Limitations of South Korea's Crackdown-Centered Drug Prevention Education and Coaching-Based Education Model from the Perspective of Adult Learning Theory

This study reconstructs South Korea's national drug-related statistics using Malcolm Knowles' theory of andragogy in adult learning theory as a theoretical framework and identifies the limitations of drug prevention education approaches that focus on awareness-based enforcement and punishment. Examining the number of drug offenders in South Korea reveals a more than 19-fold increase over the past 40 years from 1,190 in 1985 to 23,022 in 2024. This trend is particularly evident in the era of widespread smartphone use and the widespread access to apps and various dark web resources. The MFDS's basic drug prevention education manual focuses on enforcement and punishment information. The main content of the curriculum focuses on the addictive potential of certain drugs and their potential side effects. While enforcement and punishment-focused education can achieve some effectiveness, it remains challenging to achieve long-term, macro-level change. The coaching-based drug prevention education model proposed in this study seeks to address these limitations by applying andragogy theory from Knowles' adult learning theory to drug prevention education. In other words, it assumes that adults are not passive subjects of education but self-determined learners. Based on andragogy theory, it aims to promote deeper behavioral change through serious reflection and critical exploration of drug-related problems.