Purpose of this study is to explore the influencing factors on child abuse tendency which occurs at childhood education centers. This study tries to analyze the influencing factors on child abuse tendency by classifying into early childhood teachers...
Purpose of this study is to explore the influencing factors on child abuse tendency which occurs at childhood education centers. This study tries to analyze the influencing factors on child abuse tendency by classifying into early childhood teachers’ job factors and self-concept. Based on this, this study tries to identify the implications to prepare for the policies to prevent child abuse and improve early childhood teachers’ working conditions.
Study subjects are targeting 250 early childhood teachers who are working in preschools and daycare centers in Jeollabuk-do. Total 250 survey papers were distributed and 210 papers were collected and final 201 papers were used for the analysis except 9 unfaithfully answered papers to all questions during the collected survey paper review process. Answers finally collected from 201 papers were analyzed using statistical program and frequency analysis and correlation analysis were conducted.
Study results showed that child abuse reasons are early childhood teachers’ job stress and they answered teacher’s job stress should be solved to prevent child abuse. In addition, study results showed high percentage of teachers who participated in child abuse prevention education, but they didn’t have high satisfaction about the education program and early childhood teachers who participated in the research wanted to listen to the lectures from experts about efficient teaching methods to prevent child abuse. Regarding child abuse reporting system, they answered they came to know the reporting system through seminars and training, and reporting system would be valuable. Regarding reporting intention of the teachers, they felt pressure about their identification exposure and therefore, they answered that the confidentiality of the reporter would be necessary to activate reporting system.
Child abuse tendency in childhood education centers could be identified to have a certain level of correlation with working environment satisfaction. Analysis results after classifying child abuse tendencies as detailed types showed, first, physical abuse had significant correlation with early childhood teachers’ salary, but no statistically significant correlation with other factors. Second, emotional abuse was related with working conditions and facility level, and third, Neglect was related with all questions and especially working conditions showed highest correlation. This explains independent variables didn’t have identical effects on dependent variables but different effects on individual dependent variables. Fourth, sexual abuse was related with working conditions and salary.
Relations between early childhood teachers’ child abuse tendency and self-concept are as follows. Regarding all types of child abuse tendency, self-esteem and inner control affected child abuse. Especially, self-esteem showed the highest correlation with sexual abuse tendency and self-esteem and Neglect showed next high correlations. Correlations were identified with the order of physical abuse and self-esteem, emotional abuse and self-esteem. Even though inner control showed correlation with all abuse tendencies, analysis results showed self-esteem had higher correlation with child abuse tendency than inner control. Regarding the contents of questions, this study has analysis meaning by dividing dependent variables into individual abuses even though factor analysis was difficult due to insufficient questions composing dependent variables.
Suggestions for future follow-up researches based on this study results are as follows.
First, political support is required to improve working environment.
Second, systematic program for healing should be operated as well.
Third, in order to improve working environment, working conditions should be improved and unnecessary documents should be reduced.
Fourth, clear definition about child abuse would be necessary and education about child abuse prevention program should be operated by more efficiently teaching methods. In other words, institutional improvement would be required in order that actual education could be conducted for the teachers at education fields, not perfunctory education.