The purpose of this study is to examine the overall trends in parents' beliefs regarding fundamental competence required for children facing the transition to elementary school, the home learning environment, and children's fundamental competence. The...
The purpose of this study is to examine the overall trends in parents' beliefs regarding fundamental competence required for children facing the transition to elementary school, the home learning environment, and children's fundamental competence. The study aims to further explore how children's fundamental competence vary according to the general background of the children and their parents. Ultimately, the study aims to investigate whether parents' beliefs in fundamental competence influence their children's fundamental competence through the mediation of the home learning environment. The research questions established to achieve the purpose of this study are as follows: 1.What are the general trends in parents' beliefs regarding fundamental competence, the home learning environment, and children's fundamental competence facing transition to elementary school? 2.How do the fundamental competence of children differ according to the general background of the children and their parents as they prepare for the transition to elementary school? 3. Do parental beliefs regarding fundamental competence in school transition affect children's competence through the home learning environment? 3-1. What are the direct effects among parental beliefs regarding children's competence in school transition, the home learning environment, and children's competence? 3-2. Do parental beliefs regarding children's competence in school transition indirectly affect children's competence through the home learning environment? To achieve the research objectives, data were collected via an online survey from a nationwide sample of 545 parents of children scheduled to enter elementary school in 2025. The survey instruments for assessing parental beliefs regarding children's competence in school transition and children's competence were developed based on the study "The Development of Support Materials and Contents for Enhancing Continuity in Curriculum between Kindergarten and Child Care, and between Kindergarten and Elementary School" by the Ministry of Education and Chungnam Education Office(Park, Lee, Park, Jang, Park, 2023). The home learning environment was assessed using the EC-HOME inventory for children aged 3 to 6, developed by Caldwell and Bradley (2003) and validated for Korean parents by Kim, Jung, Kim, and Lee (2012), which (was also adapted) to fit the purpose of this study. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 29.0 and Mplus 8.11, employing frequency and descriptive statistical analysis, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation analysis, and path analysis. The significance of indirect effects was verified using the bootstrapping method. The results revealed several key insights. First, parents generally perceived all fundamental competencies as important. The home learning environment was generally at a high level, and children's fundamental competencies were also generally high. Second, there were significant differences in children's fundamental competencies based on the presence of siblings, type of early childhood education institution, parents' education level, and household income. All aspects of fundamental competence of children varied according to the type of early childhood education institution they were enrolled in, parents' education level, and household income. Regarding the presence of siblings, significant differences were found in physical motor competence, lifelong learning competence, and self-regulation competence among children's fundamental competencies. For parents' education level, significant differences wes found in social-emotional competence. Third, parents' beliefs in fundamental competence and the home learning environment directly influenced children's fundamental competence. Along with the direct influence, the home learning environment partially mediated the relationship between parents' beliefs in fundamental competence and children's fundamental competence. In other words, parents' beliefs in fundamental competence enhanced the quality of the home learning environment, which in turn improved children's fundamental competence. In conclusion, parental beliefs regarding children's competence in school transition significantly influence children's competence through the home learning environment. These findings highlight the critical role of parents in creating a conducive home learning environment to support their children's competence. The study underscores the necessity for parents to engage actively with their children and provide a quality learning environment at home. Moreover, it calls for a collaborative effort among early childhood education institutions, elementary schools, communities, and families to ensure a smooth and successful transition to elementary school for children. This includes supporting children and their families through strong home-school connections and integrated support systems.