The emphasis of a thinking skill is very important in the subject education because of its meaning and nature. From the standpoint of discipline-based curriculum, a research on this field would have to revitalized all the more, in that the emphasis of a higher order thinking skill can be a powerful alternative plan for traditional knowledge education. Especially, this study, which interested in a curriculum integrated strategy to develop a higher order thinking which has been stressed in the social studies, has focused on the integration of curriculum suitable for developing a thinking skill as a strategy for problems-solving in social studies from the standpoint of constructing a curriculum.
This study has followed ‘a cognition development model’ by Eisner(1979) as a model of general meaning and direction for the construction of curriculum for developing a higher order thinking skill. Also, the researcher, on the basis of a thinking skill-related model by the Korean Educational Development Institute(KEDI) and of a curriculum-integrating model by Bruner(1960) as a curriculum construction model, established ‘a thematic based curriculum integrating model'. The merits of the thematic based curriculum design model and the circular curriculum construction model have been unified and then conducted this research depending on this model.
In summary, this study discussed the meaning of a thinking skill development in the social studies, mentioned the foundation of an integrated curriculum construction, and determined a direction and principle of social studies-integrated curriculum construction for a higher order thinking skill learning. Furthermore this study arranged the constituent factors and contents dividing into several fields such as the objects setting, content selection & construction, teaching·learning method and evaluation fields. Next, for the strategy of social studies-integrated curriculum construction for developing a higher order thinking skill, the researcher discussed reconstruction of thematic strands-based integrated curriculum in social studies as its base and a integrating method, and proposed thematic strands-based unit reconstruction form for developing a higher order thinking skill.
For developing a higher order thinking skill, one generally utilize the approach in terms of a teaching·learning method, but this study adopted approach focusing on the content construction of social studies curriculum, which is a content-aspect approach form for developing a thinking skill. The researcher, as a curriculum construction form, has proposed the thematic strands-based integrating method, and tried to prove a possibility that the thematic strands-based reconstruction form, which contribute to developing a higher order thinking skill. The methodological study of this study concerns with the existing research materials examination and the curriculum & textbook analysis rather than focusing on proving the fact that this thematic strands-based integration has an empirical effect on the development of a higher order thinking skill.
Under this purpose of study, the results of study can be summarized as follows :
First, a higher order thinking skill in social studies is “a mental function to solve the problem with a new thinking, that is critical thinking, not depending on a simple memorizing or a previous information and the existing method when a learner is faced with a new social problem situation.” This creative mental functions include an inquiry skill, decision-making ability, creative thinking, critical thinking, meta cognition. When complying with this classification, a higher order thinking skill in social studies is needed to stress an inspecting ability of theses items: a social science inquiry ability, an individual social value-based decisive ability, a flexibility and originality of social knowledge, a social situation analysis & evaluation ability, social mind, etc.
Second, actually the most ideal method, as a content integrating one in the formation of social studies integrated curriculum, is not a simple concept or thematic-based integrating method but a thematic strands-based method as a primary factor. We can collectively think of concept, theme, issue, generalization, law, and value, etc because strands as the one drawn from the philosophy, objectives, and the basic directions of a social studies education is the primary factor which contributes to performing the objectives and tasks for a cultivation of citizenship, a final object of social studies education. Like this, when integrating social studies centering around strands, it would be possible to integrate them easily exceeding the disciplinary line.
Third, an effective curriculum construction strategy for developing a higher order thinking skill in social studies is a thematic strands-based integrated reconstruction form. The thematic strands in this research is 8 items drawn & selected from social studies's objects and literatures. They are : ① Places and Environment, ② Change and Continuity, ③ Culture and Race, ④ Individuals and Institutions, ⑤ Life of Civic and Government, ⑥ Economy, ⑦ Science, Technology, and Society, ⑧ Global Connections.
Fourth, by analyzing the curriculum and textbooks on the basis of thematic strands-based abstraction, the researcher related thinking skills according to the integrate reconstruction of thematic strands-based social studies, and then presented thematic strands-based unit construction. Since the present 7th curriculum's contents have stressed inquiry activities with course subdividing independent arrangement, there is a problem of having excessive learning amounts & large contents. As a curriculum construction strategy to solve this problem, this study proposed a thematic strands-based integrated curriculum.
This thematic strands-based unit learning is the form by which the problem of the existing nonsystematic contents construction and the content-repeating can be overcome.　So, a systematic learning with the reduction of amount of content is possible which naturally results in an interesting and in-depth learning owing to the optimum-ization of learning contents. This system can provide various experiences for developing a higher order thinking. As a true form of integration we want, it be made into a program in the integrated curriculum form for developing a thinking skill.
On the basis of the conclusions of this study, the researcher would like to propose some items as follows :
First, it seems that enough examination and discussion are needed about the reconstruction of textbook construction form and units within a textbook according to the content construction form of social studies integrated curriculum. In this thesis, a study on the thematic strands-based unit construction focusing on 3～4 grade students of elementary school, and in the future, a study on the construction of strands-based integrated curriculum for 5～6 grade students should be also done. So, the whole outline of the integrated curriculum in social studies of elementary school can be studied and developed in the future.
Second, in our social studies integrated curriculum, it seems that an attempt to integrate the contents from the third grade course to the tenth grade one, which is the national common basic course, is needed to be made. On the basis of the integration in the elementary school, it's needed an effort to find the possibility of integration in the middle·high school too. Currently, in middle school and high school level respectively, some researches on strands-based curriculum integration and unit construction have been made. Here, it seems that, with linking these researches together, a strategy to integrate the whole social studies of elementary·middle·high school is needed. If it is difficult to develop whole integration with trans-disciplinary, it's needed to find the possibility of an alterative partial integration getting out of current tri-sectional subject area thinking.
Third, through the learning of the units on the thematic strands-based integrated curriculum, a study on the evaluation device to measure the growth degree of a higher order thinking skill would have to be made. As a follow-up task of this study, the development of the evaluation items by thematic strands with which one can prove the elevation level of a higher order thinking skill can become an good example.
Fourth, the form of social studies' integration should get out of the existing thematic strands-based form of the United States. A study on strands as a guidline of national level having a character of thematic elements suitable for our actual circumstances is needed. On the basis of that the development of strands unit construction in each Metropolitan·Provincial's Office of Education or regional Office of Education level are necessary. This study would be a turning point for a new integration of our country's social studies course, and through it, the social studies curriculum integrated operation in the school field would be effective all the more.
Fifth, the researcher want this study to be a suggestive material for the revision of curriculum in the future. When revising curriculum in the near future, we think the introduction of this thematic strands-based integration should be considered. Furthermore I hope that this study could play a role as a collection of materials for the reconstruction of social studies curriculum in the field of school in the future.