It is important that students respect the diversity and develope their ability to feel empathy for others in social studies education of elementary school. However, it is the human bias which interferes that. To respect the diversity and develop abili...
It is important that students respect the diversity and develope their ability to feel empathy for others in social studies education of elementary school. However, it is the human bias which interferes that. To respect the diversity and develop ability to feel empathy for others, anti-bias education should begin in areas close to student from early years. In particular, ‘families’ are close area to students than any other areas of multi-cultural education. Therefore, it is needed that families should be covered from anti-bias education point of view in elementary social studies education.
For the study, students' perception and bias on ‘families’ and the textbook narrative aspect on 'families' in elementary school were analyzed. This is intended to understand the students and examine the suitability of the textbook description from the anti-bias education point of view.
During the study, survey questionnaires were composed about cognition and bias on families, and the textbook description were analyzed from the anti-bias education point of view simultaneously.
In order to conduct the survey, 278 students from second-grader to sixth-grader in Jeju-city answered questionnaires, and collected data were statistically processed by using SPSS 12.0 statistical program. Also, from the anti-bias education point of view, an analysis framework was established, and then the characteristics of description of 'families' in the textbooks were analyzed. For the analysis, the families unit of fourth grade「social studies」textbook and「families」textbook in the integrated curriculum was selected.
The results of questionnaire analysis elementary school students' cognition on families were as follows.
First, elementary students set count on initial marriage institution composed of both parents and children, blood relative. They had not only high cognition on various families but also high bias about them.
Second, they had high cognition on gender equality and democratic participation. However, cognition on democratic participation appeared to be different from their real lifestyle.
Third, they cognized that they had encountered typical families in the textbooks, but there were various types of families through the real media around them.
The results of analyzing the characteristics of description on 'families' in the textbooks were as follows.
First, the textbook revised in 2009 attached importance to pluralistic values, and curricula and the textbooks were aiming at raising citizens who had a grounding in multi-culture. Hence, the 'families' in the textbook was described in a way that an attitude to understand and respect various families according to social changes.
Second, 'families' in the textbooks was in culture ․ pluralism ․ diversity area, and the contents of textbook description were mainly about the cultural change and diversity. There were only a few details about forming the identify of family, cognition on bias and discrimination against various families, and interdependence and coexistence relationship. In terms of educational objectives, there were many cognitive objectives and affective objectives, but there were few behavioral objectives.
Third, with regard to the description of contents of 'families' in the textbooks, there was mainly factual knowledge, which guided students to the general knowledge.
Only introducing students to fragmentary knowledge without inducing them positive and critical thinking cannot develop their ability to cope with bias, and rather intensifies bias instead. Therefore, in elementary school education, the anti-bias education should begin with understanding the students, and the contents of textbook should be written in consideration with inducing students positive and critical thinking.