• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.91-104
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of the study was to explore early childhood teachers' content knowledge and knowledge level on unification education through an analysis of a concept map (Novak & Gowin, 1984). Methods: The subjects, including 65 early childhood teachers in a metropolitan area, were asked to draw concept maps illustrating their understanding of unification education for young children. The collected concept maps were analyzed using the methods utilized by Novak and Gowin (1984) as well as You and Kim (2018). Results: In terms of early childhood teachers' content knowledge, 282 superordinate concepts and 1,766 subordinate concepts were shown. The 282 superordinate concepts were categorized into 7 representative superordinate concepts: understanding of North Korean, understanding of separation/unification, identification as Korean citizen, unification policy, relationship between South Korea & North Korea, educational activities, connection with home and society. In terms of early childhood teachers' knowledge level, the numbers of subordinate concepts and hierarchical level were shown to be varied according to the 7 representative superordinate concepts. Conclusion/Implications: Discussions were included to support and enhance early childhood teachers' content knowledge on unification education for young children through the development of comprehensive programs and teacher education.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.159-178
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of dietary education in South Korea and Japan, and find directions for dietary education by comparing the contents of the two countries' dietary education in their national child-care curriculums and evaluations. Methods: To this end, a qualitative content analysis was conducted on the guidebooks for the Standard Child-care Curriculum and the Accreditation Index for Child-care Center in the case of South Korea, and the handbook for the Child-care Guideline and the Third Party Evaluation in the case of Japan. Results: The findings of this study were as follows: First, South Korea showed differences in the focus of child-care curriculums and evaluations. The contents about proper eating such as nutrition and table manners comprised a high portion of the curriculums, whereas the contents about cleanness and hygiene accounted for a high portion of the evaluations. In the case of Japan, its national child-care curriculums and evaluations consistently emphasized contents related to enjoying eating oneself, and suggested various methods for this. Second, in terms of the two countries' approaches to dietary education, South Korea focused on food-related knowledge, whereas Japan mainly created the contents of dietary education based on daily experiences. Conclusion/Implications: The above results suggest a direction to improve the currently publicized dietary guidance problem and a need for consistent the national child care curriculum and evaluation indicators in South Korea to emphasize the importance of joyful eating.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.179-189
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• 2018

Objective: This study composed a melody program through handbells, and applied it to the mixed-age edu-care children. Methods: This study implemented a handbell melody program suitable for children's interest and development characteristics, based on Nuri Curriculum, to 15 mixed-aged edu-care children aged 3 to 4 at C Kindergarten located in Seoul for 12 weeks (once a week) from October 2015. Results: The program consisted of the origin of handbell, promises to keep in playing the handbell, partial literary introduction, and musical note activities using teaching aids or games in an integrated way with other areas. Through the program, dynamic class could be carried out with mutual leading participation of a teacher and children. Consequently, children aged 3 to 4 could easily encounter playing the handbell, being interested in playing, and showed cooperative spirit and society-friendly behaviors. The mixed age edu-care teacher felt pleasure and achievement of challenge by performing the class herself, which had depended upon extracurricular activities. Conclusion/Implications: A further study as action research for edu-care teachers, focused on change of edu-care teachers themselves, is proposed.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.51-64
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• 2018

Objective: By doing a more comprehensive review of recent domestic studies related to the emotions experienced by the early childhood teachers, the current study aims to suggests the direction of various emotional research experiences; and provide the basic data necessary for the development and application of a program that helps early childhood teachers experience more positive emotions in the child care setting and effectively addresses the negative emotional experience. Methods: 87 previous studies which were published in the journals related to various emotional experiences experienced by the early childhood teacher since 2008 were analyzed. Results: It was found that the emotion - related articles of early childhood teachers showed that, compared with before 2012, it increased after 2013. Also, the tendency of the data collection method was mostly composed of the papers using the questionnaire method using the test and the scale. As the most studied topic related to the emotional experience of early childhood teachers, the negative emotional experiences were the exhaustion experienced by the teachers. And the most studied topics on positive emotional experiences were the happiness experienced by early childhood teachers; The research that explores the variables related to the happiness experienced by the early childhood teachers was the majority. Conclusion/Implications: The analysis of this study suggests a systematic understanding of emotions experienced by early childhood teachers and suggests future directions for supporting healthy emotional experiences.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.105-121
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• 2018

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding their self-image as early childhood teachers, according to their grade. The subject of this study were 167 university students in early childhood department in Jeonnam province. Methods: In order to examine self-image as early childhood teachers, semantic differential meaning scale that was consist of 40 bipolar adjective items was administrated. Data were analysed by Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). Results: First, pre-service teachers had positive self image as early childhood teacher. Second, according to grades the appreciation self image as early childhood teacher showed significant difference. To be more specific and are revealed significantly distinctness. But, score was not distinct by grade, and mean score of was lower than mean score of other area scores. Third, self image as early childhood teacher displayed the positively developing, that is to say, the image of early childhood teachers definitely changed by grade in teacher training course. Conclusion/Implications: The effect brought about this study indicate that the need of support socio-political concern for early childhood teachers and try to form positive teachers' image through organized in-service education.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.75-98
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• 2017

This study examined the possibility of clustering using 5-year-old children's basic learning ability and mothers' achievement expectation anxiety, and compared the impact of the children's self-regulation ability and mothers' learning involvement for each cluster. The subjects were 239 children (120 boys & 119 girls) aged 5 and attending 9 kindergartens in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon, and also their mothers. The collected data were analyzed using non-hierarchical (K-means) cluster analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The findings of this study were as follows. First, the mother-child pairs were classified into four clusters of 'high learning ability-high expectation anxiety', 'high learning ability-low expectation anxiety', 'low learning ability-low expectation anxiety', or 'low learning ability-high expectation anxiety'group. Second, the level of child's self-monitoring, self-control, and mother's respect and love were significantly higher in the 'high learning ability-low expectations anxiety' group than the 'low learning ability-high expectation anxiety' group. Also, pressure for academic achievement was higher in the 'high learning ability-high expectation anxiety' group than the 'low learning ability-low expectations anxiety' group. Third, child's self-monitoring, mother's pressure for academic achievement, home learning activities, and respect/love for child predicted the clustering using children's basic learning ability and mothers' achievement expectation anxiety.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.29-50
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of multicultural education based on 'World Cultures' project activities on young children's multicultural acceptability and caring thinking. This study's research questions are: 1) How do 'World Cultures' project activities affect young children's multicultural acceptability?; 2) How do 'World Cultures' project activities affect young children's caring thinking? The participants were thirty-five five year olds in a day care center in Y city, Gyounggi-do and were divided into two groups. The experimental group participated in a 'World Cultures' project, whereas the control group performed activities of 'Fall' and 'World Cultures' themes of Nuri Curriculum. The measurement of multicultural acceptability was developed by Kim and Jung (2010) for elementary school students, and revised and supplemented for young children by Bak (2013). The instrument of caring thinking originated with Lipman (2003) and was translated and modified by Lee (2007). Data was analyzed using the SPSS Win 18.0, and t-tests were performed to compare the means of the two groups. Results of this study are: first, there were statistical differences in multicultural openness and multicultural relationship skills between the groups. The experimental group scores were higher than those of the control group. However, there were no significant differences in multicultural awareness and multicultural empathy. Second, there was a statistically significant difference in care thinking between the experimental group and the control group. The score for the experimental group was higher than the score for the comparative group. This result verified that "World Cultures" project activities show a positive impact on multicultural acceptability-the proper understanding and acceptance of foreign cultures. In addition, the project activities have a positive impact on caring thinking, which was related, not only to understanding and accepting other races, but also to respecting and understanding others' emotions.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.65-83
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• 2018

This study examines the relationship among vocation awareness, ethical practice and happiness of daycare center director and teacher of christian, and how the vocation awareness effects the ethical practice and happiness. After a survey from 303 director and teacher of christian daycare center, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were done. The results are as follows. Firstly, vocation awareness, ethical practice and happiness were highly correlated. Second of all, the higher the vocation awareness, especially in purpose/meaning-presence and prosocial-motivation-presence of vocation awareness, the higher the ethical practice. Lastly, the higher the vocation awareness, the higher the happiness. The purpose/meaning-presence and prosocial-motivation-presence of vocation awareness had great influence on happiness.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.183-202
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to examine structural relationships among directors' coaching leadership, organizational culture, early childhood teachers' empowerment, teacher-efficacy and job satisfaction. The data were collected from 575 early childhood teachers and analyzed with Pearson's correlation and structural equation modelling analysis. The results were as follows: first, directors' coaching leadership was found to have a direct effect on early childhood teachers' job satisfaction and an indirect effect through organizational culture, teachers'empowerment and teacher-efficacy. Second, organizational culture was found to have a direct effect on early childhood teachers' job satisfaction and an indirect effect through teacher-efficacy. Third, early childhood teachers' empowerment was found to have a direct effect on job satisfaction and an indirect effect through teacher-efficacy. Fourth, teachers' teacher efficacy was found to have a direct effect on job satisfaction. Additionally, directors'coaching leadership was found to be the most important variable predicting early childhood teachers' job satisfaction. These results suggest that improving directors'coaching readership, organizational culture, teachers' empowerment, teacher-efficacy could help facilitate early childhood teachers'job satisfaction.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.103-115
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the formation of organizational relationship necessary to the correct operation of daycare centers through the relations between mulitpliership of daycare directors, and teachers cooperation and colleague support of childcare teachers. Methods: The subjects in this study were 234 childcare center teachers in Seoul and Gyoungi Province in South Korea. Two different inventories were utilized. Multipliership scale, teacher cooperation scale and colleague support scale were used. As for data analysis, the frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and correlation analysis were conducted through SPSS 20.0 program. Results: First, the sub-factors of multipliership of daycare center directors such as working joyfully, settling productive discussion, increasing unity of members, and establishing personal value culture in order were the preceding factors having positive effects on the teachers cooperation of childcare teachers. Second, the sub-factors of multipliership of daycare center directors such as settling productive discussion, establishing personal value culture, working joyfully, and increasing unity of members in order were the preceding factors having positive effects on the colleague support of childcare teachers. Conclusion/Implications: This study suggests researches improve the quality of childcare, and also researches on the development of programs enhancing multipliership.