The sociology curriculum and textbooks for elementary school students were analyzed to clarify the family image which the family(home) section of social studies(sociology) convey to students, and to verify whether the conveyance of such image would represent appropriate approach to promoting the understanding of the changing family phenomenon.
Verifying the suitability of such family image conveyed in social studies is significant very much as it is deemed useful in analyzing the lives of individual students from microscopic viewpoint, along with the understanding of students about social phenomenon from macroscopic perspective in relation to social studies. Mostly, traditional values of children, e.g., the succession of family, have been presented as curriculum contents associated with filial duty or piety, while the emotional value of children has been presented implicitly from the angle of family relationship such as ‘preciousness of family’, ‘happy family’, etc. However, the culture of filial duty is being emphasized from the parents’ standpoint that the parents must be respected and honored by their children, and there are relative lack of education course contents that directly highlight emotional value of children. For that reason, there is a need for the textbooks that highlight the family from the perspective of communication.
The results of analysis, which examined the area of family(home) life in sociology curriculum and textbooks for elementary school students, indicated as follows:
First, the course contents for the type of family in social studies shed light on the difference between the nuclear family and extended family and offered comparison of lifestyles of the two different family types. It was found that more focus was placed on nuclear family than extended family. In addition, the driving force behind the increase in nuclear families in contemporary society and the difference of nuclear family were explained through the prism of changes in society.
Second, the hobby and leisure life were excluded from current education course and textbooks. Moreover, the education course and textbooks for the third graders did not fully cover the family(home) life and had a lack of specific guidance on family(home) life.
Third, it is considered necessary to provide a link between family and society or between family life and economic life.
In relation to the future course of family(home) life area, the following recommendations can be presented:
First, the education needs to ensure inter-complementation and interconnection in the subjects, iI.e., Sociology, Ethics, and Practical Course.
Second, the education course and textbook need to provide guidance to help ensure the society and family play inter-complementary role and assume important part in individuals’ lives, and induce the families(home) to take the lead in fostering democratic citizens in this diverse society characterized by the diversity of families(home). In addition, it is deemed necessary to provide basic and fundamental education by restructuring current education courses in such a way that the preciousness of family is emphasized.