An analysis of Kindergarten Teachers' Perceptions of Children's Creativity Employing Q-methodological Approach

창의성에 대한 유치원 교사의 인식 유형 분석 : Q-방법론적 접근

This research used Q-Methodology to investigate kindergarten teachers' perception style regarding children's creativity. The 30 participants had various teaching experiences and educational backgrounds and were teaching in a variety of types of kindergartens in the cities of Busan and Ulsan. Individual teacher's subjective perspective was the main target for the analysis. Results showed four types of teachers' perceptions of creativity : 1) perceiving creativity as children's creative thinking ability, 2) focusing on creative curriculum development 3) perceiving creativity as children's creative personality, and 4) focusing on either teacher's thorough understanding of children's creativity or teachers' creativity. These results indicate that teachers tend to perceive creativity in narrow and specific domains. These findings are discussed with respect to their educational implications.