A Case Study of Two Kindergarten Teachers’ Reception to the Needs of the 2.5 Generation Korean Children

Abstract

Kindergarten teachers must meet the needs of the relatively new 2.5 generation of Korean children (children with one foreign-born parent) and help them overcome their difficulties as students in South Korean schools and later on as adult members of Korean society. The research questions are as follows: (1) How do two kindergarten teachers perceive the needs of the 2.5s as compared to other children? (2) How do two kindergarten teachers meet the needs of the 2.5s? This study employed an evaluative case study research design. The two teachers observed and interviewed for this case study research, had a tendency to link the 2.5s’ needs and meeting these needs to professional roles or duties. Elucidatingly, the ideal situations in which teachers could perceive as well as meet the needs of the 2.5s require 1) going beyond any knowledge that teachers might possess concerning them and teacher roles, and 2) examining teachers’ attitudes and beliefs about their population of students and their families as well.