The Study of Analyzing Multicultural Curriculum in Social Studies: Elementary School Textbook for Example

• Main Authors: I-Chen Chang, 張亦正
• Other Authors: Jenn-Jaw Soong
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2006
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/98984344735475100966

碩士 === 國立成功大學 === 政治經濟學研究所 === 94 === The most important goal of multicultural education is to build an educational environment that all students－regardless of their ethnic, gender, social class, and cultural characteristics－should have an equal opportunity to learn efficiently. In recent years, multicultural education is attached more importance with the political, economic, and social opening in Taiwan society. The Nine-Year Articulated Curriculum, which is a very big transition of educational reform in Taiwan, has emphasized the importance of multicultural education. The purpose of this research is to analyze the content of multicultural education in various versions of social-area textbooks. The analyzing objects of this research are the three main versions of textbooks used in elementary schools, Knsh, Nani, and Hanlin. This research applies content analysis both in quantitative and qualitative ways, and interviews with elementary school teachers. According to the theories of multicultural education, this research discussed the proportion and the frequency distribution of multicultural content in textbooks, the bias of point of view, and the approach of the multicultural curriculum design. The major findings of this research are as follows: Each version of textbook includes a certain amount of multicultural contents, and has its own distribution. But there are many bias of ethnic group centric views, gender stereotypes, and ideologies of middle-upper class appear in texts and pictures. And the most elements of multicultural education are attached in the main stream curriculum by additive approach of multicultural curriculum design. According to these conclusions, this research trying to raise the following suggestions to the future textbook compilation: 1. The sequence and the integration of curriculum organization should be improved. 2. Taking the point of view of minority groups as discussing relevant affairs. 3. Avoiding descriptions based only on main stream ideologies. 4. Increasing issues-center content. 5. Increasing guidance of social participation. 6. Expanding the professed dimensions of editors and examiners.