An Analysis on the Environmental Ideology in Children's Literature: The Case of Elementary Korean Textbooks

아동문학 작품 속의 환경 이데올로기 분석: 초등 국어 교과서를 중심으로

The emphasis in environmental education for children should be on awareness, appreciation, and sensory experiences. By offering children opportunities to experience the elements of nature that surround them, teachers elevate children's comfort level and familiarity with the natural world. But many children have little contact with nature, because of urban living, hurried schedules, TV's attraction, and the low value most schools place on outdoor activities. So, teachers have to expand the real out-of-door experiences into the classroom by sharing and making accessible books focusing on nature and the natural environment. Namely, quality children's literature is an excellent vehicle for extending a particular experience or introducing new ones. Building on outdoor experiences through stories encourages children to explore more deeply what they have observed and experienced-concepts are reinforced, new knowledge gained, vicarious experiences provided. There are three-fold classification of environmentalism, especially environmental ethics, and three-aspects of the history in children's literature. The analytical results of this study are as follow. The environmental ideology in elementary Korean textbooks varies from 'egocentrism-didacticism' to 'ecocentrism-fantasy'. This finding has implication for selecting children's books and teaching environmental contents in elementary school. Therefore teachers and parents need to get ready to receive ecocriticism.