The Effects of Psychological Well-being on Grit in Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers: The Moderating Effects of Communication Competence

This study investigated the relationship between pre-service early childhood teachers' psychological well-being, communication competence, and grit, as well as examined the moderating role of communication competence in the relationship between psychological well-being and grit. To this end, data were collected from 426 students in early childhood education-related departments across 11 universities in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungnam, ranging from first to third year. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation analysis, and PROCESS Macro Model 1. As a result of the study, first, pre-service early childhood teachers demonstrated relatively high levels of psychological well-being, communication competence, and grit. Second, the psychological well-being of pre-service early childhood teachers was found to have a positive correlation with grit, the psychological well-being and communication competence were also found to have a positive correlation with communication competence and grit. Third, it was found that communication competence had a moderating effect on the psychological well-being of pre-service early childhood teachers on grit. These findings suggest the importance of psychological well-being and communication competence in fostering grit among pre-service early childhood teachers, providing valuable insights for designing training programs aimed at supporting their grit development in the future.