The purpose of this study was to determine the association among teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness in preschool teachers and how teaching efficacy and expertise awareness affected happiness. For this purpose, the following question...
The purpose of this study was to determine the association among teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness in preschool teachers and how teaching efficacy and expertise awareness affected happiness. For this purpose, the following questions were set:
First, do preschool teachers' teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness differ by their background variables (age, education, and career)?
Second, how are preschool teachers' teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness associated with one another?
Third, what is the relative impact of preschool teachers' teaching efficacy and expertise awareness on their happiness?
This study was conducted in 285 preschool teachers at kindergartens and nurseries in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. This study applied the following instruments: First, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, which had been developed by Argyle (2001), translated by Gwon (2011), applied by Choi (2011), and adapted by Kim (2012), was used to measure preschool teachers' happiness. Second, the Teachers' Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES), which had been developed by Bandura (2006), adapted to South Korean early childhood teachers through factor analysis by Kim and Kim (2008), and re-adapted to infant teachers by Kim (2017), was used to measure preschool teachers' teaching efficacy. Third, the adaptation of the Expertise Awareness Questionnaire, which was developed by Lindsay and Lindsay (1987) and adapted by Kim (2003) and Lee (2010), was used to measure preschool teachers' expertise awareness.
To collect data, a preliminary survey was conducted in 20 persons, and the main survey in 285 persons. The data were statistically processed using an SPSS 23.0 program. First, Cronbach's α coefficient was estimated for reliability of the instruments. Second, frequency analysis was performed to determine the respondents' general background; descriptive statistics was used to estimate the mean and standard deviation in determining preschool teachers' teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness. Third, analysis of variance was performed for differences in preschool teachers' teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness by their background variables; Scheffe's method was used as post-hoc test. Fourth, Pearson's correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlation among teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness, which were perceived by preschool teachers. Fifth, multiple regression analysis was carried out to determine the relative impact of teaching efficacy and expertise awareness perceived by preschool teachers on their happiness.
The results of this study can be summarized as follows:
First, preschool teachers' teaching efficacy differed significantly by age, education, and career among their background variables.
Second, preschool teachers' expertise awareness differed significantly by their age, education, and career.
Third, preschool teachers' happiness differed significantly by their age, education, and career.
Fourth, significant correlation was found among such variables as preschool teachers' teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, and happiness. Positive correlation was found between teaching efficacy and expertise awareness, between teaching efficacy and happiness, and between expertise awareness and happiness.
Fifth, both of preschool teachers' teaching efficacy and expertise awareness affected their happiness, with teaching efficacy having a stronger relative impact on happiness than expertise awareness.
To put these results together, the importance of teaching efficacy and expertise awareness has been confirmed as the factors affecting preschool teachers' happiness. This study is significant in that it has confirmed the strong impact of preschool teachers' teaching efficacy and expertise awareness on their happiness; it suggests the need to develop an effective plan for improving teaching efficacy, create an environment for improving expertise awareness, and make an alternative policy at the national level with the objective of making preschool teachers happier.
Key words : teaching efficacy, expertise awareness, happiness