Social Studies Teachers’ Gatekeeping in the Teaching of North Korea: Implications for Citizenship Education

This paper explores Korean social studies teachers` pedagogical approaches toward the teaching of North Korea. By analyzing qualitative data collected from in-depth interviews with exemplary high school teachers, this study illustrates how those particular teachers viewed North Korea and how they constructed the image of North Korea for their pedagogical purposes. The pedagogical consequences of several common dilemmas the teachers face with regard to the teaching of North Korea are discussed. The implications of the study are profound not only in understanding the nature of socio-political construction of social studies knowledge by the role of teacher as curricular and instructional gatekeeper (Thornton, 1991), but also in promoting comparative insights in the field of citizenship education.