• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.111-129
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• 2014

This study investigated the effects of maternal acceptance attitudes towards children's emotional expressiveness and children's emotional intelligences on peer interaction. A total of 145 Korean mothers with children from 3-5 years old and children's teachers were selected from 4 kindergartens and 6 daycare centers in Incheon and Kyunggi areas. The results were as follows. First, generally, children's emotional intelligence was significantly different depending on gender of the children. Second, there was no difference based on age and gender in maternal acceptance attitudes towards a child's positive emotional expressiveness, but there was a difference based on gender in maternal acceptance attitudes toward a child's negative emotional expressiveness. Third, the children's positive peer interaction was significantly different depending on gender of the children, but the children's negative peer interaction was significantly different based on age and gender of the children.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.167-183
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• 2010

This study examined the relationship between maternal attitudes toward children's expressiveness, children's emotional intelligence and problem behaviors. The question as to whether emotional intelligence mediated the relationship between maternal attitudes and problem behaviors was also explored. A sample of 307 preschool children were used as subjects. Mothers rated their levels of acceptance toward their children's emotions, while teachers reported on the children's emotional abilities and behavioral problems. The data were analyzed by means of regression analyses. Our results indicated that mothers' controlling attitudes were associated with low levels of worry-anxiety. Additionally, it was found that children with high emotional intelligence showed low levels of worry-anxiety, hostility-aggression, and hyperactivity-inattention. While multiple factors of emotional intelligence had differential impacts, the self-control factor was the most powerful predictor for all the problem behaviors. It was further found that a mother's receptive attitude was related to higher levels of self-awareness in children. Instead of the significant mediating effect of emotional intelligence, it was revealed that emotional intelligence had greater effects upon problem behaviors than maternal attitudes toward children's expressiveness.