The Journal of The Korean Association of Geographic and Environmental Education ISSN:1226-511X(Print) 2586-5641(Online) 한국지리환경교육학회지

The population imbalance in South Korea is currently intensifying. The unipolar system centered on the Seoul metropolitan area has widened the population gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, causing various adverse effects. To alleviate this regional population imbalance, there is a growing interest in and social consensus on balanced development. Notably, the field of education has begun to focus on ensuring that students recognize the severity of population imbalance and internalize the value of balanced development. In fact, compared to the 2015 Revised Curriculum, the 2022 Revised Social Studies Curriculum has strengthened contents that explore the problems caused by population imbalance and their potential solutions. This study aims to examine the core contents and areas in need of improvement by analyzing the units related to population distribution in the textbooks currently used in the first semester of the fifth grade in elementary school. The scope of analysis was set to the units concerning population distribution within a total of seven types of fifth-grade, first-semester elementary social studies textbooks. As for the research method, a grounded theory analysis was conducted on the textbook content. In parallel, interviews with in-service teachers were carried out to deeply examine pedagogical suitability in actual classroom settings, learner comprehension, and implications for improvement. By critically reviewing how the units related to population distribution in elementary social studies textbooks address the phenomenon of population imbalance, this study will contribute to presenting effective measures to foster students' values and competences regarding balanced development.