Journal of the Korean Geographical Society ISSN:1225-6633(Print) 대한지리학회지

This study examines the publication and the content organization of the middle school textbook 『Geography of Neighboring Countries』 during the syllabus period. The main findings are as follows: First, it is unusual that the geography subjects of the middle school are organized in the order of neighboring countries → distant countries → Korea, and that the scope of ‘neighboring countries’ consists of Asia and the Pacific region. Second, 『Geography of Neighboring Countries』 currently has four temporary textbooks published in 1947 and 1948 and seven authorized textbooks. Third, the textbooks were authorized by the Ministry of Education from 1949 to 1952, and were published until 1955. Fourth, the syllabus of the Ministry of Education was presented in eight units, but the content organization of the authorized textbooks varies depending on the author, and the proportion of descriptions varies greatly by region and country. China has a very high proportion, and India and Japan have a relatively high proportion of narratives. Finally, textbook authors recognized the importance of explanations for learners' understanding by presenting various visual materials(maps, pictures, photographs, statistical tables, and graphs) in abundance. However, the limitations of describing geographical facts have not been overcome.