Influence of Teachers’ Ethical Awareness and Teaching Flow on Teacher-Preschooler Interaction

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of preschool teachers' ethical awareness and teaching flow on the teacher-preschooler interaction based on the participation of 345 preschool teachers in Chungcheongnam-do and Gyeonggi-do. The collected data were analyzed by correlation analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The results of the study were as follows: First, both teachers' ethical awareness and teaching flow were strongly correlated with the teacher-preschooler interaction, and the correlation between sub-variables was also significant. Second, analysis of the relative strength of teachers' ethical awareness and teaching flow in the explanation of the teacher-preschooler interaction revealed that intrinsic motivation as a sub-variable among teaching flow was the most prominent predictor of the teacher-preschooler interaction, followed by ethics for preschoolers among teachers' ethical awareness as well as specific plans among teaching flow. The findings of this study suggest future directions for teacher education based on newly identified factors affecting teacher-preschooler interactions, desirable teacher-preschooler interactions, and implications for improving childcare