학교 방문형 민주시민교육의 교육효과 및 지속 가능성에 대한 실증연구: 2025년 G시 중고등학생 대상 ‘찾아가는 민주시민교육’사례를 중심으로

Abstract

This study explores how visiting civic education programs are received by middle and high school students, whose civic attitudes are still developing. Although civic education has been widely discussed, empirical work combining large-scale student responses with instructors’ qualitative accounts remains limited. Drawing on survey data from a 2025 visiting program reported by the Korea Human Rights Education Center, 1,056 middle school and 190 high school students (N=1,246) responded to six items on topic fit, clarity, interest, life relevance, usefulness, and overall satisfaction. Ten instructors also provided written reflections describing lesson design and observed participation. Descriptive statistics compared grade levels, and instructor narratives were thematically organized. Mean scores across items ranged from 4.18 to 4.44, indicating broadly positive perceptions. Civic awareness and curricular relevance were highest, and grade-level differences were modest: middle school students showed slightly stronger communal awareness, while high school students displayed clearer participation attitudes. Instructor reflections noted that participation typically increased after initial prompts or group tasks and peaked during discussion, suggesting that interactive structures effectively encouraged engagement. Overall, even short visiting programs can foster civic sensibilities when built around discussion and activity-based methods and when linked to ongoing coursework. Future research should examine longer-term effects and compare different activity formats and school contexts.