유아교사 공감능력과 유아 친사회적행동 관계에서 교사-유아 상호작용의 매개효과

Abstract

This study aims to find out the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability, teacher-child interaction, and preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and to investigate the mediating effect of teacher-child interaction in the effect of teacher’s empathetic capacity on preschooler’s pro-social behavior and the effect of teacher’s empathetic ability on preschooler’s pro-social behavior.

1) What are the general trends in teacher’s empathetic ability, preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and teacher-child interaction? 2) What is the correlation between teacher’s empathetic ability, preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and teacher-child interaction? 3) What is the mediating effect of teacher-child interaction when teacher’s empathetic ability affects preschooler’s pro-social behavior?

In order to solve this research problem, a survey was conducted on early childhood teachers and young children’s who are in charge of the class of 3~5-year-old young children’s enrolled in kindergartens and daycare centers in Gwangju Metropolitan City. The questionnaire was completed by the homeroom teacher, and only 211 copies of the collected questionnaire suitable for research were used as research data. The collected questionnaire data was processed in the following manner using the SPSS26.0 program. First, frequency analysis was performed to identify the demographic characteristics of the study subjects young children’s and teachers. Second, reliability was measured using Cronbach's α, a reliability coefficient, to verify the internal agreement between the questions of the measurement tool. Third, we identified the Pearson aptitude rate correlation analysis to examine the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability, preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and teacher-child interaction. Fourth, a three-step mediated regression was used to verify the mediating effect of teacher-child interaction on teacher’s empathetic ability and teacher-child interaction on creativity and the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and a Sobel test was performed to verify statistical significance. The significance level of all analyses was verified on a p<.05 basis.

The results of the studies analyzed through data collection are as follows. First, when we examined the tendencies of teacher’s empathetic ability, teacher-child interaction, and preschooler’s pro-social behavior, we first found that both subfactors of teacher’s empathetic ability were at high levels overall. Next, in teacher-child interactions, the overall average was relatively high, followed by emotional interaction, verbal interaction, and behavioral interaction. Finally, preschooler’s pro-social behavior was highest helping, followed by cooperation, sympathy, kindness, sharing, protection.

Second, the correlation between teacher’s empathetic ability and teacher-child interaction and preschooler’s pro-social behavior was analyzed, and it was found that the total score of teacher’s empathetic ability, the total score of teacher-child interaction, and the total score of preschooler’s pro-social behavior were generally statically correlated. First, there was a significant correlation between teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior. In other words, it was found that the higher the teacher’s empathetic ability, the higher the preschooler’s pro-social behavior. Next, a correlation analysis between teacher’s empathetic ability and teacher-child interaction showed a significant correlation. In other words, it can be seen that the better the teacher’s empathetic ability, the higher the teacher-child interaction. Finally, a significant correlation was found in the correlation analysis between teacher-child interaction and preschooler’s pro-social behavior. In other words, it can be seen that the higher the teacher-child interaction, the higher the preschooler’s pro-social behavior.

Third, the mediating effect of teacher-child interaction on the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior showed that teacher-child interaction had a significant effect as a partial parameter. This indicates that teacher’s empathetic ability also directly affects preschooler’s pro-social behavior, but teacher-child interaction plays a significant mediating role by indirectly influencing the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior.

Summing up the results of the above studies, we found that teacher-child interaction is an important variable in influencing teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior by revealing the mediating effect of teacher-child interaction in the relationship between teacher’s empathetic ability and preschooler’s pro-social behavior. In addition, through this study, basic data for creativity were presented by simultaneously identifying differences between personal characteristics and environmental factors affecting the preschooler’s pro-social behavior, and it is of great significance that research on teacher-child interaction, which was insufficient research among environmental factors, and preschooler’s pro-social behavior, which received relatively little attention in personal factors, were carried out together. Finally, through the results of this study, it is hoped that teacher’s empathetic ability and teacher-child interaction, which have been recently emphasized for preschooler’s pro-social behavior, will become important mediators and have a positive effect on the holistic development of young children.|본 연구는 유아교사 공감능력과 유아 친사회적 행동 관계에서 교사-유아 상호작용의 매개효과를 실증적으로 분석하는 데 목적이 있다. 본 연구의 목적을 달성하기 위해 G시에 소재한 유치원과 어린이집에 재원 중인 만 3~5세의 유아의 학급 담임을 맡고 있는 교사와 유아를 대상으로 설문조사를 실시하였고, 수집된 설문지 중 연구에 적합한 211부만을 연구자료로 활용하였다. 수집된 설문자료는 SPSS 26.0프로그램을 이용하여 다음과 같은 연구 결과를 도출하였다. 첫째, 유아교사 공감능력과 교사-유아 상호작용 및 유아 친사회적 행동의 상관관계를 분석한 결과, 유아교사 공감능력 총점과 교사-유아 상호작용 총점 및 유아 친사회적 행동 총점은 전체적으로 정적 상관관계가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 둘째, 유아교사 공감능력과 유아 친사회적 행동 관계에서 교사-유아 상호작용의 매개효과를 살펴본 결과, 교사-유아 상호작용이 완 매개 변수로서 유의한 효과가 있는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 유아 친사회적 행동을 위해 최근 주목받고 있는 교사-유아 상호작용이 중요한 매개체가 되어 유아교사의 공감능력을 높이고 교사-유아 상호작용을 더욱 증진시켜 유아의 전인적인 발달을 위한 기초자료를 제시하였다는 데 그 의의가 있다.