• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-37
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of the national preschool curriculum on children's development in Korea, focusing on teachers' daily practice. By comparing the effect of the teachers' curriculum practice to that of quantitatively measured free play, it tried to add practical implications beyond the statistical significance. Methods: Participants were 512 three-year-old children who participated in the Panel Study of Korean Children and their teachers. National curriculum practice and free play time at the age of three was put in the hierarchical linear regression models to discover children's developmental outcomes at the age of four, in domains of language, cognitive development, and social development. Results: Results demonstrated the significant positive influence of national curriculum practice on every domain of developmental outcomes. However, no facilitative influence of free play time was observed. Conclusion/Implications: The importance of teachers' practice of the national curriculum was emphasized. It was implied that the quantity of free play time itself did not assure the sound development of children. Policy implications were discussed regarding teacher practice and education.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.253-261
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• 2016

This study discusses the effective management of mixed-ages classes in kindergarten. For the study, 300 kindergarten teachers in charge of mixed classes for regular courses completed a self-reported questionnaire through a web survey. The data were analyzed by chi-square test and presented by frequency and percentage. Mixed-ages classes had relatively fewer children than one-age classes and they were prevalent in public kindergartens and rural areas. The results were as follows. First, mixed-ages classes were induced by the small number of young children. Second, teachers managed their classes with difficulty due to the lack of supporting staff and few chances for additional teaching training. Third, teachers needed supporting human resources for their teaching and administration assistances. About 23.0% of kindergartens received assistance such as additional training, financial assistance, and consulting supervision from related institutions. The study results suggested the challenges in regulations of age ratio in mixed-ages class, additional teaching training for teachers in mixed-ages classes and replacement of mixed-ages class to same age class as the long-term plan.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.119-128
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• 2023

This study was conducted to present an alternative instructional model through natural experience activities by developing a natural experience activity program that can learn and feel how to recognize and act on nature based on flow learning. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, a nature experience program, which consists of four stages of meeting nature, exploring nature, playing with nature and sharing emotions, was developed based on the main procedures of each stage of the ADDlE instructional design model. Through the research process, activities and precautions for each stage of the nature experience activity program were presented, and major educational implications were discussed based on the developed program. The nature experience program developed through the study can provide teachers with a basic direction for nature experience activities along with changing their perception of how to do nature experience activities, and infants are expected to become learners who freely feel, experience nature and make up their own knowledge through the nature experience program.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.642-649
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• 2016

This study examined the meaning of instructional materials by observing the daily work of an infant class in a daycare center to make some suggestions on the accreditation and evaluation of instructional materials for early childhood education and educare. Ethnography was chosen to determine in detail what the instructional materials meant for the selected preschoolers. The activities that belonged to each area of free optional activities and made use of instructional materials were observed, and the eating time, nap time, and outdoor play were all observed. The data were gathered by visiting the selected daycare center. A participant observation and teacher interviews were conducted, and notes were taken on the spot. When their verbal expressions and nonverbal expressions needed to be observed owing to their unique characteristics, a camcorder was used to record their words to have a more profound understanding of them. All the collected data that included this researcher's observation note, the teacher interview data, the standard childcare curriculum manual, the daycare center's yearly, and the daily childcare plans and curriculum evaluation data were classified and categorized by performing an inductive analysis. As a result, the instructional materials had three meanings for the infants. The first was "friends who welcomed them and whom they could play with.' The second was "a cozy nest," and the third was "another teacher." Given the findings of the study, the preparation of standards for instructional materials for infants in childcare facilities is required, and even equipment that is used as instructional materials should be taken into consideration when instructional materials for infants are accredited.