The present study was to explore educational meanings implied in the Spirit of Durea which is one of Korean traditional cultures and to develop an early childhood education program based on the Spirit of Durea.
The Spirit of Durea was found to imply community spirits for common goods, mutual helping for humanity and welfare, cooperations for young children's progress, democratic and autonomous spirits for bringing up young children as democratic citizens, elegant spirits for exercising high spirits and promoting national identity, and natural harmonies for ecological community.
The educational significance of the Spirit of Durea dictated educational goals, contents, methods, supporting systems, and evaluations of an early childhood education program based on the Spirit of Durea.
The early childhood education program developed in this study had been applied to a five-year-old class for 16 weeks, September 4th through December 22nd, 2007. Following educational goals were accomplished.
First, regarding community spirits, young children were with others, shared own feelings. and had self-identities. In case of mutual help, they took care of the weak, helped each other, and shared own belongings with others.
Second, as for the cooperation with each other, young children solved the problems encountered in daily lives, consolidated their memberships, made rational decisions, and set upright values of children's matters.
Third, in case of fostering democratic citizenships and learning autonomously, young children learned democratic procedures, observances of mutual consents, understanding and respects for others, fairness, reasonableness, and justice.
Fourth, with regard to knowing natural beauty, harmonizing with the nature, and living in high spirits, young children found out the natural beauty, expressed it in their own ways, understood food sources and the relations between weather changes and our lives, familiarized with the nature, had regards for lives, and experienced the values of endeavor and sweat.
본 연구는 한국 고유의 전통문화인 두레에 내포되어 있는 정신을 탐구하여 유아교육적 의의를 규명하고, 이를 기초로 유아교육프로그램을 개발하는 데 목적이 있다. 두레에 내포된 정신은 한국 유아교육의 실천을 위한 교육목적의 근거인 가치론, 교육내용의 근거인 존재론, 교육수단의 근거인 인식론적 관점에서 의의가 있음이 규명되었다. 두레정신에 기초한 유아교육프로그램의 구성은 교육목적 및 목표, 교육내용, 교육방법, 지원체계, 평가로 구성되었다. 개발된 프로그램을 2006년 9월 4일부터 16주 동안 3개의 주제와 35개의 활동으로 유치원 만 5세 1학급에 적용하였다. 프로그램의 적합성을 알아보기 위하여 목표중심 질적 평가를 한 결과 프로그램의 목표인 공동체 정신 갖기, 타인과 상부상조하고 협동하기, 민주시민의 자질을 기르고 자주적으로 학습하기, 자연의 소중함을 알고 자연과 조화하기가 달성되었다. 따라서 두레정신에 기초한 유아교육프로그램은 유치원 교육과정과 연계하여 현장에서 실천하는데 적합한 프로그램이라고 할 수 있다.