Exploring educational content for leum education: A relational-neoepistemological perspective

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibility of strengthening curriculum continuity between early childhood education, childcare, and elementary education by analyzing the educational content of each stage through a Relational-Neoepistemological perspective. To achieve this, a theoretical framework was constructed based on the concepts of Powerful Knowledge, Actor-Network Theory (ANT), and Posthumanist New Materialism. This framework was applied to compare the educational content found in the 2024 revised Standard Childcare Curriculum, the 2019 revised Nuri Curriculum, and the 2022 revised Elementary School Curriculum. The analysis revealed that while the three curricula address similar thematic areas, they differ in how knowledge is structured, how relational networks among human and non-human actors are configured, and how meaning is constructed through sensory, material, and event-based processes. The Standard Childcare Curriculum highlights relational and exploratory experiences grounded in sensory engagement; the Nuri Curriculum emphasizes structured understanding tied to daily life; and the Elementary Curriculum expands knowledge toward ecological and social reconstruction. These findings indicate that effective Leum Education must go beyond topic alignment to include curriculum design that reflects the nature of knowledge, the structure of relational interconnections, and material-event-based learning processes.