Factors Influencing Early Childhood Teachers' Problem Behavior Guidance Strategies: A Structural Relationship Analysis of Emotional Intelligence, Job Stress, and instructional creativity

Objectives This study aims to provide foundational data for enhancing early childhood teachers' problem behavior management strategies by analyzing the mediating effects of teacher job stress and teaching creativity on the relationship between teachers' emotional intelligence and behavior management strategies. Methods A survey was conducted using Google Forms with 678 early childhood teachers from various regions nationwide, including Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Busan, and Gyeonggi. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and structural modeling with phantom variables was conducted using AMOS program to analyze the mediating effects. Results The research findings led to the following conclusions. Firtst There were positive correlations between early childhood teachers' emotional intelligence, instructional creativity, and problem behavior guidance strategy variables, and these three variables were negatively correlated with job stress. second, Emotional intelligence of early childhood teachers was found to influence behavior management strategies through the mediation of teacher job stress. Emotional intelligence also influenced behavior management strategies through the mediation of teaching creativity. Finally, In the relationship between emotional intelligence and behavior management strategies of early childhood teachers, it was identified that teacher job stress and teaching creativity had a dual mediating effect. Conclusions To enable early childhood teachers to effectively implement problem behavior management strategies, it is important to enhance emotional intelligence to reduce teacher job stress and increase teaching creativity. Therefore, in the field of early childhood education, further in-depth research and the development of effective educational programs based on validated research outcomes are necessary to better understand the relationship between emotional intelligence of teachers and behavior management strategies.