Computing Education in Korea—Current Issues and Endeavors

Abstract

Computer education has been provided for a long period of time in Korea. Starting as a vocational program, the content of computer education for students evolved to include content on computer literacy, Information Communication Technology (ICT) literacy, and brand-new computer science. While a new curriculum related to computer science was established in 2007, the range of computer education being provided in Korean schools has been repeatedly reduced. To identify the cause of this recent phenomenon, we review the computer education environment using the Darmstadt model, including educational systems, curricula, and teaching environments. Then we examine what factors affected the decline of computer education. The major causes of failure are found to be the absence of policy and a comprehensive evaluation method. These causes have led to a reduction in the selection ratio of computer-related subjects and in the number of students taking computer classes. Based on this understanding, we bring some fundamental message for establishing robust computer science education.

Prospective Science Teachers’ Self-Confidence in Computational Thinking Skills

“…Computational thinking skills are a part of England's state curriculum (Pérez-Marín et al, 2020). In 2018, South Korea added computational thinking skills to the curriculum, including digital literacy, computational thinking, and organizing (Choi et al, 2015). Thus, at the same time, Indonesia should pay special attention to teachers, including science teachers, to increase their self-confidence in these computational thinking skills.…”

International Trends in K–12 Computer Science Curricula Through Comparative Analysis: Implications for the Primary Curricula

“…In this special issue, Gal-Ezer & Stephenson (2014) compared K-12 computer science education in Israel and the U.S., focused on curriculum development, and reported common issues and challenges in areas in curriculum development and teacher training. Choi et al (2015) reported current issues in introducing computer science education in K-12 education in Korea by analyzing education environments, including educational systems, curricula, and teaching environments. This first approach shows the detail of each country's computer education status but does not tell the trends of computer science education.…”

Computação Fundamental: Currículo e Livros Didáticos de Computação para o Ensino Fundamental II

“…Outros países também tem desenvolvido currículos de computação para a educação básica. Alguns países, como Israel, com larga tradição no ensino médio (Hazzan, Gal-Ezer, & Blum, 2008) e mais recente inserção no Ensino Fundamental II (Bargury et al, 2012), Coreia do Sul (Choi et al, 2015) e Nova Zelândia (Bell, Andreae, & Lambert, 2010), já possuem uma tradição de longo prazo no assunto com uma larga base de materiais didáticos abertos desenvolvidos, como é o caso do Computer Science Field Guide da Nova Zelândia (Bell, 2013). Outros países possuem uma inserção da computação mais recente, como é o caso da Irlanda (Becker & Quille, 2020) e da Argentina (López et al, 2019), mas já possuem materiais didáticos de computação para o ensino médio.…”