초록
This study sought to investigate and assess the development patterns of children, aged from 3 to 5, by means of a longitudinal approach. The children's developmental patterns are classified according to five curriculum areas; physical health, social skills, expression, language, and exploration-. The developmental patterns are analyzed in detail according to the observation period, children's ages, and their genders. The subjects consisted of 108 children in A city. A research assistant was asked to observe and keep records of the children's behaviors at three distinct times -early, middle, and late in the school year. The 'observational scale for children' was used as the measurement tool. The data which was thus collected was then subject to statistical analysis. The major findings of the study are as follows. First, there were significant differences in all five curriculum areas according to the children's age and observation period. That is, five-year-old children showed higher scores than three- and four-year-old children. Second, there were significant differences in the social development within five curriculum areas according to the children's gender and the observation period. That is, girls exhibited higher scores than boys.