This study examines the relationship between preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise and job stress, and the effects of preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise in terms of job stress.
To this end, the following questions were p...
This study examines the relationship between preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise and job stress, and the effects of preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise in terms of job stress.
To this end, the following questions were posed.
1. What are preschool and kindergarten teachers' perception of their expertise?
2. What job stress do preschool and kindergarten teachers have?
3. What is the relationship between preschool and kindergarten teachers' perceptions of their expertise and job stress?
260 teachers working in preschools and kindergartens located in Gyeongnam Province were selected as survey targets. The measurement of preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise was conducted using a survey constructed based on the reorganized version of the Tool for Measuring the Perceptions on Expertise developed by Lindsay (1987) prepared by Jo Eun-ju (2012). The job stress of preschool teachers was measured using a modified and supplemented version of the Teacher's Job Stress Factor Questionnaire developed by Clark (1980) and then modified by D'Arienzo et al. (1981) prepared by Choi Myeong (2006).
The collected data was coded and analyzed using the SPSS 14.0 program. An independent t-test and One-way ANOVA were conducted to analyze the differences between teachers' perceptions of their expertise and job stress. The Scheffe method was employed for the post-testing in conjunction with factors for which significant differences emerged as a result of the One-way ANOVA. Furthermore, after calculating the Pearson Correlation Coefficient based on the correlation analysis, a regression analysis was conducted to analyze the effects of teachers' perceptions of their expertise on job stress.
The results of the study can be summarized as follows.
First, preschool teachers exhibited an overall high awareness of their expertise. However, preschool teachers had a more pronounced awareness of their expertise than kindergarten teachers. Preschool teachers were most cognizant of the professional ethics of preschool teachers, and tended to positively evaluate their profession. However, they perceived their social and economic status as being less than average. This implies that although preschool teachers' had a high opinion of their expertise, they perceived society as not regarding preschool teacher as a professional job. In this regard, it becomes necessary to change the social perception and social institutions so as to further improve the expertise of preschool teachers.
Second, although the job stress of preschool teachers was not very high overall, kindergarten teachers nevertheless tended to exhibit higher job stress than preschool teachers. The stress stemming from economic factors and work duties were found to be the most pronounced among the sub-factors related to this matter. This implies a heavy level of stress caused by economic factors stemming from a low salary scale, heavy workload, and long working hours. There is as such an urgent need to decrease the job stress of preschool teachers by improving the salary structure and adjusting working hours, thereby bringing about qualitative improvements in childhood education.
Third, preschool teachers' perceptions of their expertise and stress levels were found to be negatively correlated. In other words, the higher preschool teachers' opinion of their expertise was, the lower their job stress tended to be. As such, the improvements to the job environment needed to decrease job stress must be brought about in order to improve the expertise of preschool teachers. Job stress must be decreased through a combination of changes in social and institutional factors and efforts by preschool teachers.