A Qualitative Meta-Analysis of Elementary and Secondary School Teachers’ Experiences of Student Life Guidance

Abstract

This study explored elementary and secondary school teachers’ experiences of student life guidance as represented in Korean qualitative studies published during the policy transition around 2023. Nine studies published in KCI-indexed journals between 2023 and 2025 were analyzed through constant comparison, reciprocal translation, and line-of-argument synthesis. Across the studies, when relational trust and support were weak, teachers had to weigh educational needs against complaints, reports, and potential liability, with the resulting burden concentrated on individual teachers.. Teachers adjusted their practices and adopted self-protective strategies, while seeking to share the burden through collaboration with colleagues and external agencies, and through shared schoolwide standards.. Overall, these experiences were interpreted as a process of seeking collective reconstruction amid risk-laden conditions surrounding relationship-based guidance and the individualization of responsibility. The study highlights the need for relational trust, shared responsibility, and institutional support.