Natassa Kyriakopoulou , Irini Skopeliti

DOI: Vol.30(No.1) 1-29, 2024

During their teaching training, pre-service teachers (PTs) are instructed on the benefits of constructivist teaching methods, which they initially embrace. However, research indicates that they often hold conflicting beliefs about the effectiveness of constructivist learning, leading them to adopt teaching practices aligned with a teacher-centered model. A study, involving 231 PTs, investigated (a) their epistemic beliefs and educational beliefs about learning and teaching, (b) their beliefs about teaching practices and cognitive engagement, and (c) their selections of teaching scenarios representing different modes of cognitive engagement. The results showed that PTs’ epistemic and educational belief systems were not coherent, but naïve and sophisticated beliefs coexisted. It was also found that epistemic beliefs had a direct and indirect impact on educational beliefs and both belief systems predicted PTs’ choices regarding teaching practices. These findings are discussed in light of the framework theory approach of conceptual change, with implications for PTs’ training.

conceptual change, educational beliefs, epistemic beliefs, pre-service teachers’ practices, teacher training

Meridith Lovell-johnston , Sonia Mastrangelo , Kelsey Robson , Tracy Mcphail , Becky Kennedy , Crystal Carbino

DOI: Vol.30(No.1) 31-56, 2024

Ontario's inquiry-based Kindergarten program challenges teacher education programs and school boards to adopt new pedagogies. The Faculty of Education and local school board co-hosted professional development for educator teams and teacher candidates. Workshops introduced inquiry-based pedagogies, follow-up tasks consolidated learning, and reflection guided implementation. A pre-study survey indicated positive disposition towards inquiry, literacy, and planning, but many participants were unable to provide appropriate examples. The post-study survey showed that disposition towards inquirybased pedagogies was maintained or improved, and participant examples aligned with workshop content. The article ends with a discussion of implications for enhancing practice in early years classrooms transitioning to new programs or pedagogical models.

early childhood education, inquiry, literacy, professional development, teacher education

Eun Jin Jung

DOI: Vol.30(No.1) 57-74, 2024

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of adolescents' sleep duration on satisfaction with academic performance, mediated by their ability to control study habits. To achieve this, data from the National Youth Policy Institute's Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS) 4th grade panel survey were utilized, comprising 2,378 participants (52.4% male, 47.6% female). Autoregressive crosslagged modeling (ARCL) was employed to analyze the panel data and establish the mediation effect. The findings of this study are as follows: firstly, students' sleep duration positively influenced their ability to control study habits. Secondly, the ability to control study habits positively impacted satisfaction with academic performance. Lastly, the ability to control study habits was identified as a mediator in the relationship between adolescents' sleep duration and satisfaction with academic performance. These results yield significant implications for Korean adolescents. In particular, given that previous studies have emphasized the crucial role of parents in ensuring their children get enough sleep, this study underscores the need for parents to take appropriate actions from early childhood to ensure adolescents receive adequate sleep.

Adolescents’ Sleep Duration, Ability to Control Study Habits, Satisfaction of Academic Performance, Autoregressive Cross-lagged (ARCL) Model, Korean Children and Youth Panel Survey (KCYPS)

Jinhee Yang , Jiyea Park

DOI: Vol.30(No.1) 75-97, 2024

This study aims to identify the main reasons behind the decision to remain childless and to propose practical solutions for addressing the low birth rate problem. To this end, the study analyzed the psychological changes experienced by DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) family in their 20s to 40s, who are of childbearing age, as they decide not to have children. The participants of this study were eight DINK individuals (two men and six women) in their late 20s to 40s; two reside in the United States, while six are in South Korea. This study adopted a narrative inquiry as its research method. The findings of the study revealed that the participants’ experiences occurred in a sequential, repetitive, and cyclical manner, following metaphorical themes: “Dreaming together: Sweet dreams,” “Together we run: In search of the rainbow,” “Supporting each other and enduring: The wall of reality,” and “Dreaming of a new world: Free spirits.” The participants suggested that the most fundamental solutions to South Korea’s low birth rate problem include enhanced childcare policies, housing support for couples, and innovative reforms to the college entrance examination system. Participants of this study emphasized that these changes can be effectively addressed if the nation actively participates and assumes full responsibility on a macro and extensive level.

Dink family, Low birthrate problem, Childless family decision

Jiye Kim

DOI: Vol.30(No.1) 99-122, 2024

There is no collective childhood (Wells, 2009). South Korea has undergone many changes in economy, politics, and culture wherein each childhood was shaped. Through the ethnographic lens, this study traced childhoods across generations from 1935 until 2013. It examined how each child from four generations interacted with their particular societal contexts and constructed their own cultures in Korea. Employing memory studies, this study collected and analyzed childhood memories across generations from six participants of a single family and three teachers to gain insight into how their childhoods appropriated and recontextualized games by understanding their situations. The findings highlighted children’s agency in constructing their culture by exploring what was available in each generation. These implications contribute to scholarly discourses about the uniqueness of each childhood and their agency in children’s culture, which is rarely the focus of scholarly attention throughout adult history.

childhoods, play culture, agency, memory studies