A Study on the multicultural education as a Korean Language Education: reality and methodology

Abstract

This paper researches to view the problems of a multicultural society, which is an emerging global problem, from the view of multicultural education. First, I analyzed the various aspects of Korean language education taking place within the scenes of multicultural education. For the analysis, international understanding education of the 7th national curriculum was taken into account during the process until multicultural education bacame reflected in the 2007 revised national education curriculum. Furthermore, I revealed that different methods and goals existed according to the students who learn multicultural education, the education content, and the scent of the education. Also, I suggested that content and method of language education as part of multicultural education should be divided into different types, including Korean language education as a mother tongue, Korean language education as a second language, bilingual education, and Korean language as a foreign language, according to the student, the contents that are taught and learned, and the scene of teaching and learning. Lastly, I emphasized the fact that in multicultural education, practive is more important that exercise, and also an educational method of practice based on assumption should be sought after. Also, I argued that the direction of education needs to be shifted, to a form that teachers about understanding minorities to a student group of the majority. From this point of view, we emphasized the need to remember the idea of 'thinking globally, acting locally.'