• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.5-28
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• 2014

South Korea has strengthened the eligibility criteria for childcare teachers while amending the Infant Care Act in January 2005 in order to improve the quality of childcare services. Since then, there was a change in the legal basis related to childcare staff such as introduction of national certification of childcare center directors, name change, strengthened qualification standards for directors and teachers, training system maintenance and repair, strengthened credit standards of teachers' care related qualification courses, and maintenance provisions of continuing education nursery teacher qualifications. And that is because childcare staff are closely related to the quality of childcare, and a very important variable who has direct influence on infants. This study, through literature research and analysis, describes the status and development direction of childcare staff. This study covers three main aspects. First, the relevant historical flow was reviewed and the concepts of the role, expertise, and legal status of childcare staff were investigated. Second, staff training institutions, emissions certification, employment, and the status of treatment were investigated. Third, development direction for the training system, eligibility criteria, continuing education and its training system, and treatment improvement were proposed.

• Human Ecology Research
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.573-581
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• 2013

This study examined the relationship among supervision behaviors, self-efficacy, and job stress of childcare teachers for infants. This study also investigated whether the childcare teachers' supervision behaviors affected self-efficacy and job stress and whether their self-efficacy acted as a mediating effects on job stress and supervisory behaviors. The participants were 292 childcare teachers for infants in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. The instruments utilized were the parent supervision attributes scale, Korean occupational stress scale, and teacher self-efficacy scale. The data analyzed by means of Pearson's correlation coefficients and hierarchical regression analysis. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis, Which Baron & Kenny first proposed, was conducted. The significance of the mediation effect was verified by the Sobel test. The results were as follows: First, the childcare teachers' supervision behaviors had a positive correlation with the teachers' self-efficacy, while the teachers' supervision behaviors and self-efficacy had a negative correlation with job stress. Second, job stress appeared to have a negative on supervision behaviors. Self-efficacy appeared to have a positive effect on supervision behaviors. Third, the mediating effect of self-efficacy was verified in the relationship between supervision behaviors and job stress. The more self-efficacy the childcare teachers had, the more supervision behaviors they performed. The greater their self-efficacy, the more the childcare teachers were able to control job stress. Therefore, by enhancing the self-efficacy of childcare teachers, their level of supervision behaviors should increase and their level of job stress should decrease.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.269-286
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study was to clarify the influences of constructivist educational beliefs and eco-friendly teaching attitudes on early childhood teachers' mathematics teaching efficacy. This study also examined the mediating effect of eco-friendly attitudes on the relationship between the other two variables. Methods: A total of 399 teachers teaching 3,4 and 5-year-olds in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Incheon participated in this study. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Win 21.0 program and the Sobel test. Results: First, mathematical teaching efficacy of early childhood teachers was significantly correlated with constructivist educational beliefs and eco-friendly teaching attitudes. Second, with teacher's career as the control variable, constructivist educational beliefs have more influence in mathematical teaching efficacy than the other variable. Third, eco-friendly teaching attitude partially mediated between the other two variables. Conclusion/Implications: The results of this study imply that constructivist educational beliefs and eco-friendly teaching attitudes are important factors on mathematics teaching efficacy. It is expected that it will be used as basic data for various programs that increase constructivist educational beliefs and eco-friendly teaching attitudes.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.87-99
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• 2012

This study aimed at examining the problems in character education in early childhood education and elementary education in Korea and at providing policy implications for more effective character education. The study interviewed 20 teachers from child care centers, kindergartens and elementary schools located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province using the focus group interview method. The results showed teachers' level of understanding of the definition and purpose of character education. Teachers experienced difficulty because they lacked a manual as well as training for character education and because of the inconsistency between character education and the burden of academic performance. The lack of connection among character education in early childhood education and elementary school, strong needs for parent education, and partnership between the three spheres of the home, school, and community were also implied.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.25-45
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore daycare-center director's perceptons of recruitment and to understand how hire beginning teachers. Methods: One hundred twenty-five directors of daycare-centers in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do Province answered a questionnaire that was developed by researchers. The results were analyzed by frequency analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple response analysis through SPSS 18.0. Furthermore, 17 of the directors that participated in the study were given individual interviews by qualitative methods for research. Results: First, 56.8% of the directors felt difficulty to employ beginning teachers because of 'lack of information about them' and 'uncertainty of practice capability.' On the other hand, other directors of daycare-centers said that they hire them for 'high acceptance' and 'operational efficiency of the daycare-center.' Second, the main way to recruit teachers for daycare-centers is open recruitment, and through recommendations of acquaintances or through colleges in relevant fields. Professional talent and personal characteristics were important selection criteria for recruitment, and daycare-center directors used interviews, résumés, cover-letters, and demo classes for the hiring process. Primarily, most directors select candidates through résumés and cover-letters, and the final selection is completed by conducting interviews. Conclusion/Implications: In conclusion, this study can be useful to prepare beginning teachers for employment and for educating applicants.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.115-131
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• 2017

Objective: This study aimed to examine the status of South Korean unification education for young children by reviewing Nuri curriculum developed by the Korean government. Method: Literature review was adopted in order to analyze the contents of the Nuri curriculum teachers'manuals under the areas and elements of unification education. Results: Unification education has been designed to accelerate unification, to promote the values and attitudes toward the unification of the two Koreas, and to prepare for the post-unification period. This education can be categorized into specific areas: democratic community, democratic citizenship, peacekeeping and multiculturalism. These areas account for 24.24% of the total contents in the Teachers'Manual of the Nuri curriculum. The percentage of the contents helpful to understand North Korea and unification, however, is merely 0.25% of the total contents, and the elements are not fairly balanced. Such content coverage of the teacher's manuals for kindergartens is 2.83% higher than that for preschools. Conclusion/Implications: The implications of this analysis include that the elements of unification education should take a more balanced approach with more integrated and broader coverage. The elements also need to be revised so that both kindergarteners and preschoolers can get access to unification education of the same quality.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.75-93
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• 2013

The present study was to investigate if quality of childcare curriculum implementation could be predicted by educational climate, teachers' professionalism, and teacher/classroom characteristics. According to the results, strong positive associations existed between eudcational climate, professionalism, and implementation of childcare curriculum. The most powerful predictor of curriculum implementation quality was 'respect and acceptance' which was a sub-factor of educational climate. Also, 'public service', a sub-factor of professionalism, explained a significant amount of variances in quality of curriculum implementation. Among teacher/childcare characteristics, the type of centers was one of the strong predictors. These study results provide meaningful implications regarding the importance of socio-cultural contexts in childcare centers as well as teachers'professionalism.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.1-20
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• 2019

Objective: This study was conducted to examine the mediating effects of play teaching efficacy in the relationship between the organizational health of teacher workplaces and the creative personality of the teachers. Methods: The Pearson product-moment correlation analysis and one-way ANOVA were conducted for data analysis using SPSS 25.0. For mediating analysis, Baron & Kenny's (1986) multiple regression analysis using SPSS 25.0 and the Sobel test were also implemented. Results: There were significant differences in the organizational health of the workplaces according to age, years of working experience, type of workplace, and daily working hours. For play teaching efficacy, there were significant differences according to age, education level, years of working experience, type of workplace, and daily working hours of the teacher. On the other hand, significant differences were found in terms of age and education level in relation to the teacher having a creative personality. Play teaching efficacy was found to have a full mediation effect on the relationship between the organizational health of the workplace and the creative personality of the teacher. Conclusion/Implications: The organizational health of the workplace and play teaching efficacy should be improved in order to enhance the creative personality of teachers in early childhood education.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.155-183
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• 2020

Objective: In this study, we tried to verify the effects of program by constructing an effective maker education program that can cultivate the maker's capabilities through voluntary production activities by utilizing various technologies and tools. Methods: First, prior research on maker education and the station teaching strategy was considered, and interviews and surveys were conducted on prospective early childhood teachers in order to find out the degree of demand for maker education. The final program was finalized through verification of the contents validity. Results: The developed program was applied to a total of 49 prospective early childhood teachers (24 in the experimental group, 25 in the comparative group) attending U College, and it was found to be effective in enhancing convergence talent, education knowledge of early childhood teachers' technology, and self-directed learning skills. Conclusion/Implications: These findings show that the preliminary early childhood teacher maker education program using station teaching strategy has educational value that can be used as an effective teaching method in early childhood education.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.53-72
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to reveal early childhood teachers' perceptions of teacher competency for ESD using concept mapping and demonstrating its importance. Methods: 16 early childhood teachers in charge of 3-5 year olds conducted statement writing, and then the importance of selected statements were rated by 160 early childhood teachers in charge of 3-5 year olds. Selected statements were analyzed through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: Early childhood teachers perceived teacher competency for ESD in early childhood as concept mapping with two-dimensions and six clusters. The following six clusters were established (1) ethics for sustainable development, (2) willingness to participate in ESD, (3) development and operation of a sustainable development curriculum, (4) recognition and practice of environmental issues, (5) realization of value for sustainable development, and (6) practical thinking for ESD. And then among the six clusters, the most important cluster was recognized as 'ethics for sustainable development', and among the statements 'having an open mind to understand multiculturalism and the disabled' was considered relatively important Conclusion/Implications: Based on these results, we discussed the importance of teacher competency for ESD in early childhood, development of teacher competency scale, and preparation of a teacher education plans for each competency.