「社會科敎育의 諸問題」

Abstract

This article seeks to analyze and report major problems of social studies education, expecting to have chances of solγing those problems by calling attention of the related. Reported also are how those problems are considered and tackled under the Korean situation. This writing is to report concerning six problem areas of social studies education such as terminology, objective, content, teaching-learning method, evaluation and teacher training. TERMINOLOGY 1. We use a wrong word for the expression of social studies education especially when we call the name of the department of social studies education. The word of 'Saehoe Kyoyukwa' is being used instead of 'Saehoekwa Kyoyukwa'. 'Saehoe Kyoyuk' means rather social or adult education than social studies education itself. 2. We have a conceptual confusion in our using the word of 'Saehekwa'. That is, we use it sometimes as an overall meaning of social studies education while othertimes as the general social sciences excluding the fields of history and geography. OBJECTIVE 1. We have many expressed viewpoints on how to establish the objectives of social studies, although no consensus of opinion has been made. A dichotomy still exists unsolved between those concerned with designing objectives based on the social sciences and those concerned with designing objectives related to effective nationality and citizenship. 2. We still have wide gap between designing objectives in curriculum plannings and real achievement in the classroom. CONTENT 1. We have not successfully developed any structure of social science disciplines which can be used as a basic framework for designing social studies content for elementary and secondary schools. 2. We have not established any inclusive sequential criteria appicable to the selection of social studies content along school or grade levels. TEACHING-LEARNING METHOD 1. We can find most of social studies classrooms still employing teacher-led expository method. Student-led inquiry classroom are uncommon except the case of few experimental demonstration schools. EVALUATION 1. We have still lack of sophistication in evaluation techniques, particularly in the field of affective domain. 2. We are still unable to conduct an evaluation corresponding exactly with the established objectives. A widegap still exists between what we teach and what we evaluate. TEACHER TRAINING 1. We find our teacher training program in college of education to make light of subjects directly related with social studies education including social studies curriculum, social studies teaching strategies and others. 2. We usually do not have any well-organized faculty members in the department of social studies. Most of them do not have any desirable scholastic background as social studies specialists.