보육 인력 전문성 제고를 위한 보육교사 자격 제도 개선 방안

Abstract

In an effort to improve the quality of child care services, policy-makers and child care workforce have strived to figure out which issues or strategies have the most priorities and feasibility in order to enhance the professionalism of child care teachers. This study aimed to deeply investigate the legislation and status of child care teachers qualification and training requirements, specifically through the concept of professionalism. The exploratory research gathered the opinions of child care professionals-college professors and instructors of child care teacher training centers, through two-step Delphi study questionnaires for the 108 child care professional personnel. It compared their agreements and disagreements concerning the impending issues of teachers’ education, qualifications, and salary/working conditions of teachers, and also identified the legal and societal factors pertaining to the pre- and in-service training requirements and processes, supply and demand of child care teachers, in order to improve the quality of child care services. The results have shown that the highest figure of necessity concerning the teacher education was on the department-based education system (4.61/5.0 point scale), increase of required subjects over 35 credits(4.39), and the evaluations on the CDA training centers(4.39). Also the differentiated enforcement of required work experiences and time requirement according to the educations and qualifications of teachers, especially in becoming center director and promoting with first-class teacher qualification. The betterment of salary and working conditions of child care teachers were consistently high in the figures of necessity ratings. Comparatively the recognition of feasibility for the prolonged field practicum(3.30) and the abolishment of CDA child care teacher training center(3.54), were low compared to the recognition of necessity for those improvement. The most feasible issues were the application of common standardized education curriculum(3.88) for all child care teacher credentials, the increase in the required credits(3.77), and the intensification of field practicum process(3.72). Secondly, the feasibility of introduction of national qualification examination and the on-the-job-training for the entering teachers were low due to the non-converging division of opinions among professional respondents. Specifically the improvement of working conditions and the betterment of salaries were very high in the necessity ratings of professional respondents, but low in the feasibility ratings, presumably due to the redundant failures or neglect of the policy implementation with reasons of lacking in financial budget. Nevertheless the child care experts' opinions for the child care teacher professionalism have converged on the two main themes through two-step Delphi questionnaires: (1) the education and credentials of child care teachers, and (2) the salaries and working conditions. This study implies the policy implementation for the professionalism of child care workforce has shared common strategies and steps with priorities. They are (1) the intensification of teacher education curriculum and the acquisition process of higher teacher qualification such as director and first class credentials, and (2) the improvement of working conditions with 8 hours working a day, and raised salaries applying the extra-hours benefits.