An Ethnographic Paper on the Settlement Process of Innovative Culture at Private Innovation Schools in the Early Period: Characteristics of Ambivalence

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to examine characteristics of culture of school innovation in the early stages at private middle schools, appointed as innovation school, and to analyze how they have developed over time passes. Methods: For this purpose, Middle School A was selected among all appointed private innovation school in 2021 and a qualitative case study was performed with an analytic method for an ethnographic case study. Results: The characteristics of the settlement process of innovative culture in the early stage at Middle School A, can be analyzed in chronological order as follows; “thrill and anticipation vs. distrust and concern” was the main characteristic in the preparational stage of the innovation school, “changes in recognition of members thereof vs. acceptance of outside information” represents the characteristic in the stage of propelling the early innovation school, “institutionalization of democratic decision making vs. an incomplete democracy” was the characteristic in an operational stage of the early innovation school, and “acceptance of change vs. willful avoidance” represents the characteristic in changes that occurred one year after the appointment of this innovation school. A similarity of characteristics in the settlement process of the culture of school innovation by faculties of such a private school was discovered, and the phenomenon of ambivalence was observed,where positive and negative values of this culture coexisted in such an environment. This data was then analyzed by extending the range of the research. Conclusion: Cooperative contemplation and efforts are required, along with administrative support from the government, so that those direct-opposite values, shared by the school faculties simultaneously, may be shifted into a positive direction as time passes in the settlement process of the innovative culture at a private innovation school in the early stages.