The History of the Korean Science Curriculum and the Introduction of the Present 2015 Science Curriculum

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify the history of the science curriculum in Korea and to review the science curriculum launched in 2015. Science has become an independent subject from the secondary curriculum for the purposes of developing Korean industry. The third curriculum was published by revising the second curriculum and adding an academic focus. The third curriculum was revised to create the fourth curriculum by introducing the notion of a human-centered curriculum, which is mainly influenced by the philosophy of human-centered and constructivist ideas. The sixth curriculum, and the curriculum that followed, addressed the confluence of science-technology-society (STS) as the main idea underpinning science education. In 2015, the Ministry of Education revised the curriculum by reflecting national and social needs in the school curriculum, with the aim of changing future society. The vision of the 2015 revised curriculum can be summarized as “cultivating the creative convergence competences required for future society” and “implementing interesting learning through improving the quality of learning experiences.” The 2015 science curriculum is divided into two parts: the common curriculum and the elective curriculum. In this paper, the details of the 2015 science curriculum are reviewed.