A Study on the Design of a Practical Arts Laboratory for Elementary Level Technology Education in Korea
Author: Go, In-gyu
Date: 2022-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary Education,Foreign Countries,Technology Education,Laboratories,Educational Facilities Design,School Space,Educational Environment,Equipment,Interdisciplinary Approach

This study was conducted to confirm the specifications of the laboratory and the list of practice tools for technology education in elementary schools in Korea. For effective technology education, standardized laboratory specifications and a list of practice tools are needed. However, there were no standardized laboratory specifications and a list of practice tools for elementary school students in Korea, so there were many difficulties in practicing related to technology education at the elementary level. In particular, elementary-level technology education is combined with home economic and agricultural education within the subject of practical art subjects in Korea. Therefore, the laboratory should have a complex function so that it is not only for technology education but also to enable practice in other fields. The name of the lab is &quot;The Practical Arts Laboratory&quot; in elementary schools in Korea. The study design and method to achieve the study purpose are as follows. First, in the theoretical analysis stage, the concept of the laboratory and considerations for designing the laboratory were confirmed through the review of previous studies. Next, a list of practice tools was derived using the big data analysis method. Then, in the actual design stage, the practical arts laboratory was designed and an expert feasibility study was conducted. The results of the study are as follows. First, the minimum area of the practical arts laboratory is 13,600mm×12,450mm, which is twice the size of a general classroom. In addition to the practical arts laboratory, a preparation room for storing practice tools is also required. The minimum area of the preparation room is 12,450mm×3,500mm, which is 1/4 the size of practical arts laboratory. Second, the practice table in the practical arts laboratory was designed as a comprehensive practice table that allows various types of practice, and the area was designed to be 600mm×1,200mm in consideration of the Korean work area. Third, the number of practice tables was set to six considering the size of the practical arts laboratory and the number of people per class in elementary schools in Korea. As of 2018, the number of people per class at an elementary school in Korea was 23.1, so four people were set to use one practice table. Practice is a key element in technology education. Thus, it will be said that the practical arts laboratory plays a very important role in Korea's elementary level technology education as an environmental background that makes the practice effective. For this reason, the standard specifications of the practical arts laboratory and the list of practice tools presented in this study are expected to contribute to the development of elementary-level technology education in Korea. Also, our results can be a reference for other countries in the world that have a similar situation to Korea.