韓國의 幼兒敎育 公敎育化 政策方案에 관한 硏究

Abstract

This study aims to provide policy suggestion for public education system of early child education in Korea. It provides educational, administrative, financial and legal suggestions based on the survey results from preschool and elementary school teachers (service provider) and from parents (service beneficiary). This study is mainly based on both literature research and empirical survey research. Eight hundred copies of question survey for empirical research were distributed to preschool and elementary school teachers and to parents. 612 copies were collected and analyzed for significant statistical outputs. Question responders in the survey were grouped into four different categories: preschool teachers, elementary teachers, preschool parents, and elementary school parents. 200 copies of the surveys were distributed to each category. The period of the survey examination was during two weeks from early to middle of October of the year 2008. Total number of survey copies collected was 634, but among them 24 copies were excluded because of the inappropriate responses. 131 copies were collected from preschool teachers, 127 from preschool parents, 156 from elementary school teachers, 198 from elementary school parents. For the correct data analysis of this study, SPSS 14.0 for Windows was utilized. To increase the reliability of the questions of the survey, Cronbach's α index was calculated to measure the level of internal consistency between question items. Frequency analysis was conducted to reflect objectively the personal characteristics of each of the survey responders. For post-proofing procedures, ANOVA, Scheffe proof, Independent samples t-test, Correlation Analysis, Chi-Square test was conducted. The results of the survey in this study can be summarized in the following four sections: educational sections, administrative sections, financial sections, and legal sections. First, in educational section, the result of the survey shows that the main purpose of the public system of early child education was the equal opportunity of the education and the most serious negative factor against the public education system turned out to be increased women's employment. It also suggests that the policies for public system of early child education should be decided together with policy planners, public education beneficiaries, and education policy executives. The immediate problem to be solved turned out to be sufficient investment and reduction of extreme polarization of education. Second, in administrative section, the result of the survey shows that the public system of early education should be managed and controlled by both central and local government organizations, and parents. Central government should guarantee high level of autonomy to the education organizations with a limited level of involvement. It suggests that dual systems of early education administration should be unified into one in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the preschool's day-care function should be expanded to a whole-day system. The immediate problem to be solved in this section turned out to be the reduction of budget and human resources caused by the dual administration system. Third, in financial section, the result of the survey shows that the government should provide sufficient financial support to level the teachers' quality of both private and public preschools. Four categories of the survey responded that the increased budget for this year is still relatively insufficient for appropriate financial support of preschool, and pointed out the lack of participation of education beneficiaries in planning the budget. The immediate problem to be solved turned out to be the increase of financial burden. Fourth, in legal section, the result of the survey shows that preschool teachers have negative perspective for the preschool evaluation system based on the preschool education law because it will interfere the system, whereas preschool parents have positive perspective for it because it will improve the system. It suggests that both the preschool education law and the infant-child education law should be adjusted in accordance with the modern trend. It also shows that the preschool teachers, preschool parents and elementary teachers have positive perspective toward the recent issue of obligatory establishment of annex preschools in elementary, middle and high schools which was suggested by the revised preschool education law in 2008, whereas the majority of preschool teachers required the government's financial support first, and the preschool parents have negative opinion about the obligatory establishment of annex preschools in middle and high schools. In capitulation, this study dealt with various issues of public system of early child education in Korea based on the survey outputs from four groups: preschool teachers, elementary teachers, preschool parents, and elementary school parents. Both teachers and parents in the survey demanded an establishment of public system of early child education, local government's autonomous management, government's positive financial support and proper adjustment of the relevant laws with a slight difference among the groups. No matter how urgent and immediate it may be, the public system of early child education in Korea still requires various consideration and profound discussion for the successful establishment and implementation. This study suggests new Korean government to consider this issue more positively and constructively. Many further heuristic inquiries remain for the future researches.