Objectives The purposes of this study were to examine the perceptions of teachers who oversaw social studies classes in 2019—when the 2015 revised curriculum was introduced for grades 5 and 6 in elementary schools—regarding management of the social studies curriculum. Methods The aim of the study was to develop detailed improvement plans for curriculum implementation in terms of teaching, learning, and the evaluation of social studies in grades 5 and 6. To this end, a survey questionnaire was administered to 632 teachers who oversaw social studies classes in grades 5 and 6 in 2019, and interview surveys were conducted with the elementary school teachers who oversaw these grades. Results The key outcomes are as follows. First, many teachers perceived the subject competency presented in the social studies curriculum as appropriate for grades 5 and 6. Second, when examining teacher perceptions regarding the amount and level of social studies content learned in these grades, many felt that the amount of learning related to modern and contemporary history was high for the historical domains studied in the second semester of grade 5. They felt that, overall, the content level for students was also high. Third, teachers expressed that the most difficult aspect of teaching and learning social studies in grades 5 and 6 was excessive learning. Conclusions From the above research results, to enrich management of the social studies curriculum in grades 5 and 6 in elementary schools, we propose providing teaching and learning plans centered on essential content elements, improving elementary school social studies teaching and learning materials, and developing improvement plans for the 2022 revised elementary school social studies curriculum.
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