• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.19-33
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• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study is to understand how the experience of studying mathematics education for young children based on picture books is affecting pre-service early childhood teachers with their attitude toward mathematics and mathematics teaching efficiency. Methods: For this, a total of 39 pre-service early childhood teachers majoring in early childhood education at S university located in G metropolitan city participated in the study. 20 of them are randomly assigned to the experimental group while the rest 19 were assigned to the control group. The experimental group participated in the classes of mathematics education for young children based on picture books for 15 weeks, while the control group attended the normal classes of mathematics education for young children for the same period of time. By using SPSS 18.0 Program for the collected data, t-test was conducted for differences in the results of attitude toward mathematics and mathematics teaching efficiency. Results: The results of this study are as follows. Firstly, the experience of studying mathematics education for young children based on picture books had a positive effects on pre-service early childhood teachers' attitude toward mathematics, improved values and interest in mathematics, and reduced anxiety about mathematics. Secondly, the experience of studying mathematics education for young children based on picture books had a positive effects on improving pre-service early childhood teachers' mathematics teaching efficiency. Also, both faith in ability and faith in results have improved significantly. Conclusion/Implications: These results imply that the experience of studying mathematics education for young children based on picture books is an effective teaching-learning method in improving pre-service early childhood teachers' attitude toward mathematics and mathematics teaching efficiency.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.233-251
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• 2007

This study explored the contents of practical knowledge about educational planning in early childhood curriculum as constructed by kindergarten teachers at early career stages and then developed a collaborative model of educational planning. Subjects were 6 teachers at early career stages. Using the ethnographic method, data were collected by in-depth interviews. Research outcomes were : (1) teachers specifically worked on 'difficulties in adapting to the teaching job', 'age of children that the teacher cares for', 'integration of theory and practice', and 'variety of actual teaching situations.' (2) A model for collaborative educational planning was constructed on the basis of review of the literature on teachers' knowledge, educational planning for early childhood curriculum, and learning of community.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.167-181
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• 2018

Many factors that may affect teaching aptitude of pre-service early childhood teachers have been discovered. However, little is known about the relationship between self-esteem and teaching aptitude in them. This study aimed to investigated self-esteem in relation to teaching aptitude in pre-service early childhood teachers. Pre-service early childhood teachers' self-esteem scale and teaching aptitude scale assessed the self-esteem and teaching aptitude of 344 pre-service early childhood teachers in C-city in Gangwon-do and N-city in Kyunggi-do, Korea. Results showed that all four dimensions of the self-esteem were significantly related to teaching aptitude, indicating that pre-service early childhood teachers with higher self-esteem were likely to have greater teaching aptitude. Regression analysis indicated that self-esteem in the areas of leadership and popularity, self-assertiveness, and social-relations significantly predicted teaching aptitude of pre-service early childhood teachers.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.39-51
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• 2016

This pilot study examined programs for early childhood education and care in three Chinese cities. The samples for this study were one university-based kindergarten, one private kindergarten (rural area), and one public kindergarten (urban area). Six types of instruments were used to assess early childhood education and care services regarding quality matters. Most questions asked were open-ended; consequently, the interview answers by kindergarten directors or teachers (as well as observations made by the researcher) formed the basis for collecting the data. Quality components for each program were determined by a comparison method. The comparison allowed the researcher to understand the range of quality education and care available as well as the variability of existing kindergarten programs in China. The findings of the investigation revealed important information on; (a) demographic information (fees, class hours, total weeks of class, vacation, number of children and staff, class size, and teacher-child ratio) (b) teacher characteristics, (c) health practices, (d) safety practices, (e) work environment, (f) physical settings, (g) play materials, (h) parent involvement, (i) nutrition, (j) daily schedule. Implications within the Chinese context for quality practices and issues to further develop and strengthen early childhood education and care systems are discussed.

• Korean Journal of Child Education & Care
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.231-246
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate early childhood special education teachers' experience, difficulties and need for effective disability understanding education in inclusive education field. The researcher interviewed 3 different early childhood special education teacher. Each participant was individually interviewed 2-3 times with deliberated questions for collecting data. After the interview was analyzed, the contents were categorized into three major themes and twelve sub themes. The three major themes were (1) early childhood special education teachers' difficulties in inclusive education field. (2) experience in the disability understanding education (3) need for proper disability understanding education. First, the teachers were awareness of the difficulties at the inclusive education field due to ambiguity in the role and location, the extension of the expertise, and the misaligned system. Second, teachers stated that the barriers to disability understanding education include creating prejudice, varied according to teachers ' abilities, poor perception of appropriate methods, and low concerns of adults and young children. Third, the results showed that development of the teaching manual, improvement of the administrative system, change in perception of disability understanding education, and disability understanding education based on the experiences of young children were necessary for effective disability understanding education. Based on these results, several specific implications for effective disability understanding education were suggested.

• 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.18 no.6
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• pp.59-73
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• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study is to verify the effect of early childhood teacher's constructivist educational beliefs and teaching efficacy on creative teaching behavior. Methods: The subjects of this study were 262 early childhood teachers working in daycare centers and kindergartens all over the country. A questionnaire was administered which assessed early childhood teacher's constructivist educational beliefs, teaching efficacy, and creative teaching behavior. SPSS 28.0 was used for data analysis. Results: First, the constructivist educational beliefs of early childhood teachers had a positive effect on teaching efficacy. Second, it was found that early childhood teachers' constructivist educational beliefs and teaching efficacy had a positive effect on creative teaching behavior, and at the same time, early childhood teachers' constructivist educational beliefs were partially mediated by teaching efficacy. Conclusion/Implications: This study revealed the mediating effects of teaching efficacy in constructivist educational beliefs and creative teaching behavior relationships. Therefore, in order to promote creative teaching behavior of early childhood teachers, efforts should be made to increase teaching efficacy based on constructivist educational beliefs.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.147-164
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• 2014

This study aims at analyzing 6 OECD countries' (Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, England, South Korea) national early childhood care and education curriculum (framework) based on the perspectives of its implementation. Its design and development always focus on how the national early childhood education and care curriculum will be applied in the early childhood settings in a correct and faithful way. As a result, teachers are considered the user or deliverer of the national curriculum rather than the one who interprets it and construct their own curriculum in accordance with their students. Five OECD countries which have achieved an integrated system between early education and care systems, take the constructive view of designing and applying the national curriculum. Accordingly, a national early childhood education and care curriculum within an integrated system should be developed in Korea, in order to accept the constructive view of curriculum development and application.

• Journal of Child Welfare and Development
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.67-85
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to analyze the trends in the studies on safety education of infant-early childhood teachers in order to provide basic data for a variety of studies in the field of child education. We consulted a total of 59 dissertations and journals articles on the safety education of infant-early childhood teachers published from 2008 to 2018. Our results were as follows: First, we found that the largest number of studies concerned safety awareness, followed by status and awareness, safety actions, safety education analysis, safety accidents and countermeasures, emergencies, development of programs, and teacher education. Second, we found that the most popular targets were child-care of teachers, followed by teacher-trainees, and center directors. Third, among the types of studies, we found that investigative quantitative studies were the most prevalent, followed by correlational studies, qualitative studies, and experimental studies. In terms of methods of gathering data, we found that questionnaires were the most commonly used, followed by qualitative studies, literature reviews, qualitative/quantitative studies, and quantitative literature reviews.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.203-232
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• 2020

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the parallel dual mediating effects of positive and negative affects in the relationship between adult attachment and self-compassion of teachers in the early childhood education and care centers. Methods: Two hundred and six teachers participated in the survey who were recruited from kindergarten and child care centers in Seoul and five provinces in South Korea. The data were analyzed by means of frequency, percentages, Cronbach's reliability coefficient and Pearson's correlation using SPSS 25.0 and model 4 provided in The PROCESS macro for SPSS 3.4 version. Results: First, the teachers' degrees of anxiety and avoidance in their adult attachment were below the median scores. Those of positive and negative affects, and their self-compassion were close to the median scores. Second, there were parallel dual mediation effects of positive and negative affects between anxious attachment and self-compassion of teachers. Meanwhile, only positive affect had a mediating effect in the path of teachers' avoidant attachment and self-compassion. Conclusion/Implications: This study confirmed that it is important to raise positive affect by lowering each level of anxiety and avoidance in their attachment for teachers in order to improve their self-compassion. It implied the need to provide support for attachment stability enhancement and to pay attention to improve their self-compassion.