Majority of Seoul teachers say disruptions by at-risk students have grown worse

More than half of all Seoul teachers say class disruptions and challenges to their authority from emotionally and behaviorally at-risk students have grown worse over the past year, according to a recent academic paper released Monday.

The paper also asserts that there is a gap between students officially identified as at-risk and those whom teachers actually struggle with in classrooms — a gap largely attributed to parents refusing to consent to intervention. 

Titled “Structural Causes of Blind Spots in Supporting Students in Emotional and Behavioral Crises and Improvement Measures," the paper was published in the Journal of Korean Teacher Education by Kim Yu-ri, a research fellow at the Seoul Education Research & Information Institute.

Among 2,485 elementary, middle and high school teachers surveyed in Seoul, 52.6 percent, or 1,306, said the frequency of class disruptions and infringements on teachers' rights by emotionally and behaviorally at-risk students had increased over the past year.

Elementary teachers reported the highest rate at 58.6 percent, followed by middle school teachers at 54 percent and high school teachers at 42.8 percent.

Students designated emotionally or behaviorally at-risk may struggle in school due to borderline intellectual disabilities, mental health concerns or other emotional and behavioral issues. They may be unable to stay seated during class, disturb other students or display violent tendencies toward teachers.

Over 56 percent of elementary teachers said the number of students officially diagnosed as at-risk didn't match what they observed in the classroom, meaning the actual figure is presumably higher than what diagnostics indicate.

Thirty-five percent of elementary teachers estimated that 1 to 5 percent of at-risk students are missed by diagnostic assessments, while 30.2 percent said the actual percentage was closer to 5 to 10 percent. Over one-fifth of teachers said that one in 10 students who are not designated at-risk should be.

"Because of this inaccurate screening system, emotionally and behaviorally at-risk students could miss the window for treatment," the researcher said in the paper, adding that “close observation by teachers captures crises more sensitively than data-driven screening tools."

The paper also noted that even when teachers identify a student in crisis, treatment cannot move forward without parental consent. Among elementary teachers surveyed, 90.8 percent cited a lack of cooperation from parents and guardians as the institutional and structural cause of these blind spots.

"This is a gap created by parents who fear their children will be stigmatized and by a system that allows no intervention without parental consent," Kim wrote, blaming the parental consent requirement for "blocking the entire support system from functioning."

"Legal restructuring is needed to ensure student safety, even if it means partially limiting parental rights," Kim added.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY KIM MIN-SANG [[email protected]]