본 논문은 1980년대 이래 영국과 미국에서 전개되어 온 신보수주의 교육개혁 운동이 이들 나라의 사회 교과의 위상에 어떤 영향을 미쳤는지를 살펴보았다. 우선 교육과정을 스탠다드의 형식으로 제시하고 표준화된 시험을 강조하는 신보수주의 교육개혁은 교육과정의 제시 방식을 필수내용요소 중심으로 전환시켰고, 이로 인해 교과의 내용구조에 대한 관심을 저하시켰다. 아울러 전통적 교과 영역인 역사, 지리를 강조하고 분과주의적 경향이 강화되었으며, 심지어는 사회과를 해체하려는 움직임도 있었다. 이에 대한 사회과 교육자들의 자구노력에도 불구하고 사회문제에 대한 통합적 학습의 기회가 줄어들었다. 한편 표준화된 시험이 강조되면서 일선 학교에서 읽기, 쓰기 중심의 교과운영형태가 강조되었고, 이는 교육과정의 다양성을 축소시켰다. 또 사회과, 또는 역사, 지리 등 전통의 내용교과의 위상이 위협받게 되었으며 시험 위주의 수업 운영이 이루어지는 등의 폐해를 낳고 있다.
This paper examined the historical process of the neo-conservative educational reform in the U.K. and the U.S.A since 1980s. The examination focused on how the reform had influenced the status of the social subjects such as history, geography or the social studies in curriculum. The emphasis of curriculum standards and standardized tests directs curriculum developers attention from traditional scope and sequence toward fragmented knowledge and basic skills. Further, the move to reassert traditional subjects such as history and geography was evidenced and the importance of the social studies as the integration of history and the social sciences was ignored by conservative policy leaders. In spite of social studies educators' efforts to persuade policy makers that the social studies is an indispensable area of citizenship education, the opportunities for the integrated study of social issues had been reduced in curriculum. Besides, the implementation of standardized tests which are strongly tied to math and reading skills resulted in the decrease of time allocation for the important academic subjects including social studies or history and geography both in U.S. and U.K. classrooms. The tendency of test-driven instruction had threatened the status of the social subjects in school curriculum.
This paper examined the historical process of the neo-conservative educational reform in the U.K. and the U.S.A since 1980s. The examination focused on how the reform had influenced the status of the social subjects such as history, geography or the social studies in curriculum. The emphasis of curriculum standards and standardized tests directs curriculum developers attention from traditional scope and sequence toward fragmented knowledge and basic skills. Further, the move to reassert traditional subjects such as history and geography was evidenced and the importance of the social studies as the integration of history and the social sciences was ignored by conservative policy leaders. In spite of social studies educators' efforts to persuade policy makers that the social studies is an indispensable area of citizenship education, the opportunities for the integrated study of social issues had been reduced in curriculum. Besides, the implementation of standardized tests which are strongly tied to math and reading skills resulted in the decrease of time allocation for the important academic subjects including social studies or history and geography both in U.S. and U.K. classrooms. The tendency of test-driven instruction had threatened the status of the social subjects in school curriculum.
