HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION IN KOREAN MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS
Elementary School Mathematics Textbooks Based on 2015 Revised Curriculum
Keywords:
Competency Education, Elementary School, Gender Role, Human Rights, Mathematics Textbook, Multiculturalism, Perception, Revised CurriculumAbstract
To examine how key competencies of the 2015 Revised Curriculum are consistent with subject-specific competencies, this study selected the human rights element for analysis among deliberation items in nationally published mathematics textbooks for Grade 5 and Grade 6, which have been compiled in 2019 in accordance with the 2015 Revised Mathematics Curriculum. Mathematics is selected as the target of analysis since its subject competencies are not directly related to human rights elements and we can examine the consistency between the key competencies in the general guidelines, and the subject competencies in the subject-specific guidelines more accurately. The analysis results are as follows. First, there is room for improvement, given that the representation of multicultural learners is only by skin colour and the representation of disabled people is uniformly by the wheelchair. Second, if we look at review results, we can find that revision requests related to stereotypes of gender roles (family) are outnumbered by those related to multiculturalism (disability), indicating that stereotypes of gender roles in South Korea have improved remarkably. Third, if we consider ‘civic competency’, a key competency, the future textbook should address the problem that most of the spaces depicted in textbooks are heavily centred in large cities, at the designing stage of a unit story.
References
UNESCO, Towards Knowledge Societies, UNESCO Publishing, 2005, 27 <https://www.unesco.org/en/worldreport/towards_knowledge _ societies.pdf> (1 June 2018). Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), The Definition and Selection of Key Competencies: Executive Summary <https://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070 367.pdf> (1 June 2019).
K. H. So, “Competency’ in the Context of Schooling: It's Meaning and Curricular Implications,” The Journal of Curriculum Studies 25, no. 3 (September 2007): 13-17.
K. W. Lee, K. S. Beak, and S. J. Lee, “Key Competencies in the 2015 Revised Curriculum: The Relationship with the Idea of the Educated Person, Educational Goals, and Subject Competencies”, The Journal of Curriculum Studies, 35, no. 2(June 2017): 81-82.
H. H. Nam, “Analysis and Characteristics of Content Construction of 2015 Revised Middle School History Curriculum,” History Education Review, 60(August 2016): 12-13.
Ministry of Education, National Guidelines for the Elementary and Secondary Curriculum, Proclamation of the Ministry of Education #2015-74 [Annex 1], Sejong: Ministry of Education, 2015, 2.
Lee, Beak, and Lee, “Key Competencies in the 2015,” 79.
Ministry of Education, Mathematics Curriculum, Proclamation of the Ministry of Education #2015-74 [Annex 8], Sejong: Ministry of Education, 2015, 3.
Ministry of Education, Mathematics Curriculum, Proclamation of the Ministry of Education #2011-365 [Annex 8], Sejong: Ministry of Education, 2011, 4.
Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity (KOFAC), Schedule of ‘Deliberation Committee and Review Board’ for 2015 Revised Nationally Published Mathematics Textbook for Elementary School, Seoul: KOFAC, 2015(undisclosed internal data).
KOFAC, Review Points of Deliberation Committee on Nationally Published Elementary Mathematics Textbook, Seoul: KOFAC, 2016 (undisclosed internal data). KOFAC, Report on Review Results of Human Rights Elements in Elementary School Textbook, Seoul: KOFAC, 2019 (undisclosed internal data).
Ministry of Education and Science Technology, National Guidelines for the Elementary and Secondary Curriculum, Proclamation of the Ministry of Education #2009-41, Sejong: Ministry of Education, 2009, 21-24.
KEDI, 2018 Educational Statistics and Analysis Data Book, Jincheon: KEDI, 2018, 42.
Ministry of Education and Science Technology, Study on Revision Measures through Analysis of Multiculturalism Element of Elementary and Middle School Curriculum, Seoul: National Center for Multi-cultural Education, Seoul National University, 2009.
Nieto, S., “Placing Equity Front and Center: Some Thoughts on Transforming Teacher Education for a New Century”, Journal of Education 51, no. 3(May 2000), 180-187.
KOFAC, Math Grade 6(2): Report on Review Results of Human Rights Elements in Elementary School Textbook, Seoul: KOFAC, 2019 (undisclosed internal data), 4, 8, 16-17.
KOFAC, Math Grade 5(2): Report on Review Results of Human Rights Elements in Elementary School Textbook, Seoul: KOFAC, 2019(undisclosed internal data), 2.
D. Sadker, and M, Sadker, and L. Long, “Gender and Educational Equality,” in J. A. Banks and C. A. Banks, eds., Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives, Needham Heights, MA: A Viacom Company, 1997.
R. L. Blumberg, "The Invisible Obstacle to Educational Equality: Gender Bias in Textbooks," Prospects 38, no. 3 (September 2008): 345361.
KOFAC, Math workbook Grade 5(2): Report on Review Results of Human Rights Elements in Elementary School Textbook, Seoul: KOFAC, 2019(undisclosed internal data), 2. ; Ministry of Education, Math workbook Grade 5(2), 2.
