The purpose of this study was to figure out the correlation among teacher's play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction, and to examine the causal structural relationship among these variables. Totally 161 teachers for infan...
The purpose of this study was to figure out the correlation among teacher's play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction, and to examine the causal structural relationship among these variables. Totally 161 teachers for infants and 154 teachers for preschoolers panticipated in the survey in Incheon and Gyeonggi province.
To measure teacher's play beliefs, it used the item that Lee(2008) modified and supplemented by referring to a research of Kim & Kim (2001). Also, to measure teacher's play teaching efficacy, it used a scale that was developed by Shin, Yu, and Park(2004). Finally, to measure teacher-children interaction type, it used the assessment profile for early childhood programs that Lee(2003) formed.
The collected materials were analyzed by using PASW WIN 19.0 and AMOS 16.0 program. The findings are as follows. First, there is high positive correlation among teacher's play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction. The stronger play beliefs led to the higher play teaching efficacy in both group of teachers. The higher play teaching efficacy also led to the higher level of teacher-children interaction. Second, there was no significant difference between 2 groups in play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction. Third, the same model of the causal structural relationship was applied to 2 groups among play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction. Fourth, teacher's play belief had direct effect on play teaching efficacy, and had indirect effect on teacher-children interaction through play teaching efficacy.
There are limitations as saying that this study obtained teachers' subjective recognition by using questionnaire, thereby having failed to be made objective measurement on teacher-children interaction, that the research subjects were restricted to Incheon and Gyeonggi province, not what was sampled nationwide, and that teachers' diverse environmental variables failed to be considered. Also, there is no division between teachers in charge only of young children class and teachers in charge only of infant class in the field of child care center. Thus, the outcome of this study has limitation in being considered to be the one of standing for infant care teachers and child care teachers. Accordingly, a follow-up research can be suggested that samples research subjects in the broader area, considers diverse environmental variables of surrounding teachers, and divides teachers who have been in charge only of infant class and young children class, respectively, along with the necessity of a research through objective observation on teacher-children interaction.
In the face of these limitations, this study clarified correlation among teacher's play beliefs and play teaching efficacy, and teacher-children interaction, thereby having shown the importance of teacher's forming right play beliefs and the necessity of developing play teaching efficacy. The approach was taken that tries to compare characteristics between infant care teachers and child care teachers. It made a model of the structural relationship among play beliefs and play teaching efficacy in infant care teachers and child care teachers, and teacher-children interaction, thereby having significance as saying of having found a role that the play belief functions as mediating play teaching efficacy and teacher-children interaction.