Korean Early Childhood Education Research Articles

Korean Early Childhood Education and Care Panel Study: Data Utilization Strategies for Policy and Practice

The Korean Early Childhood Education and Care Panel Study (K-ECEC panel study), commencing in 2021, aimed to collect data related to early life growth and development. In particular, based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, the study aims to collect intrinsic and extrinsic parental factors, educational and caregiving experiences in institutions, and environmental factors from the prenatal stage through infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood. This is important for understanding child development with varied dimensional aspects. The K-ECEC panel study uses a stratified sampling strategy in order to recruit pregnant women based on regions and numbers of deliveries to individual hospitals. This resulted in the participation of 3,372 women, 95 of whom were from low-income families and 72 from multicultural families. The K-ECEC panel study is based on a household survey collecting information related to pregnancy, birth, and childrearing. The survey included an annual follow-up for individual households of newborns from 2022, and the second round of the survey was conducted in 2023. A total of 2,775 children participated in the first round of the survey, 1,423 of whom were boys. As there are few birth cohort studies considering policy-oriented aspects in Korea, the K-ECEC panel study is expected to provide data to understand childhood trajectories for growth and development. Furthermore, in terms of childcare and education, it is expected to be utilized to evaluate the policy effects of early life and parenting support.

Short-term effects of a classroom-based STEAM program using robotic kits on children in South Korea

BackgroundDespite the recent emphasis on technology and engineering in early childhood education, the importance of teaching relevant concepts in early education has been underappreciated in South Korea. This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of a science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) program integrated into the national curriculum in a Korean early childhood education setting. Children aged 5–6 years (231 girls and 219 boys; treatment group: 334 children; control group: 116 children) were tested on computational thinking, vocabulary, numeracy, self-regulation, and social behavior before and after receiving STEAM curriculum that included robotics activities or an equivalent curriculum.ResultsFindings revealed that among the outcome measures, young children in the treatment group exhibited significant increases in computational thinking and expressive vocabulary. Moreover, gender demonstrated a significant interaction effect with the increase in computational thinking as measured by an assessment developed for a specific robotic material as well as in self-regulation and social behavior.ConclusionsThis study provides empirical and comprehensive evidence regarding the effectiveness of an integrated STEAM program with developmentally appropriate robotic kits for young children.

Another case of the theory to practice gap: South Korean early childhood education and care

Motivated by an increasingly globalized and technological world, countries around the world are rewriting their education policies in favor of play-based learning. South Korea, a country that recently reformed its early childhood curriculum to reflect an emphasis on a whole-child, active play pedagogy, is an important case of how child- and play-centered curriculum may translate into implementable practices. This study surveyed 182 Korean early childhood educators to explore their difficulties in implementing the 2019 Revised Nuri Curriculum. It investigated how these teachers conceptualize play from a science of learning perspective. Understanding their role in play and how play can elicit learning were reported as specific challenges. The study reports a misalignment between teachers’ belief that free play is most beneficial for learning and findings from the scientific literature supporting guided play as most effective for achieving a learning goal. The potential of further Nuri Curriculum revisions reflective of the science of learning paired with continuous professional development for Korean teachers is discussed.

An Analysis of Korean Early Childhood Education System Based on the Perspective of Public Education

An Analysis of Korean Early Childhood Education System Based on the Perspective of Public Education

Action Research to Overcome the Stress Caused by the Combination of Academic and Work Life of Korean Early Childhood Education Doctoral Students

The purpose of this action study is to take a closer look at the factors of stress with doctoral students majoring inearly childhood education and to identify changes through the process of overcoming them. As a starting point, inorder to do that, two Korean doctoral students (Park, Joo-yeon and Kwak, Ji-min) majoring in early childhoodeducation were selected, one is a nursery director and the other is a college lecturer. In - depth interviews, journalwriting, and quantitative analysis were used as data collection methods. Park Joo-yeon has chosen internal resourceto get up early in the morning to study for classes and to exercise. Kwak, Ji-min has chosen internal resource totravel, study in café, and to exercise. Park, Joo-yeon chose two methods as external resources. One pointed outemotional support as a warm word of comfort and encouragement, and the other pointed out physical support toreduce household chores through sharing with her husband. On the other hand, Kwak, Ji-min did not choose externalresources. One conclusion we can draw from this process was that not only two doctoral students' stress and stressresponse were alleviated but also overcoming power increased through the process of overcoming them. Proceedingfrom this fact, we could logically assume that overcoming power were effective in individual ability and acceptanceof life.

Comparison of North and South Korean early childhood education

본 연구는 남 · 북한 유아교육과정을 비교 분석하여 통일대비 유아교육과정의 방향성 정립과 통합을 위한 시사점을 제시하는데 그 목적이 있다. 남 · 북한 유아교육과정 비교는 4가지 비교준거, 즉 유아교육목표, 유아교육과정 영역 및 일과 운영, 교수 · 학습방법, 평가의 측면에서 이루어졌다. 연구결과 남 · 북한 교육이념의 차이로 인해 다양한 영역에서 유사점보다는 차이점을 보였으며, 통일대비 유아교육과정 정립을 위해 다음과 같은 시사점을 도출하였다. 첫째, 남 · 북한 유아교육과정에서의 통합을 이루기 위해서는 교육의 고유한 기능과 목적을 반영한 새로운 교육이념 정립이 필요하다. 둘째, 남 · 북한 유아교육과정 영역 및 일과운영 비교에서 가장 차이를 보인 영역은 정치사상교육으로, 통일 후 정치사상교육을 통해 공고히 형성된 북한의 정치사상의식을 극복할 방안이 마련되어야 할 것이다. 셋째, 통일대비 남 · 북한 유아교육과정의 통합을 위해서는 유아교육과정에명시된 유아교육관련 용어정리 및 표준화작업이 이루어져야 할 것이다. 결론적으로 통일대비 남 · 북한 유아교육과정 비교에서 유사점을 보이는 영역부터 점진적인 통합을 시도하는 것이 필요하며, 남 · 북한 간 상호교류를 통해 이질성 극복을 위한 노력이 지속적으로 이루어져야 할 것이다.This study was conducted to compare and analyze the curriculum of early childhood education in South Korea and North Korea in order to establish the direction of early childhood curriculum. Based on this, the purpose of the study is to propose educational alternatives for possible integration. The comparison of North and South Korean early childhood education curriculum was conducted in terms of educational goals, early childhood curriculum area and daily management, teaching and learning methods, and assesment. As a result of the study, there were more differences found than similarities in various areas due to differences in the educational philosophy between South and North Korea, and the following implications were drawn. First, in order to integrate North and South Korea’s early childhood curriculum, a new educational ideology that reflects the unique function and purpose of education should be established first, and specific curriculum and contents should be developed accordingly. Second, the most significant difference in the content and operation of North and South Korean early childhood education curriculum is political ideology education, which is the most important content of the North Korean early childhood education course. Third, in order to integrate the South and North Korea early childhood education curriculum in preparation for unification, it is necessary to organize and standardize the terms related to early childhood education in order to unify them. In order to do this, it is necessary to try to integrate them gradually starting from areas showing similarities, and to endeavor to overcome discrepancies through mutual exchange between South and North Korea.

A Comparative Study On Korean and Japanese Early Childhood Education System

A Comparative Study On Korean and Japanese Early Childhood Education System

In-Service Child Care Teachers’ Views on How High-Quality Teacher-Child Interaction Develops in the Korean Early Childhood Care and Education Context

In-Service Child Care Teachers’ Views on How High-Quality Teacher-Child Interaction Develops in the Korean Early Childhood Care and Education Context

A Phenomenological Study on Play in Early Childhood in Korean Early Childhood Education Institutions

Background/Objectives: The purpose of this study was to make a phenomenological research on early childhood play in Korean early childhood education institutions in an effort to explore the phenomenological characteristics of play in early childhood including the ways of looking at and doing it. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The subjects in this study were three teachers and 30 preschoolers who were selected by random sampling from three different kindergartens located in the city of Busan. Data were gathered by making participant observations and having individual interviews with the preschoolers and the teachers from October to early December, 2015, and a qualitative analysis was made to analyze the collected data. Findings: The findings of the study were as follows: First, as for the features of play among the preschoolers in the Korean early childhood education institutions, that was characterized by five: wanting to go outside, finding time to play, wanting to make something without any restraints, moving is the very play, and living in a world different from that of adults. Second, concerning the roles of the teachers and the preschoolers, there were three different groups of teachers and preschoolers according to their ways of looking at and doing play. One was the teachers who viewed everything as play vs. the preschoolers who regarded just part of what they did as play, and another was the teachers who just looked vs. the preschoolers who wanted a loving hand. The third was the teachers who wanted the kids to follow them vs. the preschoolers who disliked to be scolded. Application/Improvements: Allowing communities to play with peers brief is required implications should create a play environment that supports the recovery of social relationships and happiness.

Indigenization of Play-centered Curriculum and its Dilemma: The Case of Korean Early Childhood Education

Indigenization of Play-centered Curriculum and its Dilemma: The Case of Korean Early Childhood Education

South Korean Early Childhood Education Teachers' Perceptions of Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support

The authors conducted a survey of 169 South Korean early childhood education teachers regarding the importance and implementation of strategies associated with the Program-Wide Positive Behavior Support (PWPBS) framework (L. Fox & M. L. Hemmeter, 2009) to support social competence and prevent young children's challenging behavior. Analyses revealed that South Korean early childhood teachers considered the strategies associated with PWPBS to be important; however, they implemented few universal tier practices in their classrooms and reported the presence of few program-wide supports in their early childhood programs. Based on these results, suggestions for the adoption of PWPBS in South Korea and other countries outside of the United States are presented.

Finding a Child's Self: Globalization and the Hybridized Landscape of Korean Early Childhood Education

This article examines how Korean early childhood education reform efforts to foster children's selves create a fragmented and conflicting educational landscape. I focus on the complex and uneven ways that imported educational ideals are practiced in local contexts. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a preschool in Seoul, I discuss discrepancies between reform ideals and actual everyday practices to highlight unevenness and nonlinearity of the global circulation of educational ideas.

Issues and Tasks for Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce in Korea

This research overviewed the present situation of Korean early childhood education and care workforce's certification, education and training, and working conditions, according to the elements to assure the quality of teachers. Results show that structure and condition of the initial teacher training system, certificating system, professionalism development system and working environment and treatment of kindergarten teachers were slightly better than child care center teachers', and private kindergarten teachers' were better than the public teachers'. The hidden issues behind it such as marginalization, traditional child caring discourse and underestimating of caring were pointed out, which must be considered in addition to the elements related to teachers' quality that appear on the surface, when the integration plan of kindergarten and day care center is discussed.

Korean Seon Buddhism and Early Childhood Education

Korean Seon Buddhism and Early Childhood Education

A comparative study of teaching efficacy in pre-service and in-service teachers in Korean early childhood education and care (ECEC)

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between pre-service and in-service teachers in terms of their levels of teaching efficacy and teaching professionalism. In addition, the patterns in predictors of teachers’ teaching efficacy were compared between the two subgroups of this study. Five hundred and seventy-three teachers completed self-administered questionnaires. The in-service teachers were found to have higher efficacy than their counterparts in only one of the six subscales of teaching efficacy, the subscale “Teaching Strategies”. Additionally, the college major specialisation and some domains of professionalism were found to be predictive to both groups. Along with the main results of this study, implications for research and practice are discussed.

Re-emphasizing Character Education in Early Childhood Programs: Korean Children's Experiences

Character education efforts are influenced by the cultures in which they are implemented. This article describes the character education provided to children in Korea, both in school and at home. The author explores how the Korean early childhood education system strives to ensure positive character development among children. These discussions are especially relevant in today's education context, which is often dominated by competitive, data-driven standardized examinations that can have detrimental effects on character-building among children and youth. The focus on character education is set as a counterbalance to the materialistic and selfish tendencies that greatly define “academic success” in today's world. It warrants a shift in education goals in order to promote caring, pride in one's cultural heritage, and respect for cultural differences, as well as to cultivate cooperation.

An analysis of qualitative research trends published in nine major korean early childhood education journals from 2007 to 2012

An analysis of qualitative research trends published in nine major korean early childhood education journals from 2007 to 2012

Making Use of Old and New: Korean Early Childhood Education in the Global Context

This article focuses on Korean early childhood education in the global and postcolonial context. Special attention is paid to Western and traditional beliefs and practices of childhood education projected by the postings on the walls of an early childhood institution in Korea. Three major features found on the walls of the early childhood institution – that is, collective postings, socially appropriate practices, and rules for self-regulation – are interpreted in terms of the layers of educational practices that consist of Korean early childhood education. This article discusses how Korean early childhood education ‘consumes' the outside influences in order to increase its educational competitiveness in the global context, while maintaining traditional educational practices.

Child Assessment in Early Childhood Education and Care Settings in South Korea

This study investigated child-assessment practices in the context of Korean early childhood education and care settings. Interviews with educators and documents obtained from educational and care settings were analyzed. In general, the results support the rigorous implementation of child-assessment procedures since the recent implementation of kindergarten evaluation and childcare accreditation by the government. However, some settings have not implemented these procedures systematically, resulting in wide variation in the types of assessment conducted and the forms used across environments, as well as superficial goals and limited information regarding children. To enable efficient child assessment and the transfer and sharing of information about each child among providers and schools, a common framework should be provided, with common tools and recording forms, together with guidelines for child assessment and training services for educators and staff.

Korean Teachers’ Beliefs and Teaching Practices in Korean Early Childhood Education*

The purpose of this study was to examine the beliefs and practices of early childhood teachers in Korea. 54 child care teachers, 58 private kindergarten teachers and 45 public kindergarten teachers participated in this study. The Teacher Questionnaire was adapted for the Korean situation using both Korean and American early childhood education experts to determine cultural appropriateness of items (i.e., a back translation procedure) and grammatical accuracy. Results indicated that public kindergarten teachers had more academic preparation and teaching experiences than other teachers. Public kindergarten teachers reported implementing significantly more appropriate teaching practics and fewer inappropriate practices in their classrooms than other teachers. There was a trend for all teachers who reported nondirective teaching strategy beliefs to use fewer inappropriate teaching practices; however, child care teachers used more inappropriate teaching strategies than other teachers. *This research is supported by funds from the Iowa State University College of Family and Consumer Science Development Fund. This study was submitted by the first author to the Graduate School, Iowa State University, as partial fulfilment for the requirements of a Master of Science degree.