• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.418-425
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of young children's empathic ability and interpersonal competence on caring behavior in forming relationships. Subjects included 152 4- and 5-year-old children attending a kindergarten located in a micropolitan city. Questionnaires required self-reporting by teachers, and were used to investigate young children's caring behavior, empathic ability and interpersonal competence in forming relationships. Data was analyzed using t-test, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis and Stepwise-Regression analysis. Results were as follows: First, young children's caring behavior was negatively correlated with empathic ability and positively associated with interpersonal competence in forming relationships. Second, young children's emotional behavior as each domain of caring behavior were predictable variables for explaining the relative effect of the social reactivity and explaining the relative effect of relationship formation. Active behaviors were predictable variables for explaining the relative effect of follow-up instructions, but negatively affected mental burden. Normative behaviors were predictable variables for explaining the relative effect of social reactivity, but negatively predictable variables for explaining the relative effect of the relationship formation and mental burden. Value-contributing behavior in each domain of caring behavior were predictable variables for explaining the relative effect of the positive interaction.