A Study on the Analysis of Keyword Networks in Music Curriculum using Text Mining

Objectives The purpose of this study is to understand the perceptions of the general public, educational authorities, professional groups, and other stakeholders on music curriculum by using text mining, a big data analysis technique, to comprehensively and systematically identify key issues and discourses related to music curriculum. Methods Research reports from the Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation, news article texts, and domestic academic journal articles were selected as the primary sources for this study. These materials span from the 7th music curriculum to the 2022 revision, with the study conducting both periodic frequency analysis and keyword network analysis Results The findings indicate that the media is the most abundant source of information on music curriculum, followed by academic journals, and government documents, in that order. In government documents, ‘education’, ‘school’, ‘subject’, and ‘evaluation’ emerged as key terms consistently across all curriculum periods. The media, on the other hand, often mentioned ‘education’, ‘students’, ‘school’, ‘time’, and ‘subject’, suggesting a focus on student education within school lessons. Academic journal articles presented ‘music curriculum’, ‘education’, ‘learning’, ‘activities’, ‘students’, and ‘music textbooks’ for primary schools as key terms. This reveals a continuous focus by the Korean music education academic community on research related to activities and learning connected to music textbooks, particularly at the primary education level. Conclusions The government’s research has concentrated on various materials and assessment data that can be used in educational settings, with a focus on music curriculum. The media has quickly reflected social demands and the public’s perception of music curriculum. In the academic field related to music education, research has focused on understanding the curriculum documents themselves, exploring diverse learning methods, and developing practical teaching strategies.