유아교육 프로그램 평가척도 개발에 관한 예비 연구

A Preliminary Study for the Development of An Assessment Scale for Early Childhood Programs in Korea

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale for evaluation of early childhood programs in Korea. The procedures included content validation and a pilot test. A total of 192 items in 10 major areas was developed based on the review of literature and discussions with professionals in early childhood education. The 10 areas include: scheduling, curriculum, interation, physical environment, materials, nutrition, health and safety, administration, staff qualifications, relationships with parents, and evaluation. The pilot scale was administered to 428 classroom teachers and directors, and 47 college professors in early childhood education. The items were rated on a 3-point scale in terms of importance as evaluation criteria. The methods for data analysis included item means and standard deviations for content validation, Cronbach ${\alpha}$ for reliability, and factor analysis for construct validity. Most items in 10 areas were rated as moderate to highly important (average 2.3), especially items in curriculum and staff qualifications. Two factors emerged from the data: institutional management, and curricular planning and implementation. The Cronbach ${\alpha}$ levels were .70 or higher in most areas, but the range covers from .48 to .91. Based on the pilot data, 143 items were selected for the second year study.