Abstract
Although environmental factors are important in all stages of education, those factors
play more significant roles in the field of early childhood education than in any other
school settings in that young children grow and develop rapidly a...
Abstract
Although environmental factors are important in all stages of education, those factors
play more significant roles in the field of early childhood education than in any other
school settings in that young children grow and develop rapidly and they are very
sensitive to environmental elements. Consequently, it is essential to prepare appropriate
educational environments for young children in order to maximize the effect of
educational efforts.
The environment of a kindergarten can be divided into personal environments and
physical environments. Personal environments include parents, teachers, peer groups, and
other people in the community. On the other hand, physical environments include the
site of a school, school buildings, playgrounds, books, and several kinds of educational
facilities and materials.The purpose of this study was to analyze the actual conditions of educational
environment of kindergartens in Anyang city and to propose the directions for improving
the environment. For this purpose, this study reviewed the significance of educational
environment of kindergarten and the history of early childhood education in Anyang. In
addition, the information on actual conditions of educational environment of kindergartens
was collected using a series of questionnaire and the collected data were examined on
the basis of the following categories:
1) Curriculum planning and program implementation
2) Educational facilities and teaching materials
3) Heads and teachersThe results of data analysis revealed that, in general, actual conditions of educational
environment of kindergartens in Anyang city were appropriate. However, several
problems to be solved were also found.
Based on the results of the study, following suggestions can be made for improving
educational environment of kindergartens in Anyang city:
1) First of all, heads/managers and teachers in the kindergarten should have strong
attitudes and make efforts to solve the environmental problems pointed out in this
study.
2) In addition, it is necessary to establish an effective corporation system among
educational administrative authorities, schools, and other organizations of social
education.
3) In parallel with the above, the government should provide not only strict
administrative controls but also proper supports to the field of early childhood education
for maintaining and improving the quality of educational environment.
It seems that these suggestions are consistent with Anyang city's policy to make this
city as “a city of hope in the 21th century, the period of localization” and minimum
requirements for preparing the implement of kindergarten education as a stage of public
education.