A Study on the Systematic Changes in Vocational High School Beauty Departments Reflected in the National Curriculum

This study was conducted to analyze and examine the general guidelines of the national curriculum presented at the national level and to propose development strategies for enhanced beauty education. For the study, the curriculum documents were collected and analyzed according to the revision periods, from the 1st period to the 2022 revised curriculum, through the National Law Information Center and the National Curriculum Information Center website The analysis revealed that vocational high schools, which are secondary vocational education institutions, underwent a name change from “industrial high schools” to “specialized high schools” and then to “specialized vocational high schools.” In the context of establishing beauty departments within the specialized subjects, the term “specialized subjects” was first used during the 2nd period. Starting from the 7th period, the beauty department was established within the specialized subjects. Before the introduction of specialized subjects, It was part of the home economics curriculum. The period after the 7th revision was identified as the time when the beauty department and beauty subjects became more structured. During the 1st period, vocational high schools had five main fields: agriculture, industry, commerce, fisheries, and home economics. In the 2009 revision, these fields were reorganized into vocational home economics, agricultural and life sciences, commercial information, and fisheries and shipping. By the 2015 and 2022 revisions, the fields were further divided into 17 subject groups. During the 2007 and 2009 revisions, the subjects of hair beauty, skin care, and makeup were established. Starting from the 2015 revision, the subject name changed from skin care to skin beauty, and nail beauty was introduced as a new subject. Additionally, with the distinction of theory and practical courses under the names “common subjects,” “basic subjects,” and “practical subjects,” the curriculum for beauty programs became more systematic and structured. In the sociocultural context, it is important to understand how the role of vocational education is changing and to identify any issues. Feedback on these aspects should be incorporated into the curriculum.