The Effect of the Teaching Ethics of the Pre-service Child Care Teachers on their Happiness

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine the effect of the teaching ethics that pre-service early childhood teachers recognize and its effect on their happiness. The happiness of pre-service child care teachers can be the important factor for enhancing the willingness to work. The institutionalization of ethics had an effect on the employee happiness. The teacher's ethics can influence the happiness of children by having a positive relationship with the others, including relationships with children. This study investigated the difference between the teaching ethics and the happiness according to the social background of pre-service child care teachers and the effect that the teaching ethics and the social background have on the happiness. 91 pre-service child care teachers participated in the study. The findings were as follows. First, there was the significant difference in the total and every sub-variable score of pre-service child care teachers’ happiness according to their residence. Pre-service teachers from outside of Seoul showed higher scores than those in Seoul. Second, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that the pre-service teachers' teaching ethics and the residence were significant variables affecting the happiness. This study suggests that it is necessary to strengthen the teaching ethics in the curriculum of the pre-service teachers in order to promote the happiness of the pre-service teachers.