• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.87-103
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• 2020

Objective: This study controlled the SES(Socio Economic Status) in order to compare the influence of infants' nonverbal communication ability and teachers' sensitivity on the infants' adjustment to child care centers. Methods: For this study, data was collected 115 mothers with one-year-olds'(58 boys, 57 girls) and from 115 teachers from fourty-eight child care centers located in Seoul and Gyeonggi Provincet data. The collected data were analyzed by correlation analysis, hierarchical multiple regression analysis using the SPSS 23.0 program. The results of this study are as follows. Results: First, infants' adjustment to child care centers showed a statistically significant relationship with infants' nonverbal communication ability and teachers' sensitivity. Second, among the variables explaining infants' adjustment to child care centers, the effect of teachers' sensitivity was higher than the effect of infants' nonverbal communication ability. Conclusion/Implications: This study confirmed that teachers' sensitivity is a strong factor explaining infants' adjustment to child care centers. We also emphasized the importance of the role of teachers, providing basic data on the development of education for child care teachers and education for improving sensitivity.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.203-225
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• 2018

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the mediated effect of teacher-infant relationships between teacher efficacy and infant's adjustment to child care centers. Methods: A total of 137 child care teachers that lived in Gwangju and Jeollanamdo participated in this study. They were asked to answer two survey questionnaires for two infants. The data were analyzed using analysis of frequency, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results: The main results are as follows. First, teacher-infant relationships partially mediated the relationship between teacher efficacy and two sub-factors (prosocial behavior and day work adjustment) of adjustment in child care centers. Unlikely as it was, several sub-factors such as positive emotion, peer adaptation, and self-strength were fully mediated by teacher-infant relationships. Conclusion: The present study suggests that it is necessary to improve teacher-infant relationships with teacher efficacy in order to improve infants' adaptation to daycare. In addition, it should be understood that the structural relationship of the influence factors is different depending on the sub-factors of the child care adjustment.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.63-81
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• 2012

This study aims to investigate any differences which exist in the early adaptation of infants at child care center according to the characteristics of the infants themselves, their mothers and their child care teachers. The subjects consisted of the infants themselves, their mothers, and teachers at 11 child care centers in Chung-nam and Daejeon cities. Data were collected by means of the PAQ (The Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire) and questionnaires regarding the rearing attitudes of the mothers. For the purpose of data analysis, a T-test and one-way ANOVA were used. The results were as follows. First, there were significant differences in terms of the early adaptation of infants according to their ages and their length of experience in child care centers. Second, there were no significant differences in the early adaptation of infants according to the child rearing attitudes of the mothers and between unemployed mothers and the employed mothers. Third, there were significant differences in the early adaptation of infants according to the child care teachers' level of career experience and their ages.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.29-55
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• 2012

The main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between infants' early adjustment and later adjustment in childcare centers and to analyze the mothers' adjustment support strategies. The subjects consisted of 244 infants from newborns to 36 months old and their mothers and childcare teachers of public childcare centers. The results of the study were as follows. First, there was a significant difference according to infants' age in mothers' adjustment support strategies. The more mothers use appropriate strategies for adjustment earlier in childcare centers, the better infants showed adjustment according to infants' age respectively. Second, there was a significant difference between the early adjustment(Time1) and the later adjustment(Time2) of infants. Third, mothers' adjustment support strategies affected on infants' later adjustment in childcare centers. These results show that appropriate mothers' adjustment support strategies were related to infants' adjustment by age longitudinally. The implications of these results indicate that developing adjustment programs including effective strategies for infants' mothers in childcare centers considering their demographic characteristics and specified needs is needed.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.221-240
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• 2015

This study developed a group theraplay program for enhancing intimacy in infant-teacher relationships and infant's adaptation to child care centers. And it also examined the effects of a theraplay program. The participants were 16 infants between the ages of 2-3. Each group of 8 infants was attached to the experimental or the control group. The experimental group had 45 minute group theraplay sessions two times per week for a total of 10 while the control group did not have any treatment. The Child-Teacher Relationship Scale(Pianta, 2001) and the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire(Jewsuwan, Luster & Kostelnik, 1993) were used for pre-test and follow-up tests. Mann-Whitney U Test and Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test analyzed data via SPSS ver. 20.0. The results were that: (1) In the pre-test, the degree of intimacy in the infant-teacher relationship had no difference between the experimental and control group. However, in follow-up test, the degree of intimacy in the infant-teacher relationship of the experimental group was enhanced. (2) In the pre-test, the degree of adaptation to child care centers had no difference between the experimental and control group. But in the follow-up test, the degree of adaptation to child care centers of the experimental group was changed optimistically. Therefore, it can be concluded that group theraplay program is an effective means to facilitate intimacy in infant-teacher relationships and adaptation to child care centers.

• Korean Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.463-495
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to obtain a fundamental data for developing a policy concerning women and child rearing and a parent education program for young parents who are around their childbirth, a period crucially important both for the parents in terms of the role adjustment, career management, and family finance, and for the infants in terms of its physical and psychological well-being. The subjects were 509 mothers before and after childbirth currently living in the Metropolitan City of Daejeon. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews in two major areas of pregnancy-delivery-childcare and parent education. Data were analyzed using SAS, mostly through frequency analysis, percentiles, t-tests, and F-tests. Results of descriptive analyses were organized along the following areas and issues: Pregnancy(family planning, regular check-ups, difficulties, prenatal education, costs, etc.); delivery(type of delivery, delivery related experience, costs, clinic/medical institute of choice, worries/problems, help/supports, etc.); postpartum care(place, kinds of help and helper, costs, postpartum care facilities, etc.); childcare circumstances(place, carer, time schedules, childcare centers or facilities feeding and weaning, etc.); husband's attitudes and involvement in the overall process; working mothers(maternity leave, temporary retirement for child rearing, etc.); and, parent education(family planning, pregnancy, delivery, postpartum care, child rearing, areas or issues needing parent education, facilitative and hindering factors to ideal parenting, etc.). Differences between groups of pregnant mothers and postpartum mothers, working- and non-working mothers, groups of different income levels, mothers and fathers of different educational levels, mothers of first pregnancy(or childbirth) and experienced mothers were also analyzed. Several conclusions with suggestions were drawn in relation to the need for strong implementation as well as developing of policies on women and childcare and for developing a new parent education program for parents before and after childbirth.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.39-50
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• 2018

Objective: Social attention is paid to the issues concerning child care teachers' work multisibility and ambiguous legal status. Child care teachers are employees based on the "Labor Standards Act" and the "Child Care Act". They also play the role of kindergarten teachers based on the "Childhood Education Act" because of the Nuri curriculum. Based on the main tasks of the child care teachers who protect and nurture infants and toddlers, the Nuri curriculum education for infants is conducted. However, the duties and rights of child care teachers are disproportionate because there are many areas where teachers' professional roles do not suit their legal rights. Methods: The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers perceive their own rights through field experience using qualitative method based on interpretative epistemology. Participants were 61 child care teachers working in the metropolitan area and used protocol description and focus group interview (FGI) for data collection. The collected data were derived as a central theme according to the data analysis method proposed by Creswell (2013). Results: Participants in the study described the 'Right and autonomy of education as a professional occupation', 'Right to request for improvement on working conditions, guarantee of living and to request for welfare system' and 'Right to guarantee of a teacher's status and adjustment of grievance.' They pointed out poor working conditions and welfare benefits at daycare centers, and emphasized that education and autonomy are necessary conditions to be strengthened for quality child care activities. On the other hand, they did not realize that 'Right to guarantee of a teacher's status and adjustment of grievance' was their right. And they have endured the infringement of this right. Conclusion/Implications: This study reveals the gap between teachers' responsibilities and rights, indicating the urgency of institutional arrangements. It is discussed that the social expectation for strengthening personality and professionalism as an infant and child specialist is increased and a practical alternative for the improvement of the right of teachers working in the child care field is needed considering the change of values about work.