The purpose of this study is to investigate elementary school teachers’ perception of democratic citizenship
education and to identify the characteristics and problems of elementary democratic citizenship education. And
also to find its desirable direction in elementary level. For the research, we conducted in-depth interviews
targeting 20 elementary school teachers who are interested in citizenship education and try to find out the
concept of democratic citizenship education, experiences of teaching, students’ experiences, barriers and conflicting
factors when teachers conduct citizenship education. The results of this study are as follow. First, teachers’
conception about democratic citizenship education are vary and diverse. Its meaning is not fixed and kept
changed while they conducing the education. Second, the teachers’ personal and practical experiences greatly
influenced positive and negative perceptions of democratic citizenship education. Third, the teachers believed that
citizenship education should start from student ’s experiences, but worried about the contents when it comes to
actual classes and learning activities. Fourth, the teachers conflicted in the course of practicing democratic
citizenship education on account of internal and external hindrance. Therefore, we need to set up the direction
and principles of elementary democratic citizenship education based on their conflicts, worries and agonies on
practicing it. The practice of democratic citizenship education in elementary school is influenced by school
climate where teacher and student communicate each others, and the teaching and learning context. Therefore
we need to set up the direction of elementary democratic citizenship education based on their conflicts, worries
and agonies on practicing it in their classroom. Also the practice of democratic citizenship education could work
effectively when we propose specific programs based on those.