earticle

영어

Most North Korean youth defectors who immigrate into South Korea enter general schools, but many of them drop out in midstream because of learning gap, age difference, discrimination, and prejudice. In fact, they have difficulties in adaptation to curriculum in competitive Korea. There are alternative schools which help conquer the limitation in public education and offer the youth not only student-made education at level, but also society-adaptive programs. This article tries to investigate operational organizations, educational activities and the life-world in alternative schools for young North Korean defectors, using Content Analysis and in-depth interviews. Results showed revealed were as follow. First, organizational management characteristics were preference to North Korean youth defectors at their high teens or twenties and direction to small schools. Second, education activity characteristics were education aims for social unity, school classification with learning-centered type and culture & experience-centered type, systematic curriculum offer and leveling education. Third, the characteristics of living world were horizontal relationship between teachers and students, empathizing through friendship, long wait for trust, teachers’ passion. Alternative schools helped youth defectors in the aspects of management organization, education activities, and living world. But education services are laid upon, and the schools cannot offer various services necessary for the North Korean youth defectors. On the purpose of solving the problems, this study, as a development plan, suggested integrated services–type alternative schools.