Analysis of the Current Status of Educational Research on “Socratic Dialogue Method”: 2015-2022

Objectives This study aims to analyze the current state of educational research related to the Socratic Dialogue method, particularly in the context of the upcoming implementation of the revised 2022 curriculum. Methods The study involved analyzing 130 scholarly articles and thesis related to the Socratic method in education, published between 2015 and December 2022. Initially, the research classified by the types of studies according to school grades and research methods to analyze their current state. For a more comprehensive analysis, the study further categorized research types based on content, examining the status of applied subjects, research topics, and the use of literature and models. Results Firstly, the research types were predominantly literature studies. In particular, literature studies were prevalent in joint or elementary and high school-targeted research, while quantitative studies were common for early childhood and qualitative studies for middle school. Secondly, out of 130 studies related to the Socratic method, 72 were classified as basic research, mainly focusing on ‘general education’ and ‘moral’ subjects. In practical research, ‘moral’ and ‘philosophy’ subjects were commonly applied, especially ‘philosophical (community of inquiry activities)’ for early childhood education. Thirdly, upon reviewing the literature and models used in the research, basic research most frequently utilized ‘Dialogues’, focusing on educational implications like ‘teaching methods’⋅’teacher's role’⋅‘educational objectives’⋅‘content’. They emphasized educational objectives such as ‘truth-seeking’⋅‘knowledge’⋅‘unity of knowledge and action’⋅‘wisdom’, using key concepts from the ‘Dialogues’ and frequently analyzing the Elenchos method of Socratic dialogue. In practical research, over 50% reported results from conducting philosophical inquiry community activities. Conclusions This study is significant as it reviews the current state of educational research related to the Socratic method since the 2015 curriculum revision, in anticipation of the implementation of the revised 2022 curriculum (in 2024). It provides foundational research material for the qualitative improvement of subsequent studies and suggests future directions.