Analysis of early childhood teachers’ climate change teaching capabilities using IPA technique

Abstract

This study examined the importance and implementation of climate change teaching competencies for early childhood teachers. An IPA analysis was conducted to examine the priorities of educational content to strengthen early childhood teachers' climate change teaching capabilities. For this study, questionnaires were distributed and collected online to early childhood teachers working in kindergartens in Chungcheongbuk-do and Gyeonggi-do. The final research subjects sampled were 51 people. As a result of this study, looking at the difference between the current level and importance of early childhood teachers' climate change response practice competency and ecological citizenship competency, there was a significant difference. The importance of overall climate change response capabilities and ecological citizenship capabilities was higher than the current level. And looking at the results of the IPA analysis of early childhood teachers' climate change response practice capabilities, the strengthening and maintenance of teaching capabilities was found to be the will to implement climate change and climate change sensitivity. The capacity that requires intensive management was found to be the ability to reflect on climate change. According to the IPA analysis results among early childhood teachers' teaching competencies on ecological citizenship, the competency that required intensive management was participation, and the competency that required gradual improvement was justice. Through the results of this study, climate change teaching capabilities necessary for early childhood teachers were derived and the direction of teacher education for this was discussed.