우리나라 고등학교 사회과 경제교육에 관한 연구

Abstract

This study is planned to survey changes and to examine problems of the high school economic education course in the process of the seven times revisions of educational curriculum, and it also is focused on a suitable choice of educational materials and teaching-learning methods of the high school economic education in Korea. The extent and method used in this study is literature research in economic contents of the high school textbooks focusing on the changes of educational curriculum and an international comparison of the economic education systems. The purpose of this study is to find measures improving the problems and contributing to the reorganization and reformation of the high school economic education course along with a new revision of educational curriculum. The principal ideal contained in the seventh educational curriculum is to bring up autonomous and creative person who will lead the global and information era of 21C. It attaches importance to 'student-oriented education by level' that pursues to develope healthy and sound humanity, respects different capability and aptitude, intends to grow creativity and to build democratic and competent citizenship that understands social phenomena synthetically and attempts to solve common social problems rationally. The economic education of the high school is not meant to deal with economics itself. Its goal is to help students learn and understand the basic principles of economic phenomena and their mutual relationships, and attain the capability to make reasonable decisions. But the current curriculum covers too many subjects of economics superficially and the economic education course is generally considered by students as a hard course. For an effective economic education, it would be better to concentrate on fewer subjects with higher relevance for everyday life, and it is necessary to develop diverse and practical methods of teaching and learning. And also teachers vocational devotion and efforts are very important. The problems found in the high school economic education course are as follows: First, the proportion of economic education in whole educational curriculum is very small, which is a limiting factor in activating the high school economic education. Second, the contents of economy textbooks are described hard and boring, containing mainly theories and concepts. Third, most of the contents of economy textbooks, which cover many subjects but are composed of fragmentary economic knowledge requiring only memorization, are not appropriate to cultivate rational way of thinking. Fourth, programs and supplemental materials for the economic education are lacking and are not used practically. Suggestible measures to improve and reform the high school economic education course by solving the above problems are as follows: First, the present economic education course which is optional should be changed to the common required course with its unit increased in order to enhance its proportion. And it is necessary to make actively every effort, both at home and in school, to wipe out the image that economic education course is boring, hard and difficult, and to make it understood that economic mind and knowledge are indispensable to our lives. Second, multilateral efforts should be made to develops and distribute highly qualified textbooks and diverse educational materials. Current actual data, internet data, graphs, charts, audio-visual data, and others should be used to provide more interesting program for students. Third, diverse methods to assess the thinking power and rational mental faculty of student should be adopted in college entrance exams, which are given much weight in Korea and could make great changes in teaching and learning methods in high school. Fourth, a reformative training system should be adopted to help teachers improve their abilities and develops diverse teaching methods. The education administration authorities should offer every possible support for better economic education. It is necessary to efficiently accomplish works related to economic education by combining professors, teachers, proper specialists, and mass media into an organization for the consolidation of economic education. Activating the combined organization by regional group will strengthen the high school economic education relevant to the future.