특성화고 보통교과 및 직업기초능력 제고 프로그램 운영 현황 및 개선 방안

Abstract

본 연구에서는 특성화고등학교에서 보통교과 교육이 어떻게 자리매김해야 하는가를 논의하고자 한다. 구체적인 연구 목적과 그에 따른 연구 질문은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 학교교육의 목적과 직업교육의 목적에 대한 질문을 던지고, 그와 연계하여 특성화고등학교에서 보통교과 교육의 방향이 무엇이어야 하는가를 검토하고자 한다. 보통교과의 공식적 교육 목적은 무엇이며, 보통교과의 교육 목적에 대한 교사 및 학생의 인식은 무엇인가를 확인하고자 한다. 둘째, 특성화고등학교에서 보통교과가 운영되는 현황을 살펴보고자 한다. 셋째, 현장 중심 직업교육이 강한 독일과 덴마크, 그리고 호주에서 보통교과는 어떻게 운영되고 있으며, 보통교과를 담당하고 있는 교사들의 특징은 무엇이며, 이들 나라의 보통교과 운영 사례가 우리나라 특성화고등학교 보통교과 운영에 주는 시사점은 무엇인가를 알아보고자 한다. 넷째, 특성화고등학교에서 학업성취도 평가를 대치하여 실행되고 있는 직업기초능력평가 결과의 환류 현황, 직업기초능력 제고를 위해 운영되는 프로그램의 실태를 검토하고, 직업기초능력 프로그램과 보통교과의 관계는 어떻게 이루어져야 하는가를 제안하고자 한다.

Emphasis on work-based learning has become an international trend as an policy measure to reduce youth unemployment and skill mismatch by strengthening the linkage between schools and labor market. In korea, strong policy have been implemented to increase employment rate of graduates of vocational high schools who used to pursue higher education. As an outcome of a series of policies in recent years, peoples’ perspectives have been changed, considering learning specific skills are the most important in vocational high schools under the social slogan of “building the meritocratic society”, the meaning of which is rather obscure. Reflecting these trends, general subjects have been gradually neglected in vocational high schools in Korea. This study started based on a sense of crisis that while a society is over-emphasizing specific skills, there might be a danger of overlooking arguments that specific skills oriented education can not ensure the later period of workers’ lives than does the concept-based education due to lack of adaptability to the changing society. The aims of this study is to contemplate the purpose of learning general subjects in vocational high schools and explore the ways to improve the quality of vocational high school education with regard to general subjects, in a way that it can not only contribute the need of labor market but also for the good of student’s lifelong competitiveness and human resources development at the national level. Various approaches have been deployed in this study such as literatures review, interviews with teachers and students, and quantitative analysis based on survey with teachers and student. The results provided the following characteristics as the current status of general education in vocational high schools. First, despite of considerable differences in educational context between general high schools and vocational high schools, officially the curriculum of general subjects of these two types of schools are the same. There is no guideline or system to help teachers of general subjects in vocational high schools to deal with less motivated students with less time for teaching than general high schools. Secondly, many teachers think that the number of courses for general subjects in vocational high schools need to be reduced and 21.8% of students responded that there is no need to learn general subjects. Third, more than half of students are aware of lack of basic ability for learning. Fourth, many teachers of general subjects are relatively alienated in the process curriculum planning and showed the tendency of less actively participating in professional education and training. As the final conclusion of this study, two scenarios were provided which shows contradictory characteristics. In the Scenario 1, based on the perspectives of Brunner(1960), Hirst(1965), Gardner(2006) and Young(2009), general subject would be more emphasized than now with changes in teaching method in order for students to be better equipped for the rapidly changing labor marker as well as enhance their wisdom for life and citizenship. On the other hand, in the Scenario 2, the objects of general subjects will be limited to facilitating development of basic competencies required in the work places. In case of choosing the Scenario 1 as an policy direction, changes in curriculum, teacher placement and training, and quality control of teaching in order to assure students of vocational high school have chances to learn, at their piques of cognitive capacity, the “powerful knowledge” with “disciplinary minds” which will help them in the lifelong learning society. Addressing the limitation of the study, further suggestions of researches were made.