A Comparative Analysis of Special Education Development in South Korea and Norway: A Literature Review

Abstract

Studying two countries in different cultural contexts may identify valuable perspectives. This thesis compares how Special Education has developed in South Korea and Norway. The purpose is to acquire knowledge of the other country and a deeper understanding of its own. The thesis has two areas of focus. First, it explores organisational approaches, which build the framework for Special Education. This involves physical organisation and adaption of contents and methods managed by local education acts. Second, it discusses how different forces influence this development, focusing on the impact of internal culture and external policy. The research method is a literature review, which aims to map out the history of Special Education in both countries, and the analytic approach is a comparative analysis. Key findings regarding the first research question are as follows. First, Special Education has been organised through Special Schools, Special Education Classrooms, and inclusion in general schools. Second, the discourses of Inclusion and Adapted Education are identified to a great extent. Regarding the second research question, a key finding is the impact of international policy in the recent century.