In contemporary society, the forms of social relationships experienced by young children are transforming at an unprecedented velocity compared to the past. Within this process, factors such as diminished playtime with peers, shifts in family structur...
In contemporary society, the forms of social relationships experienced by young children are transforming at an unprecedented velocity compared to the past. Within this process, factors such as diminished playtime with peers, shifts in family structure, and increased digital media usage not only constrain children's opportunities to comprehend and negotiate others' perspectives but also precipitate socio-emotional difficulties in peer relationships. For these reasons, young children's social perspective-taking ability has been gaining prominence as a foundational developmental capacity underlying peer relationship formation, problem resolution, and the establishment of empathy and collaboration.
Yet existing research on perspective-taking has predominantly concentrated on verifying the effects of individual activities, thereby exhibiting limitations in explicating the structural relationships among constituent concepts. Moreover, studies analyzing teachers' experiences and perceptions in actual educational settings have remained insufficient, resulting in difficulties in comprehensively understanding the field applicability and pedagogical significance of social perspective-taking enhancement programs. With these in mind, this study sought to analyze research on perspective-taking enhancement programs from a theoretical-structural dimension, develop a sound social perspective-taking enhancement program for young children, and explore its field implementation and appropriateness.
In Study 1, keyword network analysis was conducted utilizing 176 domestic and international academic papers on perspective-taking published over the past two decades. Through the processes of extracting and refining keywords from the collected papers, frequency analysis and centrality analysis were employed to derive the conceptual framework and structural architecture of perspective-taking enhancement program research. The analysis revealed that perspective-taking exhibited a conceptual structure intimately connected with constructs such as 'social skills' and 'teacher'.
In Study 2, a social perspective-taking enhancement program for young children was developed based on the keyword network analysis results from Study 1. The ADDIE model served as the procedural framework for program development, while change theory was integrated to shape the program's objectives, content, and activities. We organized the educational content by making cognitive perspective-taking and affective perspective-taking sub-factors of perspective-taking. We put these at the center of the session-specific instructional content. The teaching and learning methods were based on play, pictorial materials, and role-playing. Each session had a set order of introduction, activity, and reflection that helped young children experience social situations and talk about their thoughts and feelings.
In Study 3, after the developed program was put into practice in real early childhood education settings, the teachers' experiences and perceptions during the execution process were examined. The research subjects were identified as homeroom teachers from various institutions, employing qualitative analysis methodology. Analysis results confirmed that behavioral changes emerged wherein young children attempted to consider others' perspectives when confronted with conflict situations. Additionally, it was verified that relationship-centered observation and reflection constitute critical elements for enhancing perspective-taking.
Taken together, this study holds significant implications in that it derived the research structure of perspective-taking enhancement programs based on keyword network analysis and, furthermore, connected theory with educational practice through teachers' experiences by developing and implementing a substantive program. Additionally, by examining young children's social perspective-taking from an integrative standpoint that connects theory and practical application, this study is expected to yield essential foundational data for subsequent research on the social-emotional education and program development for young children.