The importance of creativity is emerging as the core competency of the global man in the 21st century who can lead our future society. However, a competent person with creativity and capability is incomplete to contribute a society. Therefore, the character education promotion law was established in order to emphasize character of education. It demands that character education should be mandatory at all nationwide elementary schools, middle schools and high schools as of July 2015.
Therefore, the purpose of this research is to study the kinds of core virtues of character education that are taught in elementary schools for fruitful implementation of character education through curriculums. And the researcher understood that it is necessary to analyze the core virtues which are is presented in the textbooks, the main teaching material, for curriculums.
It is necessary to explore the contents of character education in textbooks for improving teachers' professionalism. The contents of character education is likely overlooked in the teaching and learning process, because they are invisible concepts that are treated within a human's affective area. However, if teachers understand the contents of character education in the textbooks correctly and teach students, the effect of character education will be increased. So the research analyzed the contents of character education in 2009 revised textbooks. Also it tried to find the way and implications that character education has to move forward to be based on the analysis.
This study had reviewed previous researches and theories about character education and had set up the suitable analysis criteria and frameworks. The contents of character education of 5th grade and 6th grades morals, korean, practical, arts and physical education textbooks were analyzed through the analysis criteria. Based on the result of the study the way and implications of the elementary's character education is found.
The result of the contents analysis of character education in the 2009 revised textbooks of 5th grade and 6th grade in the elementary school were as follows:
Firstly, "WE" an area for virtues of respect, consideration, and empathy are shown in the 5 subjects evenly, and are importantly distributed. So this means that these are educational human core virtues in the 2009 revision curriculum. Especially, respect is handled very highly on morals that are seeking virtue. And consideration and sympathy are shown more in the activity centered subjects, practical and physical education. In the virtue seeking subjects, morals are needed to helpe students learn the concept of the respect. And making a curriculum that can let students do so, consideration and empathy in other subjects and in everyday life is required.
Secondly, 'I' an area of honesty and responsibility are shown in the 5 subjects evenly but it isn't dealt with as an important matter. Especially, honesty has appeared in action, rather than directly presented as a virtue. Internalization of honesty and responsibility that make self-reflection, self-control, and keeping the virtues has a characteristic. It takes a long time to be internalized. So it has to be taught constantly. However, the portion of it is very low compared to other virtues. Therefore, it needs to be taught continually throughout the extracurricular activities like life guidance or reading activities and through other extra teaching materials within textbook in the classes.
Thirdly, 'social' an area of communication and collaboration is the most important virtue in today's multi-cultural society with various generations who have different thinking. In spite of this most important virtue, it was not emphasized more than other virtues. Communication and collaboration have practical aspects which strongly presupposes sympathy as a functional aspect. Therefore, we need to present the learning activities to learn functions of communication and collaboration through the creative experience activities or various ways that link with homelife but are not shown in the textbooks.
For the students' holistic growth and personality cultivation, 7 kinds of core virtues should be presented in the contents of each textbook. And also they proceed with the various learning methods which that students can learn, and internalize the meaning of character by themselves through actual activities.