An Analysis of the Curriculum Related to the Practical Arts Subject in Estonia

This study conducts an in-depth analysis of the Practical Arts-related subject curriculum in the 2023 revised national basic school curriculum of Estonia. To this end, the study examines Estonia’s national education system and educational policies, analyzes the structure and content characteristics of the national curriculum documents, and explores the structure, content, and features of the Technology subject curriculum as a major Practical Arts-related subject in Estonia. The key findings of the study are as follows. First, Estonia mandates basic education from grades 1 to 9, provides various vocational education pathways from secondary to higher education, and actively implements policies that strengthen technology and information education. Second, while the national curriculum is grounded in legislation and official curriculum documents, it emphasizes school-based curricula, enabling curricula to be tailored to local and school-specific contexts. Third, Estonia designates the Technology subject, the equivalent of Korea’s Practical Arts subject, as a compulsory subject for grades 1 to 9. It also covers Practical Arts subject contents through certain Science and Social studies subjects, as well as elective subjects such as Informatics, Entrepreneurship Education, and Career Education. The contents and learning outcomes (achievement standards) in Estonia’s Technology curriculum are fewer, but more abstract and comprehensive, compared to those in Korea’s Practical Arts curriculum. This requires greater autonomy and professional expertise from schools and teachers. Based on these findings, the study recommends expanding the continuity and instructional hours of the Practical Arts subject from elementary through middle school, designing curricula that allow students to experience the entire process of work and technology from start to finish, developing theme-based integrated instruction within the subject, and strengthening the autonomy and expertise of schools and teachers in curriculum implementation.