自九年一貫課程改革以來，臺灣社會中許多壓力團體常將議題教育或議題課程，視為是由客觀或特定知識、觀念和價值體系組成的教學主題。然而，許多西方課程理論家，尤其是社會課程學者，則持頗為不同的觀點。本文首先探討若干理論家有關議題課程性質的觀點，包括Dewey、Counts、Rugg、Oliver、Giroux和Beane等學者。接著，根據探討結果提出規劃十二年國民基本教育新課程中有關議題課程性質的一些重點思考課題，包括其定義、目的、學習經驗特質、議題來源和課程組織方式。

In Taiwan, many stakeholders of social pressure groups have usually inclined to view an issues-centered education or curriculum as an educational or instructional subject, consisted of objective or given knowledge, ideas, and values system, since the grade 1-9 curriculum reform. However, many western theorists in curriculum, particularly in Social Studies, have quite different ideas from this. Some of those theorist’s ideas on the nature of issues-centered curriculum are firstly inquired in the article, including Dewey, Counts, Rugg, Oliver, Giroux, and Beane. Then, based on the inquiring, some key points regarding the nature of an issues-centered curriculum, such as, its definition, aims, character of learning experience, origin of resource, and organization ways, are provided for reconsidering and planning the Taiwan new grade 1-12 curriculum in general education.