The Integration of Legal Education into the General Curricula for Primary and Basic Education
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Abstract
The article presents research carried out September through November 2011 in order to analyse the scientific problem of the position of legal education in the context of changing curricula in general education schools, especially in the concentres of primary and basic education that do not include a separate subject of legal education. The subject of the research was the aspect of legal education in the general curricula for primary and basic education. The aim of the article is to reveal the position of legal education in the context of changing general curricula for primary and basic education.
Two strategic documents of national scale regulating curricula: The General Curricula and the Standards of Education: Pre-school, Primary and Basic Education (2003) and The General Curricula for Primary and Basic Education (2008) were analysed following the principles of open coding and using the Kokybis software for open coding qualitative research data processing. The following conclusions were drawn: a) the change in the general curricula and their content was determined by the conditions of the time when the classical education paradigm was replaced by liberal education (this is related to the second stage of the education reform); b) while the general curricula for primary and basic education change, legal education remains relevant and is integrated into more and more subject curricula (from the general aims, goals, and values to be taught to the specific content of the subject and methodological guidelines for teachers): at the level of primary education, legal education is integrated into the subjects of moral education, linguistic education, world cognition and physical education; at the level of basic education, legal education is integrated into the subjects of moral education, linguistic education, social education, artistic education, technological education, mathematics and physical education; c) the subject of civic education appearing in the General Curricula of 2008 needs special mention as legal education is integrated throughout all the parts of the subject curriculum: introduction, provisions, content, pupil achievements, teaching guidelines and conclusions; d) in contrast to the general curricula for primary education, the general curricula for basic education contain the aspects of legal education that generally reflect the main branch of law prevailing in each specific field, thus the issues of family law are highlighted in moral and linguistic education, while those of constitutional law are discussed in social education, and civil law questions are highlighted in the lessons of mathematics, information technologies, and the arts.
Two strategic documents of national scale regulating curricula: The General Curricula and the Standards of Education: Pre-school, Primary and Basic Education (2003) and The General Curricula for Primary and Basic Education (2008) were analysed following the principles of open coding and using the Kokybis software for open coding qualitative research data processing. The following conclusions were drawn: a) the change in the general curricula and their content was determined by the conditions of the time when the classical education paradigm was replaced by liberal education (this is related to the second stage of the education reform); b) while the general curricula for primary and basic education change, legal education remains relevant and is integrated into more and more subject curricula (from the general aims, goals, and values to be taught to the specific content of the subject and methodological guidelines for teachers): at the level of primary education, legal education is integrated into the subjects of moral education, linguistic education, world cognition and physical education; at the level of basic education, legal education is integrated into the subjects of moral education, linguistic education, social education, artistic education, technological education, mathematics and physical education; c) the subject of civic education appearing in the General Curricula of 2008 needs special mention as legal education is integrated throughout all the parts of the subject curriculum: introduction, provisions, content, pupil achievements, teaching guidelines and conclusions; d) in contrast to the general curricula for primary education, the general curricula for basic education contain the aspects of legal education that generally reflect the main branch of law prevailing in each specific field, thus the issues of family law are highlighted in moral and linguistic education, while those of constitutional law are discussed in social education, and civil law questions are highlighted in the lessons of mathematics, information technologies, and the arts.
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Articles
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