The present seventh revised curriculum, keeping up with a changing stream of times and breaking away from the former uniform and supplier-oriented education, has been directed toward focusing on each individual on the basis of his/her capabilities, interests and individualities. In this respect, this study surveyed the changes in education environment which affect in the revision of the curriculum, classified the key competencies which users(employers) demand and differentiated the key competencies of thirty two professional subjects on the curriculum of commercial high schools.
For the analysis of the study, research materials and statistical data of official organizations were used. For the classification of the key competencies in the professional subject, questionnaires were answered by the teachers of seven commercial high schools in Taegu and the results were analyzed through the statistics operation program SAS 8.1.
The findings show that out of the thirty-two professional subjects, five of Business Economy, Introduction to Management, Business Law, Practice in Management and International Business include all the key competencies demanded. And six of Business Law, Practice in Tourism Management, International Regular Business, Marketing, Outline in Secretariat, and Practice in Secretariat include two pertinent areas of the key competencies.
The five subjects need to be completed regardless of the major field of study in a commercial high school in that they are the remarkable change made by the seventh revised curriculum and considered the basic theoretical subjects on the curriculum. The six subjects, although being different in level, can be given as elective ones in the pertinent departments.
This paper provides some points to be considered in the design of the revised curriculum that will cultivate the key competencies when each school selects professional subjects. The 7th revised curriculum was taken effect step by step since 1997 and so the selection of professional subjects is to applied in the second and third glade of high school form 2003 school year. It is recommended that each school choose the subjects pertinent to its own educational aims, and thereby elevate its competitive power.