• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.105-126
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• 2020

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.

• Journal of Family Resource Management and Policy Review
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.21-39
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to propose the direction of environmental education for early childhood children based on the environment-friendly life style and to improve the possibility of application of it at home and kindergarten. This study reviewed reflectively the early studies on the concepts of ecocentrism, the emerging process of it, the importance of environmental education for early childhood children based on the ecocentrism, and the practice of these kinds of education at home and kindergarten. The main concepts connected to the environment-friendly life style based on ecocentrism, that is, 'preservation of nature', 'interdepentence', 'wholeness', 'equilibrium' are the foundations of environmental education for early childhood children. When these kinds of concepts are considered, the aims of environmental education for early childhood children should be focused on the life style that attaches great importance to the symbiosis of human being and nature. The educational contents and methods in harmony with ecocentrism are as follows: The educational methods should be connected to the education based on ordinariness, the learning through adults' model, the family-community-centered activities, and ways of thinking of the unity of knowledge and conduct. And educational contents should include all of the life styles in clothes, food, and shelter. And the educational methods also should be connected to the education through joint working of children and teacher, play-centered education, activities considering ages and individual variations, and education connected home. And educational contents should include many different kinds of activities of experiencing nature outside home and kindergarten.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.205-218
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• 2018

Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the way pre-service early childhood teachers think about teacher happiness through metaphor analysis. Methods: A total of 225 pre-service teachers were selected from 4-year universities in the Gyeongnam area and open questionnaires were distributed to the participants. A total of 207 out of the 225 questionnaires were selected for the study. Results: First, based on psychological well-being, positive interpersonal relationship, self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental control, and life purpose were derived. Pre-service early childhood teachers typified teacher happiness into five types: positive interpersonal relationships, self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental control, and life purpose. Second, pre-service early childhood teachers perceived teacher happiness as positive. Third, pre-service early childhood teachers perceived interpersonal relationships, self-acceptance, and purpose of life as positive, while environmental control and autonomy were perceived as negative. Conclusion/Implications: The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to improve the quality of teachers' education and to develop a program to raise positive awareness of future early childhood teachers. These study results can also be used as basic data for high quality teacher education.

• Korean Journal of Childcare and Education
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.53-72
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to reveal early childhood teachers' perceptions of teacher competency for ESD using concept mapping and demonstrating its importance. Methods: 16 early childhood teachers in charge of 3-5 year olds conducted statement writing, and then the importance of selected statements were rated by 160 early childhood teachers in charge of 3-5 year olds. Selected statements were analyzed through multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results: Early childhood teachers perceived teacher competency for ESD in early childhood as concept mapping with two-dimensions and six clusters. The following six clusters were established (1) ethics for sustainable development, (2) willingness to participate in ESD, (3) development and operation of a sustainable development curriculum, (4) recognition and practice of environmental issues, (5) realization of value for sustainable development, and (6) practical thinking for ESD. And then among the six clusters, the most important cluster was recognized as 'ethics for sustainable development', and among the statements 'having an open mind to understand multiculturalism and the disabled' was considered relatively important Conclusion/Implications: Based on these results, we discussed the importance of teacher competency for ESD in early childhood, development of teacher competency scale, and preparation of a teacher education plans for each competency.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.95-115
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• 2003

This research examined he effects on preschool children's recognition of and attitude towards earth's nature of an early childhood environmental education program using children's literature. The subjects were 36 four-to six-year old children. The education program lasted for 8 weeks. Children were interviewed and surveyed about earth's nature, and the meanings of children's writings about nature were analyzed. The children who participated in this research showed a positive recognition of and attitudes towards the nature of the earth. Participants became keen observers of the world around them, examined the concept of change in nature, acquired knowledge about the earth through firsthand experiences, and developed caring attitudes for the natural world of the earth.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 1993

Present situation and problems of environmental education in teacher education of 1079 kindergartens located in Seoul were investigated. More than 90% of kindergarten teacher recognized the need of environmental education in early childhood education of Korea. However, only 65% of kindergarten teachers had experiences of providing environmental education for their children. They complained that they had a poor knowledge about environmental problems and environmental education. They reported that kindergarten had no systematic programs and useful materials for environmental education. Firstly, the emphasis of environmental education in teacher education and on-the-job training programs for kindergarten teachers was discussed. And the development of environmental education programs and educational materials for young children on the basic of national policy was proposed.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.305-316
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• 2022

This study attempted to analyze the jobs of early childhood special education teachers working in kindergarten's special classes using the DACUM technique. To this end, the DACUM Committee was formed with six early childhood special education teachers with extensive field experience. A total of six DACUM workshops were conducted to derive job definition, job descriptions, and job specifications. As a result, the job description of early childhood special education teachers consisted of 9 duties and 53 tasks, and the job specification consisted of 80 knowledge, 98 skills, and 22 attitudes. Early childhood special education teachers working in kindergarten's special classes were tasks differentiated from special education teachers working in elementary and secondary school including home-linked guidance, health and safety management, elementary school transfer guidance, environmental composition according to play topics, and indoor and outdoor play activities guidance. In the case of knowledge, the Special Education Act on the Disabled, etc. and knowledge on behavioral modification took precedence. Skill showed high frequency of observation-record, parental interviews and parental education skills. Attitudes as experts and administrators took priority. The results of this job analysis can help organize a curriculum to train early childhood special education teachers with high job competency in universities.

• Journal of the Korean Home Economics Association
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• v.43 no.8 s.210
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• pp.99-114
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to estimate the effects of an early childhood environmental education program developed on the basis of relationships among preschoolers' knowledge, emotional attitude, and perceived behavior control of environmental pollution on their knowledge, emotional attitude, perceived behavior control, and behavioral intention. A total of 146 five-year-old preschoolers from eight child-care centers in Seoul and Kyoungki Province participated in this study. The following are the main results of this study. first, the higher the level of knowledge the preschoolers had, the more negative emotional attitude they displayed. Furthermore, the more negative emotional attitude they displayed, the higher the level of perceived behavior control they had. On the contrary, the relationships between knowledge and perceived behavior control varied with exposure situation to environmental pollution. Second, after the environmental education program was administered to the experimental group, the preschoolers from experimental group exhibited more knowledge, more negative emotional attitude, higher perceived behavior control and more active behavioral intention towards environmental pollution than those in the control group.

• Journal of the Health Care and Life Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.153-160
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• 2021

This study is to investigate the effect of early childhood teachers' resilience and social support on job stress. The degree of resilience, social support, and job stress was measured for 250 teachers of early childhood education institutions located in City I, and the relationship and relative influence were analyzed. For data processing, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were performed using the SPSS 18.0 program. As a result, first, early childhood teachers' resilience and social support were measured at a slightly higher level than average, and job stress at a slightly lower level. Second, the resilience and social support of early childhood teachers had a positive relationship, and the resilience and social support had a negative correlation with job stress. Third, as a result of analyzing the relative influence of early childhood teachers' resilience and social support on job stress, 83% explained that organizational environmental factors, material support, and behavioral factors affect job stress. These results suggest that it is most important to provide resilience and social support that can affect the reduction of job stress of in-service teachers.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.121-142
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• 2011

This study explores the structural relationships between personal factors (young children's self-esteem and language ability) and environmental factors (mother's acculturation, parenting, and teacher's multi-cultural education attitude) on young children's adjustment to early childhood educational institution in multi-cultural families. 150 young children in multi-cultural families of aged 3, 4, and 5, their mothers, and 108 classroom teachers participated in this study. The results of this investigation reveal the following : (1) Mother's integrative acculturation significantly affected mother's parenting. (2) The relationship between mother's acculturation and young children's adjustment to early childhood educational institution in multi-cultural families are significantly mediated by mother's parenting and the young children's self-esteem. (3) Young children's language ability in multi-cultural families significantly affected their degree of adjustment to early childhood educational institution.