Evolution and Future Directions of SSI Education in South Korea: A 2-Decade Review and Beyond

Over the past two decades, a diverse range of socioscientific issues (SSIs) research has been undertaken in South Korea. Since school education in South Korea has been greatly driven at the national level by curriculum and educational policies, the trends and major emphases of SSI research have also evolved over time along with significant changes. Due to the recent surge in infectious disease outbreaks, climatic crises, and environmental degradation, coupled with increased complexity and uncertainty resulting from various societal changes, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has put greater emphasis on the importance of the capability to apply knowledge to real-life situations and solve complex problems rather than merely acquiring fragmented knowledge. The National Science Curriculum 2022, in particular, has placed a greater emphasis on student agency/co-agency and transformative competencies. The MOE also stresses the significance of integrating democratic civic education and character education into all subjects to foster the holistic development of individuals and their qualities as members of a healthy society. This implies the need to foster students’ responsibilities as citizens and facilitate collaborative efforts to tackle community issues, which resonates with Vision III of scientific literacy. In this chapter, we analyzed the last two decades of SSI research in Korea and presented its trends and future directions in the context of science education policy and curriculum in South Korea.