A study on national identity education in IB PYP schools’ Units of Inquiry

The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of national identity education in IB schools that emphasize cultivating 'international mindedness.' By analyzing 252 Units of Inquiry designed and operated by 7 IB PYP schools, this study identified which national identity components were covered in educational content and how the newly emphasized national identity components due to globalization were reflected. As a result, the type and proportion of national identity components reflected in the Units of Inquiry differed depending on the school. In addition, the IB schools' Units of Inquiry sufficiently reflected the global and international context, and topics related to global conflict issues and respect for diversity and multiculturalism appeared quite frequently. In solving problems between countries, there were many unit designs that allowed students to have a position and perspective as global citizens, and there was a tendency to approach them from the perspectives of universality, publicness, and inclusiveness. Finally, this study suggested that national identity education should be approached to be cultivated through forward-looking experiences as a "citizen of the Republic of Korea" that take into account both domestic and international situations and world universal values based on essential identity.