The Conduct of the Filial Education of Children in the Chason Dynasty

조선시대(朝鮮時代) 아동(兒童)의 효행교육(孝行敎育)

This documentary study investigated the background, content and methods of the filial education of children in the Choson Dynasty; that is, the ways in which filial conduct was taught so that the child learned manners and learned to assist parents in everyday life. The subjects of this study were the upper class(sonbi) and ranged from 7 or 8 to 13 or 14 years in Korean age. The Confucian view of nature, ethics and the family system emphasized filial duty during the Choson Dynasty. The contents of filial education were the fundamentals of filial conduct, such as daily greetings, participation(in family events), and an affectionate and respectful attitude towards parent. The method for filial education was that parents and instructors were to be good model in everyday life so that children got accustomed to good conduct. It is difficult to apply the filial conduct of the Choson Dynasty to today's life, but its basic spirit, that is, loving and respecting human beings, is still invaluable for modern times. This spirit may be applied to childhood education today by amending some out-of-date contents, and the filial ethos universalized in daily life could become a prescription for today's chaotic society.