“Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities is designed to intervene spontaneously in evaluating and diagnosing how childcare facilities are operated, and, if the operation and maintenance is not well-equipped, redressing and imp...
“Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities is designed to intervene spontaneously in evaluating and diagnosing how childcare facilities are operated, and, if the operation and maintenance is not well-equipped, redressing and improving it. The main aim of such system is to enhance and provide childcare services, in terms of quantity and quality, for infants and children. Furthermore, “Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities is integral for systemizing, supporting and maintaining the operation of childcare facility fields by the government, in a more effective way. Thus, it is inevitable to establish such system, especially considering the reality that heightening childcare facilities, in qualitative terms, is urgent, today.
Nevertheless, an increasingly rising number of cases are found that such “Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities becomes void and null, owing to the poor operation of childcare facilities, in recent years. Since the outbreak of child abuse took place in even a public childcare facility in Ulsan province, where has been evaluated and accredited, the distrust on “Evaluation and Accreditation System” itself is propagating.
Hence, it is required to set a stricter standard on “Evaluation and Accreditation System” and extend the period of the test, over a long term. And, strenuous efforts and steps need to be made and taken to conduct the regular follow-up services and maintenance. The research and study on “Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities would offer the more effective and significant frameworks fit for such system, if the awareness and conditions of such system perceived by childcare teachers who engaged in it, are analyzed in a systemic way, according to each type of childcare facilities. In this regard, this research thesis conducted a survey of childcare teachers in childcare facilities accredited through the abovementioned “Evaluation and Accreditation System”, on the general awareness and conditions perceived by such childcare teachers, as to this system, so that a basic data can be provided for the establishment of a more successful “Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities.
To achieve the research objective, this research thesis raised the research questions as below:
1. What difference does the general awareness among childcare teachers of “Evaluation and Accreditation System make, according to each type of childcare facilities?
2. What difference does the awareness and conditions of the preparatory process of “Evaluation and Accreditation” make, according to each type of childcare facilities?
3. What difference does the awareness among childcare teachers of 7 areas and indicators under the categories of “Evaluation and Accreditation,” make, according to each type of childcare facilities?
4. What difference does the awareness among childcare teachers of follow-up services and maintenance of “Evaluation and Accreditation” make, according to each type of childcare facilities?
As the research subjects, this research thesis selected 154 childcare teachers in total 118 childcare facilities, including 65 public childcare facilities, 48 private childcare facilities and five corporate facilities, accommodating more than 40 people and accredited, from March 2005 until June 2011, where are located in S city.
Also, this thesis abstracted basic categories out of the research and study on the awareness (Sang-ran Jang, 2008; Yeon-hee Choi, 2008; Bok-hee Kim, 2010; Eyun-mi Yoo, 2010) among facility managers and childcare teachers as to “Evaluation and Accreditation System of Childcare Facilities”, and then, conducted a systemic analysis of the pertained literature (“Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities and Childcare Policies, 2002; “The Understandings on Childcare Process of Infants and Children”, 2007), in order to organize and summarize categories and descriptions of the awareness and conditions that most childcare teachers perceived as to “Evaluation and Accreditation System”. Likewise, this research thesis organized and summarized descriptions of basic categories, surveying childcare experts, such as facility managers or childcare teachers, with the use of open-ended questionnaire and interview. Based on these rating scales, this thesis completed the primary draft 50-point questionnaire. As to primary draft questionnaire, each point was added and revised under the agreement with college professors who teach infant education. The first preliminary analysis was surveyed of three master teachers and five childcare teachers, as to the adequacy, understanding and level of difficulty of the questionnaire points, and time required in writing each point, and then, these points were reconstituted. Lastly, this thesis assigned two childcare facility managers and one infant education expert a task to evaluate the compatibility and validity of the questionnaire point, with the tool of five point- Likert scale, and then, measured each point. Subsequently, this thesis focused to add and revise the questionnaire point, which scored more than four points as to the value of numerical rating scale, and then, completed the end-questionnaire. The end-questionnaire was constituted as one area of ‘General Background of Childcare teachers’ and four areas of awareness: the awareness of “Evaluation and Accreditation System”, ‘Preparatory Process’ of “Evaluation and Accreditation”, “Evaluation and Accreditation Indicators”, and the awareness of ‘post-Evaluation and Accreditation’. This questionnaire was used with total 42 points.
The experimental test on it was put and studied through the survey data, namely, SPSS 15.0 statistical program. This is as follows.
In the first place, the frequency and percentage were measured in order to study general characteristics that childcare teachers or research subjects have. In the second place, cross-tabulation analysis (χ2-test) was conducted in order to study whether the above stated four awareness of the awareness of “Evaluation and Accreditation System”, ‘the preparatory process of “Evaluation and Accreditation”, “Evaluation and Accreditation Indicators”, and the awareness of ‘post-Evaluation and Accreditation’ show the difference from each type of childcare facilities. The significant relations were tested through p=.05.
The analytic research results are summarized as the following four aspects.
First, the analytic results show that concerning the general awareness among childcare teachers of “Evaluation and Accreditation System” of Childcare Facilities, there is, in general, the significant difference from each type of childcare facilities, in the perception, intervention, reevaluation and performance methods of such system, and the adequacy of incentive of childcare teachers going through the evaluation and accreditation process.
Second, the results indicate that regarding the awareness and conditions perceived and conducted by most childcare teachers, as to the preparatory process of “Evaluation and Accreditation”, there is, in general, the significant difference from each type of childcare facilities, in ‘overtime work time’, ‘overtime work benefit’, ‘child neglect’ due to the preparation on “Evaluation and Accreditation”, and ‘assistance’ in “Evaluation and accreditation’.
Third, the results unveil that as to the awareness among childcare teachers of “Evaluation and Accreditation Indicators (seven areas), there is, in general, the significant difference from each type of childcare facilities, in ‘the area most difficult to improve’, ‘the area requiring the longest hours in the process of improving’, ’the method of drawing up a document’, ’the unnecessary document’, and ‘the most important area’ out of “Evaluation and Accreditation” Indicators.
Lastly, the analytic results prove that with regard to the awareness among childcare teachers of ‘Follow-up Services and maintenance ’ of “Evaluation and Accreditation”, there are, in general, the significant difference from each type of childcare facilities, in ‘the evaluation on professional skills among childcare teachers’, ’the operation levels’, the best-operated area’, ‘the poorest-operated area’, and ‘the frequency of the checklist of “Evaluation and Accreditation” indicators and ‘the cause why maintaining and managing follow-up evaluation and accreditation system is difficult’.
In conclusion, ‘the general awareness’, ‘preparatory process’, ‘methods to improve’ and ‘follow-up services and maintenance’ of “Evaluation and Accreditation System” show the significant difference from each type of childcare facilities. These analytic research results suggest that it makes sense to collect and take opinions and requests among childcare teachers, according to each type of childcare facilities, and then, reflect such opinions and requests into “Evaluation and Accreditation System”, in order to raise childcare facilities, in qualitative terms, and establish such system.