Analysis of Concept Mapping of Early Childhood Teachers’ Perception on Happiness in Young Children = Analysis of Concept Mapping of Early Childhood Teachers’ Perception on Happiness in Young Children

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study aimed to identify teachers’ perception of young children’s happiness by concept mapping. A total of 16 early childhood teachers were selected as participants. They categorized and rated their own thoughts on the focus question. Based on this, multidimensional scale analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were conducted. The results were as follows. First, 42 final statements were generated as early childhood teachers' perception for young children’s happiness, and these were divided into two dimensions: interpersonal relations-young child individual, and external factors-internal factors through multidimensional scale analysis. In addition, through cluster analysis, they were classified into five groups: “happiness to feel together,” “happiness through play,” “joy and happiness of activities,” “happiness from freedom,” and “joy and happiness of achievement.” Second, as for the fitness for each group, “happiness to feel together” showed the highest goodness of fit, and the statements “when you play as much as you want to be free” and “when you feel loved by mother and father” showed high goodness of fit. The results of this study may provide implications for the direction of teacher education and the practice of effective education for the enhancement of young children’s happiness.