Patterns of Textual Inclusion and Pedagogical Reception of the Confucian Canon and Masters Texts in the 2022 Revised High School Classical Chinese Textbooks-A Comparative Study with Classical Chinese I under the 2015 Revised Curriculum-

Abstract

This study aims to conduct a diachronic comparative analysis of the patterns of textual inclusion and pedagogical reception of the Confucian canon and jejaseo(諸子書) in Korean high school Classical Chinese textbooks developed under the 2015 Revised Curriculum and the 2022 Revised Curriculum. Textbooks based on the 2015 curriculum generally organized independent units devoted to the classics and Masters texts and included a relatively broad selection of original passages from the Hundred Schools of Thought, thereby enabling students to engage with major issues in diverse strands of pre-Qin thought through close reading and comparative study. By contrast, the 2022 curriculum textbooks commonly exhibit a Confucian-centered selection of materials, a reorganization of texts around idiomatic expressions and short excerpts, and a reinforcement of activities oriented toward moral cultivation in connection with students' lived experience. The patterns identified in the 2022 textbooks may be classified into four types: (1) the abolition of dedicated units and the practical dispersal of short classical passages across thematically related units; (2) the reduction of content to a single canonical text, often the Analects, combined with convergent pedagogical approaches; (3) the compression of the textual corpus around Confucius and Mencius, with non-Confucian thinkers reassigned to learner-centered activity sections; and (4) the preservation or expansion of intellectual diversity through the continued inclusion of non-Confucian thinkers and the comparative treatment of major philosophical issues. These findings indicate that the 2022 textbooks enhance accessibility and practical relevance while narrowing the philosophical spectrum represented in the subject. Future instruction should therefore combine the effective use of activity-based learning with sustained efforts to preserve intellectual diversity, thereby securing a balanced cultivation of both depth and breadth in Classical Chinese education.