An Analytical Study on Religious Textbooksof Christian Middle Schools

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to gain some suggestions for the improvement of christian school education in Korea from an analysis on religious textbooks of christian middle schools. The religious textbooks for christian middle schools are analysed from the view point of the traditionalist approach, conceptual-empiricist approach and reconceptualist approach. Suggestions below are derived from the religious textbook analysis of christian middle schools. Religious textbooks used in christian middle schools are focused on the transmission of educational content without providing specific objectives or concrete criteria for evaluation of the objectives. Furthermore, one can find from the religious textbooks used in christian middle schools that most curriculums are not concerned with the effectiveness of teaching-learning process when selecting and organizing educational content. In this respect, First, the religious textbooks of christian middle schools need to be chosen on the basis of the ‘effectiveness’ and concreteness of the curriculum through a process of feedback, to be constructed for maturity and growth of cognitive, affective and conative dimensions. Second, professionals in constructing religious textbooks of christian middle schools need to be trained and cooperate in order to reconstruct and develop religious textbooks in the area of youth context and information society context. Third, Religious textbooks of christian middle schools need to be analyzed from the perspective of the reconceptualist approach,-in other words, critical reflection -to find non-Christian hidden values and to eliminate them. Fourth, a formal system of evaluation for the reconstruction of religious textbooks for christian middle schools, which considers the needs in multicultural society should be established.