This paper was made for the purpose of research for direction on earth science subject matter of high school in Korea. For this purpose, we 1) reviewed the essence of science and goals and contents of science education, 2) reviewed the change of education of earth science subject matter, 3) investigated earth science teacher's opinion by questionnaire. The results were as follows: 1. Earth science subject matter must provide to students scientific process and knowledge - Process : to promote student's concerns for an interest in nature surrounding them, to help students develop and method in solving problems and its application for problem solving, recognition of variables of scientific method, to promote fundamental experiment and skills for scientific inquiry, etc. - Knowledge : provide systematic knowledge than simple rote, to help students understand concepts of recent scientific knowledge, contains STS, etc. 2. Earth science education must consider educational philosophy and educational psychology education of scientific literacy, partial professional education, conformity of development stage, sequence between school levels, attitudes to adaptation of scientific knowledge, method, skills and problem solving toward future positive attitudes to science, moral sense of science, minimum essense and difference of lines, open of upper limit, understanding the specific character of earth science, scientific knowledge development continuously, relationships of other subject matter, etc.

In recent years, there has been a great change in the earth science. Introducing new theories such as sea floor spreading and plate tectonics theories, sophisticated geological phenomena including continental drift, earthquakes and volcanic activities can be scientificaly explained. According to the great change of the concept of earth tectonics, earth science curriculum of domestic and foreign secondary school are now adapting this new concept such as new global tectonics. The aim of this study is to improve curriculum and develope a new efficient teaching-learning method by analyzing the contents of the chapter connected with plate tectonics in the elementary, middle and high school curriculum. For this purpose, American ESCP, CEEP and Korean earth science textbooks were analyzed in terms of general concept, system and construction. As the results, newly setting up the plate tectonics chapter include the contents of the concept of the plate, plate movement and historical back ground of the new global tectonics.

The earth science was set down as a regular subject of high-school curricilum in 1956 and has been constantly transited since then. This study is to discover the theoretical basic of science education by analyzing the background of formation of the curriculum and the process of transition. The aim of this study is to give an important suggestions for the future Earth Science Education. The summary of the study and suggestions for the sixth amendment of Earth Science curriculum are as follows 1. To promote the development of Science Education, Science subjects should be decided to be a compulsory subject by authority and supported financially. 2. It is necessary that the Earth Science be selected as a required subject in both human and natural course ; at least 4 unit for the human study course, and 8 unit for the natural course. 3. In the sixth amendment of curriculum the Earth Science should be fixed as a regular compulsory subject and both experiment and practice should be reinforced.

1. The aim of this study is to find the theoretical foundation of science education and to offer a basic materials and efficient suggestions for the 2000s Earth Science by analyzing and comparing the new curriculum amended in 1988 and the old one amended in 1981. 2. The main contents of this study is to find the problems in curriculum and to suggest the way to improve the curriculum by analyzing and comparing the new and old curriculum. 3. The problems that may appear in the new curriculum are as follows. (1) It's hard to expect the normal Earth Science Education in high school because Earth Science is designated as an optional subject in natural course. (2) It is contradictory to relation in learning to unify the Earth Science I and Biology I into Science I in new curriculum. (3) If the new curriculum goes in effect it is natural that Earth Science teachers quality should be lowered because able students will avoid entering the Department of Earth Science Education in university. 4. The suggestions to help improve the Earth Science curriculum in 2000s are as follows. (1) For the normal Earth Science Education, Earth Science should be designated as a required subject in civic science course as well as in natural course in high school. (2) The aim of Earth Science Education should be amended not to be dicipline centered curriculum but to satisfy the future society or individual's desire (3) The intergrated science should be researched profoundly and it is necessary to name Earth Science Geophysics, which is unified with physics. (4) Natural science curriculum should be amended by the committee constituted with the specialist in science education, scientists, and science teachers ; it is not proper that science curriculum be reached and discussed by an reorganization in which a few specialists in science education join.

This is a report of a decriptive study of the secondary earth science to examine the geology education in the United States. The review of 35 states' science curricula and papers on science education presented the author a guide to this writing on earth science and geology education in the United States. Though the earth science education in the United States is characterized by great variety, the author could find two most common contents in geology curricula : these are $quot;Constitution of the Earth$quot; and $quot;Physical Geography$quot;. Methods of science teaching and use of computer and student assessment in the secondary schools in the United States are also reviewed and summarized in this study.

이 硏究는 우리나라 國民學校 自然科 敎師用 指針書와 美國(Holt Science)의 敎師用 指針書를 分析 比較하였다. 各國의 科學敎育의 性格과 硏究課程 要素를 比較하여 보고 實際 內容에 있어서는 低學年에서 空氣分野와 高學年에서 海洋分野의 것을 다루었다.

地球科學 敎育에 關心을 갖고 硏究하던 중 1984年 2學期부터 1年間 美國 노-드 카로라이나 주립대학에 硏究敎授로 가서 國民學校 科學中 地球科學 敎育課程 內容을 比較 分析 硏究하게 되었다. 이 硏究는 우리 敎科書와 美國의 敎科書(Holt Science)의 體裁, 開發順序, 內容 및 槪念들을 比較하였다.

The papers of earth science examinations given during the first semester of 1981 academic year were collected from the seventy five high schools randomly chosen all over the country. The examination questions were analyzed and evaluated in order to grasp the current state and issues of earth science education. Some critical remarks and suggestions are made for improvement of the earth science education at the secondary school level.