2.1 Definition of the Concept of Teacher Policies

In South Korea, teacher policies often emphasize micro-specific policies, such as teacher performance pay and the open recruitment system for principals. There is relatively less research on macro-teacher policies. Although there is no consensus on the exact definition of "teacher policy," common points include:

The goal is to improve education quality by attracting outstanding talents, enhancing teachers’ professionalism, and encouraging long-term teaching careers. Teacher policies, based on relevant national laws and regulations, include personnel management systems designed to improve teachers’ professionalism and quality of life.

In this study, teacher policies refer to the relevant personnel administration systems formulated, implemented, and evaluated "for teachers" and "about teachers" to enhance their professionalism and improve their education and life quality (refer to Table 1).

2.2 Definition of Teacher Policy Fields

There is no consensus on the specific content of teacher policies in South Korea. "For the Teachers" policies focus on improving the quality of education and living for teachers, enhancing job satisfaction through working conditions, compensation, welfare, principal-teacher relationships, and participation in decision-making, among other aspects. Based on OECD’s education indicators, teacher policies can be divided into six domains: teacher training system, in-service training system, teacher selection arrangements, teacher support system, promotion system, and compensation and evaluation system.

In "Education Personnel Administration Theory," Seo Jeong-hwa proposed that teacher policy includes training, qualifications,employment arrangements, evaluation, promotion, transfer, further education, compensation system, working conditions, and welfare benefits. In the "Handbook of Korean Educational Administration Studies," Jeon Jae-sang suggested similar categories. Shin Hyun-Seok divides teacher policy into three domains: the pre-service stage, the in-service stage, and the working environment. This study adopts Shin’s classification, dividing teacher policies into pre-service and in-service stages.

This study divides teacher policies into pre-service and in-service stages based on previous research. Pre-service policies include teacher training, educational internships, recruitment, and supply. In-service policies include teacher qualifications, allocation, promotion, professional skills, evaluation, further education, compensation and benefits, rights and obligations, organization, and gender ratio (refer to Table 2).

3.1 Case Section and Data Sources

There are no academic journals dedicated explicitly to studying teacher policies in South Korea. Research on teacher policies mainly focuses on the field of education. This study selected five high-credibility KCI academic journals for analysis: Journal of Educational Administration Research, Korean Journal of Teacher Education Research, Journal of Educational Policy Studies, Journal of Educational Research, and Korean Education.

3.2 Data Analysis Techniques

To ensure transparency and rigor in the analysis, the following methods were employed: Qualitative Analysis: Content analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes, policy frameworks, and theoretical perspectives in the selected papers. Key policy directions and their evolution over time were analyzed by examining the abstracts, conclusions, and policy recommendations of the papers. Temporal Analysis: The papers were grouped into time periods (e.g., 1995–2000, 2001–2010, 2011–2021) to track changes in research focus and methodology over time. The influence of the 5.31 Education Reform was assessed by identifying how often its principles were referenced or critiqued in later studies. Statistical Trends: The increase in qualitative research was calculated by comparing the proportion of qualitative studies in earlier periods (e.g., 1995–2000) to later periods (e.g., 2011–2021). Descriptive statistics (e.g., percentages, averages) were used to summarize the distribution of research topics and methodologies. By combining these techniques, the study provides a comprehensive and transparent analysis of teacher policy research in South Korea, highlighting key trends and methodological shifts over time. The analysis covers teacher policy papers from 1995 to 2021, starting with the 5.31 Education Reform, considered the first year of education reform in South Korea. Despite significant changes in the education system and settings, the policy direction and framework of the 5.31 Education Reform remain influential. A total of 1792 papers related to teacher policies were collected from the five academic journals through the first round of screening (refer to Table 3).

From these papers, the final analysis objects were selected based on the following criteria: 1) papers that, althou gh not titled or themed "teacher policy," were about teacher policies; 2) papers about teacher policies for middle sc hool teachers, excluding those for preschool and higher education teachers; 3) exclusion of irrelevant survey studi es related to teacher policies; 4) when it was not possible to determine whether the paper was related to teacher po licy, judgment was made based on the laws on which the policy paper was based, such as the "Education Public Se rvants Act/Enforcement Ordinance, Qualification Review and Implementation Regulations, Education Public Serv ants Appointment Ordinance, Education Public Servants Promotion Regulations, Teacher Training Related Regula tions and Implementation," etc.; 5) reference to the policies of the School Innovation Policy Department of the Mi nistry of Education. Through this process, 352 papers were selected for analysis (refer to Table 3).

3.3 Analysis Content and Basis

The common standards for analyzing research trends from previous studies include research objectives, topics, and methods. Based on these common standards, additional criteria are added as needed. The analysis content standards and their bases for this study are as follows (refer to Table 4).

Firstly, the period for the study of teacher policies is set from the 5.31 Education Reform in 1995 as the starting point, and different government periods are used as the standard for classification. Considering that 1995 ended the civilian government, it is combined with the national government period. Considering the situation of the Park Geun-hye government, it is combined with the Moon Jae-in government. Therefore, this study divides teacher policies into four periods: 1995-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2012, and 2013-2022. Secondly, the research objectives are divided into theoretical research and applied research. In "The Journal of Educational Administration Research" and "The Korean Journal of Teacher Education Research," most teacher policy papers are applied research to solve practical problems. Therefore, this study divides teacher policy research into theoretical and applied research. Applied research is further divided into studies on the status of teacher policies and studies on improvement plans for teacher policies. Third, the research topics involve the classification of research objects or research content. In the field of educational management, it is expected to study research problems based on research topics. Based on Shen Xianshuo’s classification, this study divides teacher policies into pre-service stage, in-service stage, and compound themes. The pre-service stage is divided into teacher training, internships, recruitment, and supply. The in-service stage is divided into teacher qualifications, teacher allocation, teacher promotion, teacher duties, teacher evaluation, teacher training, teacher compensation and benefits, teacher rights and obligations, teacher organizations, gender ratios, etc. Compound themes refer to common themes that are present in both pre-service and in-service stages. Fourth, from previous studies, research methods mainly include literature, quantitative, qualitative, and mixed research. This study further divides literature research, quantitative research, and qualitative research. Literature research is divided into literature review, model/theory, and legal analysis. Quantitative research is divided into technical, intermediate, and advanced statistics. Qualitative research is divided into interviews, observations, and narrative records.

4.1 The Trends Analysis of The Research Objectives of Teacher Policies

In South Korea, the purpose of teacher policy research can be roughly divided into theoretical research and applied research. Theoretical research mainly involves introducing, developing, and validating teacher policy theories. Applied research primarily consists in analyzing the current situation of teacher policies and improving plans and developing and exploring the direction of teacher policy models (see Table 5). Research on the application of teacher policies far exceeds theoretical research. The primary purpose of theoretical research on teacher policy is to explain, interpret, and predict the policy environment and implementation process. In the research on the application of teacher policies, most studies focus on analyzing the current situation of teacher policy implementation and the improvement of plans (237 articles, 67.3%). Among them, the open recruitment system for principals, the performance-based salary system for teachers, and the chief teacher system are influential teacher policies. The remaining 89 articles (25.3%) belong to the exploration of teacher policy models and directions. Research on teacher training and on-the-job training models, teacher job standards, and trends in teacher supply and demand.

4.2 The Analysis Trends of The Research Theme of Teacher Policies in South Korea

After analyzing the five selected academic journals, there were 94 studies on teacher policies in the pre-service stage and 230 studies in the post-service stage ((refer to Table 6). From the perspective of teacher policy research topics, teacher evaluation research has the most, with 64 articles (18.2%). After the education reform on May 31, 1995, teacher policies such as teacher competency development evaluation and teacher performance-based salary reform were introduced into school settings. These policies have caused much controversy on campus, and scholars have actively studied them. In addition, there are 52 studies on teacher training (14.8%), 45 studies on teacher training (12.8%), 28 studies on composite themes (8.0%), and 25 studies on teacher promotion (7.1%). This indicates that researchers are very interested in teacher training, teacher training, and teacher promotion. On the contrary, there are relatively few studies on the gender ratio of teachers (2 articles, 0.6%), teacher allocation (5 articles, 1.4%), teacher compensation and benefits (11 articles, 3.1%), and teacher recruitment (12 articles, 3.4%).

To understand the thematic trends in teacher policy research, selected papers will be statistically analyzed according to different government periods (refer to Table 7). In 1995, the Wenmin Government passed the 5.31 education reform and prepared specific reform plans based on new education. However, most educational reforms were officially implemented by the Nationalist government. Researchers often analyze the trends in teacher policy research during the periods of the "civil government" and the "national government." The teacher policy research during the Lee Myung Bak government (105 articles) and participating government (100 articles) was the most active. Based on the logic of participation, the government has made significant adjustments to teacher personnel policies, such as the open recruitment system for principals and the chief teacher system. The Lee Myung Bak government has officially introduced a school-teacher evaluation system. These are directly related to teachers’ performance, salary level, and payment ratio, making them the focus of controversy in teacher policies, and related research is also very active.

4.3 "The Civil Government Era (1995-2002)"

After the 5 ·31 Education Reform in 1995, the civilian government issued four education reform bills. The first and third bills were mainly about teacher reform. The first reform bill (May 31st, 1995) aimed to "cultivate high- quality teachers," proposing reforms to the teacher training and research system, the ability-centered promotion and salary system, and creating an educational environment and efficient working conditions for teachers. The third reform bill (August 20th, 1996) aimed to "invigorate the teacher policy reform of the teacher society," proposing reforms to the teacher quality training system, the feasibility and scientific nature of the teacher employment examination, the diversification and openness of teacher sources, the institutional reform to improve teachers’ professionalism, and the reform of teacher salary and welfare system.

During the period of the Civil Government, teacher policies were characterized as follows:

First, the retirement age of teachers was shortened. In January 1999, the government adopted the economic logic of "each reduction of one senior teacher can employ 2.6 new teachers ” and shortened the retirement age of teachers from 65 to 62. This led to an imbalance between teacher supply and demand and teacher training. Second, the legalization of teachers’ unions. To comply with international labor standards and protect the fundamental rights of teachers, the government promulgated the "Teachers’ Union Law" in 1999, established various teacher organizations, and established a national teaching staff union. Third, the "Five-Year Education Development Plan" (1999.6) was introduced. With the goal of "building a teacher society full of sense of achievement and pride," it proposed establishing an excellent teacher training system centered on school sites, establishing a flexible and open employment system, improving the efficiency of faculty workforce and job management, establishing a personnel and salary system centered on competence and performance, and establishing a lifelong training system for teachers to improve their rights and professionalism. Fourth, the "Comprehensive Education Development Plan" (2001.7) was promulgated. It proposed goals such as "creating a social atmosphere of respecting teachers and valuing education, improving teachers’ treatment and working conditions, and enhancing the professional status of teachers as professionals." Regional hearings were held to allow teachers’ organizations to participate in discussions on policy details. It was difficult for teachers’ organizations to reach a consensus on teacher training and qualification system reforms, such as the chief teacher system and teacher graduate degree training system, as well as promotion and evaluation system reforms. Fifth, discussions on teacher performance pay began. To introduce competition mechanisms into the teaching system, the Ministry of Education first proposed performance pay in 1995 and piloted it in 1998. In 2001, it began implementing a pay-for-performance system for teachers. In addition, it passed relevant teacher policies such as "Education Outlook 2002: New Education Creation" (1998), "Education Conditions Improvement Promotion Plan" (2001.7), and "Public Education Enrichment Countermeasures" (2002.3).

From the perspective of teacher policy research in this period, the characters are as follows:

Firstly, research on "teacher training" (20 articles, 27.4%) was the most active. Drawing on advanced teacher training experience from abroad was the main feature of this period. Based on the teacher training experience of Japan, France, and Australia, it was proposed that Korean teacher education institutions need to establish specific teacher goals and effective training strategies. Administrative and financial support, as well as international infrastructure construction, are required. In the long run, the teacher education system needs to be thoroughly reformed to improve the competitiveness of public education and respond to social changes and globalization needs [1].

Based on the experience of teacher training in Germany, it is proposed that teacher training is a national responsibility. The Ministry of Education should promulgate teacher training and educational regulations; teacher qualification examinations should be national examinations. Teacher training is divided into two stages. The first stage is completed at university and ends with the first national examination, focusing on whether the candidate has the knowledge and ability to cope with future teaching. The second stage is preparatory service or internship, which lasts for two years (sometimes one and a half years) to cultivate teachers’ practical abilities. At the end of the internship,a second national examination is conducted [2].

Based on the international comparative study of the teacher training system of the OECD (ITP), it is proposed that the teacher training system in South Korea should develop national professional standards to ensure the continuity and coherence of teacher training, research, assessment, and promotion systems. The speed and intensity of teacher training system reform should be further increased. More interest groups need to participate in reforming and operating the teacher training system [3].

Secondly, the research on "teacher organizations" (9 articles, 12.3%) was more active than in other periods. This is related to the law on establishing teacher unions passed by the National Assembly in January 1999. Some studies have examined the relationship between relevant laws on teacher organizations and teacher organization systems based on the Basic Law of Education, the Teachers’ Protection Law, and the Teachers’ Union Law. They pointed out that most teacher organization systems are temporary systems formulated based on relevant decrees, which lack internal consistency with relevant decrees, and it is necessary to rectify the teacher organization system [4].

On the other hand, with the shortening of the retirement age for teachers, the legalization of teachers’ unions, the five-year plan for education development, and the comprehensive plan for education development, various teacher policies have been promoted, which have caused concern about teachers’ "rights and obligations" (7 articles, 9.6%). Some studies have researched teachers’ educational rights. It is pointed out that since the 5.31 Education Reform, due to the imbalance of rights between students, parents, and teachers, the contradiction between teachers and parents has increased. From the education perspective, the right to corporal punishment has been retained, but the implementation details are unclear, resulting in a sharp increase in teacher infringement. The Basic Law of Education and the Teachers’ Protection Law provide for teachers’ educational rights, but specific measures are lacking. It is necessary to draw on the legislative enlightenment of the United States and Britain, clarify the positioning of academic rights, and formulate the rights relationship between education parties. A study surveyed more than 5,000 teachers nationwide to examine their understanding of their rights and obligations. It was pointed out that teachers generally require autonomy in education, reduced unnecessary administrative work, and objective and fair treatment by society. Teacher evaluation has created more job insecurity for teachers; improving educational competence is a crucial way to enhance their status [5].

Thirdly, with the introduction of teacher performance pay in 1998 and the implementation of teacher performance pay grades in 2001, the issue of teacher performance pays and teacher evaluation has attracted widespread attention. The teacher performance pay system has introduced a teacher competition mechanism, promoted teachers’ professional development, and improved education quality. However, this long-term comprehensive system lacks objective and fair evaluation criteria. On the other hand, this system maybe abused to control teachers and promote excessive competition. A competition-based teacher performance pay system, if only beneficial to some teachers, cannot improve the overall quality of teacher education, weakening teachers ’will and colleagues’ relationships. On the other hand, there is little research on teacher allocation, teacher internship, teacher position, and teacher gender ratio.

4.4 The Participation Government Era (2003-2007)

During the period of Participation Government, the teacher policy inherited the tone of the 5.31 Education Reform and paid more attention to the fairness and publicity of teacher evaluation. Setting "realizing education reform and cultural power" as the blueprint for education reform, emphasizing enriching public education, expanding education welfare, improving teacher professionalism, and reforming the promotion system (Ministry of National Policy and Public Administration, 2008). In March 2003, the Roh Moo-hyun government proposed "reforming the teacher training, employment system, and promotion system." In February 2004, to avoid the loss of public-schoolteachers, the evaluation system for excellent teachers was introduced (Ministry of National Policy and Public Administration, 2008).

2006, the Education Innovation Committee proposed the "Teacher Policy Reform Plan." The plan proposed to optimize teacher training courses and selection systems to cultivate high-quality teachers. A competency-centered teacher promotion system and a public recruitment system for principals were introduced to establish a competency-centered personnel management system. To improve teachers’ teaching ability, the training quality management system was centralized to strengthen the teacher qualification and job training system (Education Innovation Committee, 2006).

From the perspective of teacher policy research in this period, the characteristics are as follows:

Firstly, teacher evaluation research (18 articles, 18%) is the most active. This is because the Roh Moo-hyun government has continued promoting the teacher performance pay policy and evaluation system. In 2003, the Ministry of Education commissioned the Education Development Institute to study the reform of the teacher evaluation and personnel systems. In 2004, the Ministry of Education also commissioned the "Korean Education Society, Korean Education Management Society, and Korean Education Evaluation Society" to conduct research related to teacher evaluation. 2005, the Ministry of Education selected and operated teacher evaluation demonstration schools [6]. For these reasons, the academic community has also actively researched teacher evaluation.

Some research has analyzed the policy dilemma of the teacher evaluation system and teacher performance pay system from five aspects: causes, values, alternative factors, executive factors, and policy response of policymakers, using the dilemma model as a framework. It is pointed out that these policies are influenced by the concept of neoliberalism, the trend of adopting these systems worldwide, and the requirements for teacher professionalization and high-quality education. The dilemma arises due to conflicts between policies and the original environment of the teacher profession. The dilemma is manifested as the opposition between external high-quality education values and teacher professional values; the difficulty of implementing a teacher performance pay system is more incredible than that of the teacher evaluation system. There is an incomplete internal consistency between the teacher evaluation and performance pay systems [7].

According to the professionalism of teachers, a study investigated the understanding of different educational subjects on the evaluation of teacher competency development in terms of evaluation field, evaluation subject, evaluation frequency, and evaluation result application. Regarding evaluation, teachers attach the most importance to "classroom activities," while students and parents attach the most importance to "educator’s quality and attitude." In terms of evaluation subject, teachers hold an equal proportion of approval and opposition to students’ participation in evaluation, but the approval proportion of students and parents far exceeds the opposition proportion; teachers oppose parents’ involvement in evaluation, but the approval proportion of students and parents far exceeds the opposition proportion. Regarding evaluation frequency, it is preferred to conduct once a year. Regarding evaluation result application, teachers and parents like "giving teachers opportunities for further education," while students prefer "giving teachers unqualified judgment" [8].

Research on teacher training (17 articles, 17%) is very active, especially research on intern training courses and educational internships. In intern training courses, some studies focus on the humanities and social fields, analyze the middle school teacher training curriculum, and propose countermeasures. The disputes in the training curriculum are summarized as follows: problems in the allocation of educational and professional credits, professional security issues in teacher training institutions, appropriateness issues in teacher selection, and willingness issues in government financial support. The problems in the training curriculum are summarized as follows: improper curriculum settings for professional education; weak curriculum in value judgment ability; insufficient curriculum in coping with educational informatization ability; and imperfect practical education curriculum. The countermeasures are as follows: enhancing the connotation of professional education courses, cultivating students’ value judgment ability, improving students’ adaptability to educational informatization, and allowing students to accumulate on-site learning experience.

Some research applies Cochran Smith and Fries’ framework for analyzing teacher training curricula, examining issues in general education, professional education, and teaching professional education courses from three dimensions: training, learning, and policy issues. Proposals are made to develop educational curricula that foster core competencies for future teachers, emphasizing the adaptability and connectivity to the academic field, the interconnectivity and integration among teacher training courses, and strengthening support for teacher educators.

In terms of the Educational Practice of interns, research has conducted occupational identity and maturity checks on students who participate in education internship courses at two universities in the northern region and conducted teaching stress tests before and after the education internship to understand the impact of education internship on interns’ willingness to join, as well as the relationship between the degree of desire to enter and the teaching pressure borne by the internship. The results show that educational internship experience helps interns establish their goals, prospects, and professional identity. Among the teaching pressures interns face, some factors are related to their professional identity and maturity. Strengthen the research on intern training courses and educational internships related to political participation. The reform of teacher training and employment system proposed by the government is closely related.

Thirdly, there are many studies on teacher training (11 articles, 11%). There is a lot of research on "distance training" targeted at teachers. For example, based on the analysis of the hierarchical structure of training projects, differentiated training levels, and diversified training methods for primary school teachers in Seoul, it is proposed that distance training for primary school teachers requires the development of personalized programs. Some studies divide distance learning learners into five types: "self-management-oriented learning strategies with goal-centered, collaborative learning-oriented learning strategies with communication-oriented, learning strategies with self-adjustment-centered learning strategies, model students with loyalty to the role of students as the center, and technology-centered learning management." Among them, most teachers believe that "self-regulation-centered learning strategies" are excellent distance learning learners. Some studies analyze the content of 1430 distance training courses operated by 54 distance education institutes nationwide from the perspective of teacher competency development and propose that distance training courses tend to focus on specific competency development such as "self-curriculum development," "teaching-learning theory, " "education guidance and counseling," etc. Different types of institutes have different critical training courses. Among the factors that affect teachers’ willingness to participate in distance training, the usefulness and the attitude of training teachers directly affect the effectiveness of distance training. The increase in research on teacher training is related to the Roh Moo-hyun government’s efforts to improve teacher professionalism and strengthen teacher qualification and job training.

4.5 Lee Myung-bak government era (2008-2012)

The Lee Myung-bak government promoted teacher policy reform by strengthening "self-discipline, diversity, and responsibility." Primary measures included amending relevant laws and improving teacher competency development and evaluation; introducing research and learning study year that matched teacher evaluation; expanding the chief teacher system and the open recruitment system for principals; and improving the teacher performance bonus system. From the perspective of teacher policy research in this period, its characteristics are as follows:

Firstly, teacher evaluation (27 articles, 25.7%) is the most active research. This is because, after atrial operation from 2005 to 2009, the teacher competency development evaluation was implemented in all schools nationwide in 2010. At the same time, the Regulations on the Implementation of Teacher Competency Development Evaluation were passed in legal form. Also, the proportion of teacher performance pay paid according to grades increased from 30% in 2008 to 50% to 70% according to performance grades in 2010 (Ministry of Education, 2010). From 2011 onwards, the teacher performance pay system was changed to a dual-track system of "personal performance pay" and "school performance pay" (Ministry of Education, 2012). These have caused concern about teacher evaluation. Based on the Implementation Regulations for Open Assessment of Teacher Competence in 2012, a study compared the development assessment of teacher competence with the current teacher performance evaluation and teacher performance bonus evaluation from the perspectives of evaluation purpose, content, evaluation method, and evaluation result application. In terms of evaluation purposes, most teachers fully understand all three evaluations, but they have objections to their rationality. In terms of evaluation content, teaching guidance, learning guidance, life guidance, and work responsibility are common elements in all three evaluations. In terms of the evaluation method, experienced teachers do not trust the multiple evaluations in the development assessment of teacher competence (such as parent evaluation). In terms of evaluation result application, most teachers are very interested in the teacher performance bonus evaluation. Till then, they are very dissatisfied with the application of the teacher performance evaluation and teacher performance bonus evaluation results [8].

Secondly, research on teacher training (12 articles, 11.4%) has gradually emerged, especially on teacher learning communities centered on school sites [9]. For example, based on the concept, attributes, and success stories of teacher professional communities, it is proposed that schools should plan development visions, establish decision-making mechanisms for significant events, build a school cooperation culture, and create a shared learning atmosphere; provide places and time for cooperation and information sharing; and establish an evaluation mechanism for curriculum reform implementation.

As the evaluation of teacher competency development officially entered the school scene, research on the teacher training system related to it has received widespread attention [10]. Based on the results of the 2010 teacher competency development evaluation,a study conducted through literature review, teacher questionnaire survey, and interviews with professional researchers found that the factors affecting teacher collaborative training include high- burden training during limited holidays, time allocation in the training institute; formalistic distance training; training without targeted tasks; and training without clear indicators.

Thirdly, compared with other periods, research on teacher promotion (12 articles, 11.4%) and teacher positions and duties (11 articles, 10.5%) is relatively active. The 12 articles on teacher promotion are all related to the "open recruitment system for principals." This is closely related to the "diversification of principal employment" and "open recruitment system for principals" implemented by the Lee Myung-bak government. Compared with ordinary schools, schools implementing the open recruitment system for principals have higher trust in the principal, teacher efficacy, and satisfaction with the school [11].

On the other hand, teachers generally report that excessive administrative work has seriously affected their teaching and student guidance. To reduce the burden on teachers, the Educational Administrative Information System (NEIS) was introduced into schools in 2011, and quantitative statistical analysis was used to assess teachers’ duties and operations. For example,a study analyzed the effect of using the Educational Administrative Information System to reduce teachers’ administrative work burden through technical statistical methods and structural equation modeling. The results showed that teachers generally had a negative perception of the use of educational information systems, and reducing teachers’ administrative work burden requires a fundamental reduction in the requirements placed on schools by higher-level authorities. Teachers affirmed that the Educational Administrative Information System improved the transparency and reliability of school communication and decision-making [12].

Fourthly, the research on teacher qualifications (7 articles, 6.7%) was about the "chief teacher system." This is closely related to introducing the chief teacher system in primary and secondary schools approved by the National Congress in June 2011. With the demonstration of the chief teacher system, researchers studied the qualifications a "chief teacher" should possess, how to introduce it, and the changes it brought to the school scene. It was pointed out that the chief teacher system activated in-school research and improved the professionalism of teachers’ teaching. Managers held a positive attitude towards the chief teacher system, while colleagues considered that the most essential quality of a chief teacher was professionalism. The main factors affecting the implementation of the chief teacher system included the support and leadership ability of the principal, the role and position of the chief teacher, and the quality and attitude of the chief teacher [13].

In addition, teacher training (9 articles, 8.6%) has also received attention. This is closely related to the evaluation of teacher training institutions every three years since 2010. With the decrease in the school-age population, administrative measures to reduce the number of teacher training slots were implemented for the first time. Moreover, with the merger of Jeju Education University into Jeju University in 2009, research on university mergers focusing on teacher training universities has also been very active.

4.6 The Park Geun-hye and Moon Jae-in Administrations era (2013-2022)

During this period, the teacher policies had the following characteristics. First, it expanded the recruitment of new teachers and reduced the teaching time of teachers. To maintain the number of students in the class to the level required by the OECD education organization, it expanded the recruitment of teachers. It introduced standard teaching time during this period. Second, it reduced teachers’ administrative work, expanded educational administration personnel’s staffing, improved the teaching system, and established a school statistical management and application system. Third, it improved the teacher evaluation system. In 2017, it integrated “teacher ability development evaluation, teacher performance bonus evaluation, and teacher work achievement evaluation” into “teacher ability development evaluation” and “teacher performance evaluation.”

Firstly, research on teacher training is very active (17 articles, 23%). With the operation of “teacher learning communities” inside and outside schools, many studies are exploring their operating mechanisms and effects. One study took five primary school teachers as the research subjects. It explored the characteristics of teaching and research in the school-teacher community through interviews, curriculum research plans, curriculum research guidance plans, research reports, and other data analysis. The first is that participating teachers regard teaching and research as a “challenge.” Second, teachers actively participate in teacher research while coping with teaching and daily life. The third is that teaching, and research promote teachers’personal growth and enhance the cohesion of the teacher team. The fourth is that the knowledge and achievements obtained through research activities are only shared among members, and the scope of sharing is limited [14].

In addition, the “Year of Study and Research” was implemented in 2010. During this period, researchers studied their achievements and experiences. One study explored the experiences and significance of teachers who participated in the “Year of Study and Research” three years ago based on longitudinal case studies of career history. The results showed that when participating teachers returned to the school scene, they formed new perspectives on teacher identity, teacher role, school education, and teacher culture. The “Year of Study and Research” became a turning point or critical event in the career of many primary and secondary teachers. In intangible educational activities, participating teachers gained self-directed professional teacher lives. Participating teachers contributed to improving classroom teaching, school education, and community education by developing their personal and professional fields and teaching professionalism [15].

Secondly, teacher evaluation (12 articles, 16.2%) has received sustained attention. This is related to the promotion of reforms in the teacher evaluation system. On the school scene, teachers are strongly dissatisfied with the feasibility and applicability of teacher competency development evaluation and teacher performance pay evaluation. Therefore, researchers have begun to pay attention to the factors that affect the implementation of teacher performance pay and teacher competency development evaluation [16]. A study analyzed the characteristics of acceptance and resistance schools in the implementation process of teacher performance pay policy and their understanding of the policy. It sought the factors that affect teacher performance pay policy’s acceptance and resistance process. The results showed significant differences in understanding between acceptance and resistance schools in terms of policy necessity and effectiveness. During the implementation process, there were differences in review standard setting, review atmosphere, and agreement methods for handling disagreements. The factors that affect policy acceptance include recognition of policy effectiveness, work gap between colleagues, matching degree between salary and performance, and indifference of colleagues’ awareness. The factors that affect policy resistance include inconsistency between policy purpose and educational value, distrust of policy effectiveness, recognition of colleagues and teachers, and informal educational norms [17].

Researchers have verified the correlation between teachers’performance pay and the evaluation effect of teachers’ ability development [18]. Research has investigated the factors that affect the acceptance of teacher competency development evaluation policies and sought to identify ways to improve policy acceptance. The results show that teachers’ awareness and acceptance of the teacher competency development evaluation system implemented for seven years is still low. Among schools at different levels, compared to junior high, primary, and special schools, high schools have the lowest recognition of various factors in teacher competency development evaluation. To ensure policy acceptance, we should raise expectations for policy effects rather than improving teachers’ understanding of the policy.

Thirdly, research on teacher training (6 articles, 8.1%) and the “open recruitment system for headmasters” continued. Five of the seven articles on “teacher promotion” in this period were about the “open recruitment system for headmasters.” The open recruitment system for principals has broken away from the previous government appointment method. Compared with schools that have not implemented the open recruitment system for principals, schools that have implemented the open recruitment system for principals have more students, higher academic standards, and better implementation of educational programs. Openly recruited principals are generally young, with characteristics such as sharing their vision, striving to improve school teaching, and reducing administrative work for teachers [19]. The main factors affecting the open recruitment system for principals include the policy itself, the policy implementers, the policy target groups, and the policy environment [20].

In addition, research on “teacher allocation (4 articles, 5.4%)” is also relatively active. During this period, the recruitment of new teachers was expanded, and the regional preferences of teachers arising from the deployment of new teachers attracted research attention. One researcher analyzed the current situation of new teacher allocation in Seoul. It was proposed that the allocation of new teachers tends to favor schools with poor educational conditions, and this tendency mainly stems from the influence of academic policies. The allocation of new teachers objectively widens the academic gap between different regions [21, 22].