The purpose of this study is to examine relationship among infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction and to figure out a mediating effect of play teaching efficacy.
The subjects of this study are 213 infant...
The purpose of this study is to examine relationship among infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction and to figure out a mediating effect of play teaching efficacy.
The subjects of this study are 213 infant teachers who work at child care centers where are located in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju, and Jeolla Province area. The following are four questionnaire tools that were used in this study. First, to examine infant teachers' general characteristics, the questionnaire with 6 questions was conducted. Second, to examine infant teachers' play beliefs, it used what Gwon Hye-jin(2013) modified it into question proper for infant-toddler teachers to respond as for the mothers' play beliefs scale that Yu Mi(2008) adapted PPBS(The Parent Play Beliefs Scale) produced by Fogel(2003). Third, infant teachers' play teaching efficacy was used what Lee Jae-jin(2013) modified and supplemented the measurement tool developed by Shin Eun-su, Yu Yeong-ui, and Park Hyeon-gyeong(2004). Finally, teacher-infant interaction was used the scale developed by Im Ok-hui and Lee Jin-suk(2006). The procedure of this study was carried out a questionnaire survey targeting 20 people for preliminary survey and 213 people for main survey. As for a research method, to examine play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction according to infant teachers' general characteristics, one-way ANOVA was carried out. Through Scheffe's post-test, the group-based difference was closely examined. Also, to figure out correlation among infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction, Pearson’s correlation analysis was carried out. Finally, to examine whether the play teaching efficacy functions as a mediating variable in relationship between infant teachers' play beliefs and teacher-infant inte- raction. Sobel test for statistical verification was carried out after using the hierarchical regression analysis method according to procedure of verifying the mediating effect in Baron and Kenny(1986).
Summarizing the results of this study, they are as follows.
First, as a result of carrying out ANOVA to examine difference among play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction according to infant teachers' career, age and academic background, there was no difference in play beliefs according to infant teachers' career. However, difference in play beliefs was shown depending on teachers' age and academic background. As a result of examining infant teachers' play teaching efficacy, the play teaching efficacy was shown difference in all depending on teachers' career, age and academic background. As for teacher-infant interaction according to teachers' general background, all showed difference in interaction according to teachers' career, age and academic background.
Second, as a result of carrying out correlation analysis to examine relationship among infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction, the infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-infant interaction were shown positive correlation in all by each sub-factor.
Third, as a result of examining the mediating effect of play teaching efficacy in relationship between infant teachers' play beliefs and teacher-infant interaction, the teachers' play teaching efficacy played a role as a mediating variable in all as for the influence upon teachers' responsive attitude, diversity in experience, positive activity participation, and permissive attitude, which are sub-factors of teacher-infant interaction.
This study examined about relationship among infant teachers' play beliefs, play teaching efficacy, and teacher-Infant interaction and simultaneously figured out the mediating effect of play teaching efficacy in relationship between teachers' play beliefs and teacher-infant interaction. Hence, it is considered to have significance in having examined that the play teaching efficacy is important variable in having positive interaction between teacher and infants. This study is expected to become foundation in rethinking about importance of a play in infancy, in enhancing positive interaction between infant teacher and infants, and further in increasing quality of child care.