficult to concentrate on teaching. Third, it is necessary to discuss the promotion of exchange between teachers and the connection between school levels (elementary-middle-high school). Fourth, a local education community (local education ecosystem) should be established to overcome regional problems and coexist with schools and regions.