초등학교 주제 중심 중국어 학습 설계: 1⋅2학년 통합교과를 중심으로 = Designing Theme-Based Chinese Language Instruction in Elementary Schools: An Integrated Curriculum Model for First- and Second-Grade Students

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

As society becomes increasingly multicultural, school environments are also evolving to reflect this diversity. A notable trend is the rising number of elementary schools with a high proportion of students from migrant backgrounds, creating a stronger demand for bilingual education in Korean and Chinese. However, the current national curriculum does not include a second language as part of elementary school subjects.
To address this gap, this study proposes a theme-based Chinese language education model that aligns with the existing curriculum of national and public elementary schools, specifically focusing on first- and second-grade students. Chinese language learning themes were derived from analyzing the integrated curriculum outlined in the 2022 revised curriculum. The development process followed six steps: (1) goal setting, (2) theme selection, (3) thematic network design, (4) activity and language planning, (5) lesson design, and (6) implementation and evaluation.
This study elaborates on the first three steps in detail. Step 1 involved developing instructional goals for Chinese language education in first and second grades by referring to the objectives of the 2022 revised integrated curriculum and previous research. In Step 2, key Chinese learning themes are drawn from the integrated curriculum units for these grades. The selected themes include: (1) Warm Greetings, Warm Sharing; (2) Exciting Adventures in Chinese Culture; (3) A Happy Day, A Joyful Tomorrow; (4) Stories Told Through Body and Light; (5) The Me in My Name, The Me in Nature; (6) My Journey: From Village to World; (7) Stories of People Through the Changing Seasons; and (8) What Could It Be? Discoveries at School. Step 3 involved designing thematic networks for each topic. These networks are categorized into linguistic, cultural, and artistic–physical activity components to structure learning contents.
Implementing this approach in schools will require additional efforts, including curriculum restructuring to allocate instructional hours, enhancing elementary school teachers’ Chinese proficiency, and developing collaborative teaching models with bilingual instructors. Additionally, future research should further address the remaining steps of lesson design, implementation, and evaluation in detail.
As education plays a vital role in preparing students for a multicultural society, this study aims to foster global community competence among young learners.