Chapter V. Chapter V. Trends and Issues of Career Education in Korea
A. Career Education in the National Curriculum
2) Curriculum-Integration of Career Education
Curriculum integration of career education is an educational course that is intended to achieve the goals of both general study and career education, by linking career education with core subjects (Korean, English, mathematics, social studies, science, etc.). Integrated curriculum, which started in 2008, served as an opportunity to further develop career education in a more specialized and systematic form, thanks to its teaching and learning methods that put students' active participations and interactions before theory-oriented education. During the period, a manual was developed to help teachers run integrated career education, and various teaching-learning materials were supplied and distributed. In addition, it became a major course in the teacher training course, which intended to enhance the career expertise of teachers.
Since then, career education has become an independent subject in the national curriculum, and educational philosophy-oriented career education started to be indirectly emphasized, while being linked with major general subjects, unlike in the past.
On top of this, it pursued a policy to secure teaching hours, and to expand unique career activities for each grade and level of school, while intensifying career activities (career camp, mentoring, career experience, etc.) in non-curricular creativity experience activities.
B. Definition and Roles of Career Education
The question, "What should school career education teach?"
has an important meaning because it is the basis for targets of education itself, substantial and systematic educational content, and criteria to evaluate performance. To answer the question, research was conducted on the objectives and the content of school career education. Based on the literatures in the field, precedent studies, such as the US' NCDG(National Career Development Guideline), Canada's BLWD(Blue-print for Life/Work Designs), and the UK's National Framework, etc., suggestions were made for objectives and content, required for school career education in Korea.
Based on these studies, the Ministry of Education(MOE) announced "Objectives and Achievement Criteria for Career Education" in 2012. As is seen in <Table V-1> and [Figure V-4], they were not limited to a simple cycle of "self-understanding - vocational understanding - rational communication," but competency for life-long career development was emphasized as one of the major areas, which includes problem solving, information utilization, interpersonal relations, communications, self-management, etc.
[Figure V - 4] Objectives of School Career Education
Sources: MEST (2013).
Content Goals/Achievement Standards of Career Education for Each School
Main Cate-
gory
Sub- category
Elementary School
Middle School
Academic High School
Vocational High School
I.
Deve- lop- ment +self- underst anding
& of social compe- tence
1.
Self- understan -ding and formula- tion of positive self- concept
To build basic competence for
interpersonal relations and communicati on, and foster positive self-concept, the basis for career development competency
To reinforce positive self-concept and develop interpersonal relations and communica- tion competences
To have a comprehen- sive
understanding on oneself, develop self-concept and
interpersonal relations and communica- tion competences and make efforts to connect one’s dream and vision with his/her career
To have a comprehen- sive
understanding on oneself, develop self-concept, interpersonal relations, and communica- tion competences and make efforts to connect one’s dream and vision with his/her career 2.
Build interpers- onal relations
& comm- unication compe- tences II.
Unders tanding of the work and the world of work
1. Under- standing on work and vocation
To understand the meaning and
importance of work and vocation, and formulate healthy work ethics and
.To understand diversity of the world of work and its dynamic changes, and develop healthy work ethics
To fortify one’s awareness on changes, diversity of work and the world of work, and have healthy work ethics
To fortify one’s awareness on changes, diversity of work and the world of work and have healthy work ethics 2.
Formulati on of healthy work
<Table V - 1> Objectives and Achievement Criteria for School Career Education
*Source: Ministry of Education. 2012.
ethic
an attitude towards life of doing one’s best
and attitudes and attitudes
III.
Career Explor- ing
1.
Exploring education opportu- nities
To understand the meaning of study by exploring educational chances related to one’s career and build competence to explore vocation of one’s interest in various ways
To foster capacity to systemati- cally explore educational chances or vocational information for one’s career after middle school
To nurture competence to explore chances for higher education, and information of desired vocations
To nurture competence to explore life-long education and chances for higher education, and detailed information of desired vocations 2.
Exploring vocation- al informa- tion
IV.
Career Design and Prepara tions
1.
Building capacity for a career decision
To practice making basic plan/decision to prepare for a creative and systematic career plan in the future
To build competence to creatively design/
execute one’s career after graduating from middle school, based on
individual’s exploration into career/
vocational and educational worlds
To make a reasonable decision and systematic plan prepare one’s career after high school
To make a reasonable decision and systematic plan prepare one’s career after high school 2.
Career plan and preparatio n