The present study analized the social control of curriculum content to clarify the social factors through sociological theory and sociology of knowledge.
In a theoretical approach, a consideration was taken into the curriculum concept, construction m...
The present study analized the social control of curriculum content to clarify the social factors through sociological theory and sociology of knowledge.
In a theoretical approach, a consideration was taken into the curriculum concept, construction model process and sociology of knowledge. Traditional study of curriculum that considers knowledge as neutral and universal understands educational contents of school curriculum as taken for granted or neutral. So traditionalists focus on selecting and constructing knowledge which is usually considered a set of idealistic structures of philosophy, psychology, sociology to teach efficiently. They intended to find an efficient way of constructing contents or learing experience (-knowledge) to achieve a higher academic level. And these were treated as the tools of social class movement.
However, all of the curriculum studies were neglecting the inter-relations between knowledge and society. The view of sociology of knowledge prescribes that curriculum content is made in socio-cultural conditions, and regards it as valid knowledge. They investigate the politically, socially organized curriculum that reproduce the social classes, and try to reveal why the lower class student must fail, through analyzing the code, social class, hegemony, decisin-making process, etc. The intention of dominant groups in society and nation's policy become the major factors in determining curriculum contents. By doing that curriculum mean transmission that stratifies the society. In this view-point, curriculum construction is the social and political decision-making process in which dominant "groups preserve their interest. And consider that the society is ineqal and thai the curriculum reproduces the inequality.
The purpose of the present study is directing to the construction of curriculum through searching its sociality, social control, and social effects.
Through the analysis of Korean curriculum(l963's and 1973's), it is found that curriculum contents which were selected and organized speak for the socio-cultural particularity.
The results of analysis are as follows:
First, there are inter-relations between selecting and organizing curriculum contents and the socio-cultural basis.
Second, curriculum constrution is a political decision which is made to achieve the special purpose of a nation. So curriclum was made under the control of national policy to solve the social problems of that time.
Third, culture effects on the acceptance of knowledge as school curriculum content. Here tradition and ideology are importent factors.
Conclusively, .as the curriculum is constructed for achieving the national purpose, curriculum study has not remained at considering the models and principles of selecting, organiging knowledge. To improve the speciality and function of curriculum, it is necessary the power of social control should be reduced and the curriculum construction must have interactions with society.