일본의 교육개혁과 학력저하 논쟁 : 사회과 교육의 학력 문제와 관련하여 From the point of view of Social Studies = Controversy on Students' Scholastic Ability in Japanese Educational Reform

국문 초록 (Abstract)

일본의 교육계는 패전 이후 대립하는 2개의 학력관을 가지고 학력 논쟁을 하여 왔다. ‘여유교육 추진파’ 대 ‘기초학력 철저파’의 학력 논쟁이 바로 그것으로, 이러한 논쟁은 전후 여러 차례에 걸쳐 전개되었다. 현재의 학력 저하 논쟁도 기초학력 철저파가 여유교육 추진파에 의한 교육개혁으로 빚어진 일련의 교육 현상들을 비판하는 것이다.
일본은 1990년대부터 추진해온 교육개혁에 따라 ‘살아가는 힘’과 ‘여유’를 핵으로 하는 교육과정을 2002년부터 초ㆍ중등학교에 전면적으로 실시하고 있다. 신교육과정과 사회과 교육과정은 학교 주5일제 수업에 맞추어 교육내용을 3할 삭감하고, 수업시간을 줄이고, 학생들의 주체적인 학습을 강조하고 있다. 그렇지만 일본의 교육개혁은 교육 내용을 지나치게 많이 줄이고, 학생들의 의욕과 주체성을 지나치게 강조한 나머지 지식이 경시되고, 교사의 지도력을 약화시켜 학생들의 학력을 저하시키고 있다는 비판을 받고 있다.
우리의 7차 교육과정도 교육현실과의 괴리 등 여러 문제점이 있어 그 동안 많은 비판을 받아왔다. 1990년대에 들어와서 우리의 교육현장에서 한때 활성화되었던 열린교육은 아동의 주체성과 활동을 적극 보장하는 교육이었지만 지식을 소홀히 다루어 학력을 저하시킨다는 비판을 받은 바 있다. 7차 사회과 교육과정도 열린교육의 흐름을 수용하고 학생중심의 활동형 교육을 강조하고 있지만 이를 수용할만한 교육여건의 미비와 학생 중심의 활동형 교육 강조로 사회과의 학력 저하가 우려되고 있다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Japan is now engaged in heated debate over the academic achievement of students. The new primary and secondary education curriculum, launched in earnest in 2002 based on educational reforms introduced since the 1990s, has been criticized for lowering students' scholastic ability. The Japanese refer to these teacher-centered cramming lessons, carried out regardless of students' level of understanding, as "Sinkansen lessons," after Japan's bullet train. Because of these "Sinkansen lessons," which conjure up images of instruction being carried out at breakneck speed, the percentage of students who cannot keep up with their daily lessons is referred to as "753." This refers to 70% of high school students, 50% of middle school students, and 30% of primary school students who are unable to keep pace with their schoolwork.
Those who have been at the forefront of educational reform in Japan believe that this so-called "753" phenomenon is the result of a Japanese education system that has focused excessively on the university entrance examination. To remedy this situation, they advocate a more flexible education system. These advocates support an education system centered more on students' initiatives and self-study efforts through a 3()0".6 reduction in the existing curriculum and classroom instruction under a five-day school week schedule implemented from this year.
Japanese educational reform, however, is being criticized for, contrary to its original goal, actually lowering students' academic achievement In other words, this excessively reduced curriculum and overemphasis of students' self-motivation and self-reliance have resulted in trivializing knowledge, undermining teachers' leadership, and ultimately lowering academic achievement. In addition, it is said that private tutoring continues to increase while, the age of children forced to enter into competition for university entrance continues to trend downward. For these reasons, some voices in society are demanding that the implementation of this education curriculum be shelved.
It is a well known fact that we also have problems with our primary and secondary schools, as well as our entrance examination-centered education, which are similar to the "753" situation in Japan. The Seventh Education Curriculum, which has been implemented incrementally since 2000 to address the above-mentioned problems, has come under harsh criticism for being unrealistic and ineffective. Open education, which became popular in Korea in the 1990s, actively promoted students' self-reliance and individual activities, but was criticized for lowering their scholastic ability.
The Seventh Education Curriculum also accepts facets of such open education and emphasizes student-oriented education according to individual capability. However, there is concern over a potential deterioration in academic ability and confusion within the education field as the educational conditions necessary to implement such a curriculum are not yet in place, while the preparation for, and understanding of, this new curriculum are inadequate as well. Furthermore, standardized high school education in Korea has been criticized for undermining public education, lowering students' academic achievement and increasing dependency on private tutoring since the classroom composition has become extremely mixed in terms of students' academic ability while the curriculum contents have become more difficult.
The government must fully appreciate that the academic ability of today's students will determine our nation's future competitiveness and thus develop various. means to improve the quality of education so that students' academic ability can be bolstered. Education that overemphasizes knowledge must be avoided, but education overly oriented toward students that can lead to trivialization of knowledge must be prevented as well. In addition, the problems inherent in the. Seventh Education Curriculum, as well as the high school standardization system, must be resolved immediately in order to minimize adverse consequences. With a clear understanding that human resources are our most valuable asset, we should not regard the debate on academic achievement in Japan as simply the problem of another other country.