The purpose of this study is to investigate differences between kindergarten and nursing home teachers in educational belief and teaching practices for early childhood education as appropriate to child development and then find ways of resolving such ...
The purpose of this study is to investigate differences between kindergarten and nursing home teachers in educational belief and teaching practices for early childhood education as appropriate to child development and then find ways of resolving such differences.
For the purpose, this researcher made a questionnaire survey of 201 and 81 teachers, respectively from kindergartens and nursing homes located in South Kyoungsang Province. When analyzed prior to arranging data from the survey in relation to research questions, educational belief as appropriate for child development was found somewhat less in part of kindergarten teachers than nursing home ones. Such belief as inappropriate in developing children was found more in nursing home teachers than kindergarten ones.
Teaching practices by kindergarten teachers were evaluated somewhat less appropriate to child development than those by nursing home teachers. Such practices that were inappropriate to the development were found more in nursing home teachers than kindergarten ones. Thus educational belief and teaching practices which could develop children appropriately were found more in nursing home teachers than kindergarten ones. This was true of such belief and practices that were inappropriate to child development.
Results of the study can be described as below.
First, kindergarten and nursing home teachers were not different in educational belief as appropriate for child development, but different in such belief as inappropriate.
Second, there was no difference in teaching practices for child development between kindergarten and nursing home teachers. Both of the two groups were considerably high in the frequency of such practices. Like in case of educational belief, kindergarten teachers' teaching practices were not different in accordance with their service period and license, child age of a class in which they are charge and the number of children of the class, but different in accordance with their educational background. Nursing home teachers were more in such practices when they were longer in service period.
Third, kindergarten and nursing home teachers were all found performing more teaching practices to develop children when they had more belief in relation to the development. Nursing home teachers had more belief and performed more teaching practices. whether appropriate or inappropriate to child development, than kindergarten ones. This suggests that nursing home teachers have more belief and perform more teaching practices in relation to what may not be right to child development.
It also means that nursing home teachers do not properly recognize what activities would be appropriate in developing children and perform them. Therefore, the opportunity of raising teachers' perception about educational belief and teaching practices which are inappropriate to child development should be provided.