The purpose of this thesis was to understand the kindergarten teacher`s perception of the various families and the children in the various families and the experience of the reflection on the various families in practice through interviews. Detailed i...
The purpose of this thesis was to understand the kindergarten teacher`s perception of the various families and the children in the various families and the experience of the reflection on the various families in practice through interviews. Detailed issues are as follows:
1. What is the early childhood teachers`s perception of the various families and the children in the various families?
2. How do the early childhood teachers reflect and manage the vqrious families in practice?
3. what are the difficulties and support needs that the early childhood teachers recognize as they reflect on the various families?
The participants of this research were nine teachers who worked at kindergarten located in metropolitan area. I implemented a formal interview per teacher and informal interviews via telephone or e-mail from 17th, August, 2007 to 19th, September, 2007. Data were coded and categorized according to the method that Bogdan and Biklen(2006) suggested.
Results of this research are as follows:
Firstly, early childhood teachers defined family as a group made up parents and children who are based on emotional interchange and recognized family as these forms; single families, remarried·step families, grandparent-grandchildren families, commuter families, marriage-immigrant families, dual income families. Early childhood teachers perceived two traits of various families. One is families do their best to bring up their children, and the other is they have some shortage. These teachers generally recognized various families in the positive not in the negative from their experience and made effort to support them. Although traits of children in the various families are different from each form of families, generally children in various families showed emotional anxiety behavior and fall behind in language development. Besides they felt that it was difficult to make parent or peer relation. However, perception of these teachers showed to tend the more experienced the more positive.
Secondly, early childhood teachers showed difference between the ideal and the actual, as they reflect various families in practice. Teachers thought that desirable reality helps children acknowledge difference of various families not recognize various families negatively by reflecting various families at the whole field of education course. However, in contrast to this ideal, in the actual, teachers was reflecting various families with only a part of one or two activities that they introduce family of most life theme, 'Family and Neighborhood' to children, and they don?t totally reflect various families of environment design. On the other hand, in case of teachers? management, if children in the various families were in the class, teachers was showing consideration for minimizing children?s wound and caring that children can afford to receive their difference by themselves through individual interaction with children. Moreover, teachers consistently interact with families to understand various families and their children, help children fit themselves to kindergarten life, and interchange opinion about activity related to family.
Thirdly, teachers were feeling a sense of oppression because they cannot help choosing contents of education for a great number of children and undergoing difficulties because of shortage of activity and material reflecting various family and complications in activity progress. So they requested development and supply of specific activity and material for reflecting various families and educational support about various families.