Enhancing Problem-Solving Skills and Satisfaction
Through Board Game-Based Lessons
Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province announced on January 16 that it had officially proposed to the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education to expand its self-developed "Low Birthrate Awareness Improvement Curriculum for Elementary, Middle, and High School Students" nationwide.
This proposal is based on the judgment that Seongnam City's curriculum, which was developed in response to rapid demographic changes, has proven effective in raising youth awareness of population issues.
Seongnam City's low birthrate awareness improvement education is conducted using a participatory class format designed to engage students' interest.
The curriculum is characterized by its use of gamification through board games, allowing students to naturally understand the value of family and the social issues arising from demographic changes.
Last year, the city implemented this education program in 488 elementary, middle, and high school classes, with 66 professional instructors trained by the city visiting each class to conduct the lessons in person.
As a result, students showed high levels of participation and interest in the classes, and the program also had a positive effect on improving their problem-solving skills.
Students who participated in the program commented, "I realized the seriousness of the population decline issue," and "I have become interested in the low birthrate problem."
To analyze the effectiveness of the program, a survey was conducted before and after the education with 14,509 students. The average satisfaction score was 4.52 out of 5.
All indicators improved, including awareness of the importance of population issues (from 4.25 to 4.42 points), awareness of the impact of population decline (from 3.71 to 3.89 points), and willingness to address population issues (from 3.65 to 3.89 points).
The education effectiveness score also increased by 0.20 points, from 3.91 before the program to 4.11 after the program.
In March last year, Seongnam City registered the copyright for its low birthrate awareness improvement population education curriculum.
Starting this year, the city plans to develop and operate a new population education curriculum tailored to first and second grade elementary school students.
A Seongnam City official stated, "Through this proposal, we aim to spread the 'model population education program' established by Seongnam City to local governments across the country, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of youth population education and supporting the strengthening of the foundation for implementing national population policies."
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