The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teaching aptitude of childcare teachers on teacher-infant interaction, and to verify the mediated effect on job satisfaction.
Subjects of the study were 224 childcare teachers aged 0 to 2 at national, public, private and home daycare centers located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do. The teaching aptitude is based on the teaching aptitude measurement used in, Hyegyung, Kim(2011).
The measurement tool, which Among the Early Childhood Job Satisfaction Survey (ECJSS) produced by Bloom (Jorde Bloom,1989), the job satisfaction component translated and modified by Song Yoo-jin (1993), and used it in prior research related to job satisfaction studied by Kim Eui-sung (2013), is used. Teacher-infant interactions are based on measurement tools by Lee Kyung-hee (2018), which are based on measurement tools used by Im Ok-hee (2006) by modifying and supplementing the use of infant-infant care facility measures to examine the teacher-infant interactions between Bradley, Coldwell and Cowin (2003).
To analyze the collected data, T-test and one-way ANOVA were performed to identify differences in teacher-infant interaction, and Scheffe''s post-test was used.
Pearson''s correlation analysis was conducted to find out the relationship between the teacher''s teaching aptitude, job satisfaction, and teacher-child interaction, to verify the mediated effect, a simple and multiple return analysis was performed according to the three-step approach model of Baron and Kenny (1986). And verified the significance of the parameter effect through the Sobel test.
Here are the result of the study on the Effect of Teachers'' Empathy on Teacher-Infant Interaction and the Mediation Effect of Child Care Teachers'' Work Satisfaction.
First, in the case of interpersonal ability and acceptability and sensitivity to infants among the lower factors of teaching aptitude, the difference in teaching aptitude according to the individual characteristics of child care teachers over 10 years was perceived to be higher than that of child care teachers under 3 years. The safety management capacity of infants was higher than that of child care teachers who were less than five years and less than ten years. In addition, in terms of interpersonal skills, postgraduate child care teachers were more rated than child care teachers and education teachers, and Grade 2 kindergarten teachers were rated higher than level 2 to 3 child care teachers. Finally, in case of interpersonal ability, nursery teachers at state-run daycare centers were higher than those at home and private daycare centers. For acceptability and sensitivity to infants, infant education teachers were rated higher than social welfare teachers, and Grade 2 kindergarten teachers were rated higher than Grade 2 to 3 child care teachers. When it comes to the sense of duty, nursery teachers who graduated from graduate school were rated higher than those who graduated from two to three-year universities, four-year universities, graduated from child care teacher training courses, and high school graduates. And nursery teachers at state-run daycare centers were rated higher than those at home and private daycare centers. When it comes to differences in job satisfaction depending on the individual characteristics of child care teachers, it was reported that the relationship between child care teachers at home (or child care teachers at state-run daycare centers) and the director was higher than that of child care teachers at private daycare centers. In the case of remuneration and welfare, child care teachers under 25 years of age were reported higher than child care teachers under 25 years of age and 29 years of age, and nursery teachers at state-run daycare centers were reported higher than nursery teachers at home and private daycare centers.
In the case of diversity of experience, the difference in teacher-child interaction according to the individual characteristics of child care teachers was higher than that of child care teachers who graduated from two to three-year universities, child care teachers who graduated from four-year universities, child care teachers who completed the child care teacher training course, and child care teachers who only graduated from high school, and nursery teachers at state-run daycare centers were higher than those at private daycare centers.
Meanwhile, no significance was shown as a result of post-analysis in the type of facility for the variety of experience and the allowable attitude of teachers.
Second, when it comes to the interrelationship between teaching aptitude, job satisfaction and teacher-infant interaction of child care teachers, interpersonal ability of teaching aptitude, acceptability and sensitivity to infants, creativity and self-development, affinity for infants, safety management for infants, mission calling, positive sentiment showed significant static correlation with Job recognition of job satisfaction, relationship with the director, relationship with colleagues, relationship with parents, remuneration and welfare. The teacher''s professionalism and teacher-infant interaction also showed a significant static correlation. This shows that the teaching aptitude of child care teachers affects job satisfaction, and these results also affect teacher-infant interactions, so this shows that the teaching aptitude of child care teachers affects job satisfaction and that the teaching aptitude of child care teachers has a positive effect on teacher-child interaction, which these results also affect teacher-child interaction.
Third, it has been verified that job satisfaction has a partial mediating effect as the teaching aptitude of child care teachers lies in the path that affects teacher-infant interaction. This means that the higher the teaching aptitude of Kyobo''s education, the higher the job satisfaction, which can increase the teacher-infant interaction.
The results of this study confirmed that the teaching professionality of child care teachers serves as a partial medium of job satisfaction in the process of influencing teacher-infant interaction. This means that in order to enhance the teaching aptitude and teacher-infant interaction of child care teachers, the teacher-work satisfaction, teacher-infant interaction should be well understood and recognized as important to help them perform the role of child care teachers, and also it must provide basic data to help quality and positive teacher-child interactions take place.