How do childcare staffs think about open teacher qualification system in Korea?

Childcare teacher qualification is acquired after seventeen subjects (51 credits) are taken in South of Korea. Then childcare teacher qualification can be easily gained through earning credits by on-line class in some... [ view full abstract ]

Childcare teacher qualification is acquired after seventeen subjects (51 credits) are taken in South of Korea. Then childcare teacher qualification can be easily gained through earning credits by on-line class in some private educational institutes and university, and even one-year education center. These 'open teacher qualification system' of Korea have been pointed out that childcare teacher quality gradually became to decline.

The purpose of this study was to examine how the childcare teachers and directors evaluated this teacher qualification system through various channels. For this study, 408 teachers who gain teacher qualification outside regular college, and 159 directors who hired them were surveyed.  

Results were as following: Firstly, teachers obtaining qualification through various channels mainly worked for private childcare center(54.4%) and home-based childcare center(31.4%). And 75 percentages of teachers took care of infant (0 to 2-year-old). Secondly, these type of teachers were satisfied with teacher training curriculum what they took, against directors’ (who hired them) dissatisfaction about their competency as child care teacher.

 However, both teachers and directors suggested that contemporary childcare teacher qualification system have to be strengthened. They agreed that six weeks or more practicum, necessity of off-line class, and introduction of national examination for child care teachers’ professionalism were needed.