Objective: This study investigated 5-year-old children's developmental levels for creative and social personalities according to gender, and whether participation in STEAM-based unplugged robotic activities can improve their creative and social personalities. Methods: Participants were 5-year-old children (N=125) from 11 child care centers. The experimental group included 29 boys and 24 girls enrolled in classrooms that implemented an unplugged activities curriculum over five weeks. The control group consisted of 38 boys and 34 girls. Data were analyzed using a t-test and analysis of covariance, and Hedges' g was used to measure effect size. Results: First, the participating children's mean scores on creative and social personalities were 3.20 and 3.53 on a 5-point Likert scale, respectively. Girls scored higher than boys in sensitivity-various interests and imagination-playfulness domains of creative personality and all three domains of social personality. Second, children in the experimental group showed improvement in all domains of social personality and the effect size was large. They also improved in three domains (openness-humor, imagination-playfulness, independency-immersion) of creative personality, although the effect size was small. Conclusion/Implications: The results imply that implementing a robotics curriculum with unplugged play activities in early childhood classrooms contributes to 5-year-old children's development of creative and social personalities.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to develop a music making program that utilizes the characteristics of the picture books medium through the ADDIE model so that teachers can easily apply it to children, and to determine whether it affects children's musical aptitude and music creativity. Methods: The Participants of the study were 42 five-year-old children attending a daycare in Seoul, of which 20 were in the experimental group and 22 in the comparative group. The experimental group participated in a music production program using picture books, and during the same period, the comparison group participated in music activities suggested by the Nuri Course. Using the SPSS 22.0 program, average, standard deviation, independent sampling t-test, and ANCOVA(Analysis of Covariance) were calculated. Results: The music making program using picture books improved children's rhythm and tone which are the sub-items of music aptitude. The music making program enhanced children's music flexibility, music creativity, music logic which are the sub-items of music creativity. Conclusion/Implications: The music making program presented systemic teaching-learning method with which teachers explained the modeling and practiced from simple activities to various activities repeatedly in order to make teachers approach music making more easily. It is recommendable to make the music making program by using I-pad and computers.

Objective: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the direct effect of maternal parenting behavior and indirect effects through preschoolers'executive function on three types of social behavior, prosocial, aggressive and withdrawn behavior. Methods: A total of 299 mothers and their preschool-aged children were the subjects of this study. Mothers completed the questionnaire that included measures of their parenting behavior, preschoolers' executive function, and social behavior. Results: First, mothers' positive parenting behavior had a direct effect on preschoolers' prosocial behavior, and mothers' negative parenting behavior had direct effects on preschoolers' aggressive and withdrawn behavior. Second, mothers' positive parenting behavior had indirect effects on preschoolers' prosocial, aggressive and withdrawn behavior through preschoolers' executive function. In contrast, indirect paths from maternal negative parenting behavior to social behavior through preschoolers' execution function were not significant. Conclusion/Implications: These findings underscore the importance of executive function during early childhood and suggest the need for effective parenting programs to promote executive function.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to examine the prediction models of conflict and intimacy in teacher-child relationships based on decision tree analysis. Methods: The participants were 297 preschool children from ages three to five including 166 boys and 131 girls. Teacher-child relationships were measured by the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale(STRS). Physical aggression, relational aggression, social withdrawal, and prosocial behaviors were measured by teacher ratings. Moreover, ADHD-RS(Attentive Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale) was used to measure ADHD. The data was analyzed with decision tree analysis. Results: According to the prediction model for teacher-child conflict, the significant predictors were physical aggression and social withdrawal. According to the prediction model for teacher-child intimacy, the significant predictors were prosocial behaviors and relational aggression. However, children's age, gender and ADHD were not significant predictors. Conclusion/Implications: The findings suggest that social behaviors may be closely related with teacher-child relationships for preschool children. Based on the results of this study, intervention suggestions were made.

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.

Objective: This study aimed to reveal pre-service early childhood teachers' perception of children's environmental education using concept mapping and demonstrating its importance. Methods: Based on Kane and Trochim's(2007) procedure, 33 pre-service early childhood teachers conducted brainstorming and statement writing, and then the importance of selected statements were rated by 202 pre-service early childhood teachers. Selected statements were analyzed through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: Pre-service early childhood teachers perceived children's environmental education as concept mapping with 2-dimensions and eight clusters. The following eight clusters were established (1) daily practice through hands on experience, (2) nature environment, (3) recognizing and coping with environmental issues, (4) environmental preservation practices, (5) environmental sensitivity and consideration, (6) purpose of children's environmental education, (7) necessity for children's environmental education (8) Practice through connection with child's home and community. And then among the eight clusters, the most important was recognized as 'daily practice through hands on experience', and among the statements 'young children learn through the method of playing in nature and experience nature' was considered the most important. Conclusion/Implications: Based on these results, we discuss the importance of children's environmental education of pre-service early childhood teachers and how to support to develop teacher's training program.

Objective: This study aimed to show and analyze the flow, content, and meaning of (prospective) early childhood educators reflective thoughts entailed in the process of planning, implementing and evaluating storybook reading by analyzing reflective journals written by technical college students enrolled in an advanced major curriculum after they completed a storybook reading assignment. Methods: The subjects of this study were 39 technical college students enrolled in an advanced major curriculum that participated in a 15-week-long 'storybook seminar' course. This study analyzed journals on storybook reading written by the students as an assignment for the storybook seminar course. Results: As a result, four categories of selecting a storybook, planning the reading of the selected storybook, actual reading of the storybook and subsequent activities were extracted according to the implementation process of storybook reading. Through this series of experiences, (prospective) early childhood educators had a childt-centered view of reading picture books, changed the method of reading picture books, re-recognized the importance of early childhood literature education, and developed a will to develop professionalism through reflective thinking. Conclusion/Implications: This study finds its meaning in showing the reflective thinking that occur within early childhood educators that plan, implement and evaluate storybook reading.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to analyze the structural relations between infant teachers' career, efficacy, sensitivity, and the development of their professionalism. Methods: Data were collected from 320 infant teachers working at day care centers in Gyeonggi-do and Seoul. The collected data were applied to SPSS 22.0 program. With the data, correlation analysis and structural equation model analysis were conducted. Results: Firstly, infant teachers' career didn't influence the development of their professionalism directly, but indirectly affected their efficacy and sensitivity. Secondly, the variables that directly affected the development of their professionalism were teacher efficacy and sensitivity. Thirdly, teacher efficacy and sensitivity had full mediation between their career and the development of professionalism. Conclusion/Implications: Infant teachers' career affected the development of their professionalism through teacher efficacy and sensitivity. Based on the result, a plan for developing infant teachers' professionalism was proposed, and suggestions of follow-up research were discussed.

Objective: The goal of this study was to explore the implementation status of positive behavior support(PBS) for child care and education teachers and special education teachers at inclusive settings, and to investigate support needs of both teachers for improving the implementation of PBS. Methods: This study made up 405 surveys for child care and education teachers and special education teachers in 45 inclusive settings from July to August in 2019. A total of 244 surveys(60.2%) were completed and returned. Results: Special education teachers were statistically higher than child care and education teachers in the implementation of the center based level 1, the small group based level 2, and the individual based level 3 of PBS. In open-ended responses, when implementing PBS, the two groups of teachers had difficulties in getting knowledge about how to instruct preschoolers and implementing PBS. Both groups of teachers wanted the education and the training opportunities for PBS at first, and to 'reduce the teacher-to-child ratio'in the public support system. Conclusion/Implications: Based on the results, suggestions were discussed on how to improve the implementations of PBS of child care and education teachers and special education teachers at inclusive settings.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of experiences in close relationships with teachers for young children on their depression and to see whether there would be a mediating effect of their self-compassion. Methods: The subjects were 206 teachers recruited from Seoul and five different provinces who currently worked at the kindergarten and child care centers and agreed to participate in the survey. 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: The findings were as followed. First, the teachers' degrees of anxiety and avoidance for their close relationships were below the median scores. In contrast their degree of self-compassion was above the median score. In addition, their level of depression was relatively low. Second, both of the teachers' anxiety and avoidance for their close relationships had a positive impact on their depression and their self-compassion, and there were the partial mediating effect in both cases. Conclusion/Implications: These results imply that the early attachment experience connecting the experience in close relationships in the adulthood is important and that it is necessary to develop a program to enhance teachers' self-compassion to protect their psychological well-being.

Objective: The research aimed to help understand the lives of those living in today's Korean society by analyzing the positionality of experienced childcare teachers, and to obtain relevant policy implications. Methods: The participants were 111 childcare teachers with more than seven years of job experience. The metaphors expressing themselves were collected and implemented the metaphor analysis in terms of positionality. Results: First, the participants who recognized themselves as experts were positioned as teachers who cared for and taught children, as co-learners with children, and as leaders of junior teachers. Second, the participants who recognized themselves as minorities were positioned as non-subjects, and as oppressed persons who had to obey in the lower levels of the organizational system of childcare centers. Third, the participants who recognized themselves as marginal persons were positioned as problem solvers, and as border-crossers who conflict and adjust in complex relationships. Conclusion/Implications: Based on the results, the following policy suggestions were made. First, policies must be expressed in public language that respect childcare teachers as a key worker in society; second, the job policies must be shifted toward employment security of childcare teachers. Third, substantial support for labor costs for childcare teachers should be expanded.