This study has its purpose of providing basic data and information for improving the
special school curriculum by suggesting the discourse on the expansion of special school
vocational curriculum in Korea based on internationally comparative study between Korean
special school vacational curriculum and Japanese special school vacational curriculum,
focusing on finding a way of expanding vocational subjects through consideration and
review of the current vocational education structure in the special school curriculum. For
the purpose of this, this study researched the special school vocational curriculum at the
national level in Korea and Japan and the vocational curriculum at the school level focusing
the examples of high schools for visual impairment. The results of study are as follows:
First, it was found that the current special school vocational curriculum in Korea are
lacking in consideration for the properties and requests of various disabilities and the
number of courses and subjects available (18 courses in 9 subjects) is significantly limited.
For example, the result shows that the vocational curriculum for special education students
in Japan are 77 courses in 12 subjects and the specialized(vocational) curriculum for general
students in Korea who show almost identical quality in the level of development and
performance capability are 448 courses in 10 categories. Based on this finding, it was found
that the number of vocational education subjects and courses for students in Korea who
need special education are significantly limited compared with their various types of
impairments and selectable occupations. Second, the elective curriculum serves as provision
of various opportunities. For this, it is suggested that the special school vocational curriculum in Korea must provide more opportunities by organizing and forming various
elective subjects and courses for student with disability in curriculum of the national level
like specialized elective subjects in the option-centered curriculum of general schools or the
various vocational curriculum of special schools in Japan. Third, it was suggested that, as a
specific improvement method, it is necessary to seek a drastic expansion of the scope and
number of vocational subjects and courses for the students who currently need special
education and to consider a plan for organizing curriculum which can provide more in-depth
and professional vocational education to the student with disability by converting the
detailed courses that are categorized by subjects in the current special school vocational
curriculum into regular subjects like ‘Medical Massage’ subject. Fourth, the suggestions for
improving the special school vocational curriculum are as follows; i) reorganization of the
vocational curriculum which are not organized in the special school vocational curriculum at
the national level but which are internally organized in many special education
schools(classes) into a new vocational education curriculum at the national level, ii) as in
case of Japan, the identification of a plan for expanding various kinds of vocational
education curriculum other than ‘Medical Massage’ for the visually impaired students who
have no choice but to select the vocational curriculum limited to ‘Medical Massage’, iii) the
establishment and expansion of various vocational subjects for students with mental
retardation, and iv) in case of the vocational subjects established by schools, the provision
of various supports according to organization of new curriculum (such as provision of
additional teachers, development of course books, provision of funds for publishing such
books, etc).
Key words :Special school vocational curriculum, Curriculum of special schools, High
school elective curriculum, Majoring course curriculum in special school,
School for the visually impaired