Every person is born in society and lives as a member of the society as he or she encounters a new world. In the rapidly changing reality, we need knowledge and techniques in order to lead our lives, coping with the realities. However, what the modern...
Every person is born in society and lives as a member of the society as he or she encounters a new world. In the rapidly changing reality, we need knowledge and techniques in order to lead our lives, coping with the realities. However, what the modern society requires is not the acquisition of knowledge and technology as a simple member. The society demands visions for better development so that people can accomplish common goal our society has through various information, technology and resources including personal growth. It's the leadership that suggests visions and motivates people to lead them along so that such goals can be achieved; the leader equipped with the leadership may be the talented person this generation truly wants.
As the need of the development of leadership, the education to foster leadership as a part of personality education from the early childhood is considered necessary, and a variety of studies and the developments of programs are conducted. Therefore, it's required to consider how the contents and directions of the desirable leadership education in early childhood.
The characteristics of positive infant leaders identified in most studies regarding the early childhood leadership are presented differently according to the concerns of the members of organizations, the problematic situations being shared, temperament, attitudes and abilities in various ways; as common characteristics, the minds that take care of other toddlers, the spirit of yield that sacrifices themselves and the leading power to actively share and solve problems with other members in the problem-solving situations are considered. Therefore, by sharing leadership with other members and implementing the service as a servant from all people including leaders and followers not only in the relationship of leaders and followers, the new concept of servant leadership, which can influence the mutual relations and develop communities and organizations, will receive attention in the future.
Therefore, because the leadership demonstrated in peer groups in early childhood is the pure community which does not construct the order of rank in organizations yet, raising the servant leadership in the midst of the interaction in which leaders and followers exchange relationship may be seen as much more available and valuable task than developing the servant leadership in an adult organization.
Based on the background and needs of the research, this study analyzed the correlations and structural models between temperament, social support, the decision-making ability and the servant leadership in early childhood, with 255 preschool children who were 4 to 5 years old attending in the day care centers(kindergartens) located in Seoul and Gyeonggi region. Through the study, it was identified that social support and the decision-making ability affect the servant leadership behavior in the early childhood. The summary of this study is as follows:
First, it was found that the temperament of infants had negative effect on the servant leadership in early childhood. Particularly, among the five sub factors in the temperament, it was revealed that the higher the activity level and intensity of reaction get, the lower the servant leadership in early childhood became. Thus, those children who are active but not composed because of their high physical energy or the ones showing excessive reactions and behaviors because of their great intensity of reaction, can alleviate their negative aspects which can be seen in the children with the above temperament through the servant leadership programs which make them regard and support other children rather than themselves.
Second, it was recognized that the social support from parents, teachers and peers have a positive influence on the servant leadership in early childhood. Infants may grow social and comprehensive techniques as well as adaptability and interaction skill with others through the faith that they receive care, love and respect from parents, teachers and peers, who are in the social network which provides social supports. Therefore, when conducting the servant leadership education in early childhood, the development and application of programs including the providers of social supports will be effective.
Third, it was found that the decision-making ability of children had a positive effect on the servant leadership in early childhood. As a sub factor of the decision-making ability, this means that the servant leadership behaviors in early childhood can be much more improved by instructing children that they can analyze situations, use emotional knowledge well and have good skills in coping with problems and communicating with others.
Fourth, it was confirmed that in the influences the temperament and social supports have on the servant leadership, the decision-making ability has a great effect of mediation. It means that with the degree of the temperamental tendency and social support, the influence working in the servant leadership in early childhood has a positive effect because of the decision-making ability of children.
As integrating such results, the temperamental inclinations and characteristics of children should be considered in the education for developing the servant leadership in early childhood. The children with strong temperament influencing negative reaction and behavior should learn the positive techniques of interaction through the servant leadership education. Also, when the servant leadership education in early childhood takes place, it's more effective to develop and apply the servant leadership programs in which not only peer groups but also social supporters including parents and teachers can participate.
Therefore, with the result that proved temperament, social support and decision-making ability affect the servant leadership behavior in early childhood, it is expected that the development and application of the servant leadership program considering such effective variables will be accomplished.