An Academic Discourse Analysis of Early Childhood Creativity Education: Focusing on the Period Following the Sixth Kindergarten Curriculum

Objective: This study examines discourses on early childhood creativity education, analyzing academic characteristics and social contexts to discuss its current meaning and future direction. Methods: Using topic analysis, key themes were identified in academic papers published in KCI-listed or candidate journals from 2001 to 2022. The discourse was reinterpreted from an educational policy perspective, considering its social context. Results: The discourse can be grouped into five main categories: “focused on specific domains or programs,” “centered on individual cognitive traits,” “centered on five-year-olds,” “instructor-centered,” and “reflecting educational policies.” These categories reveal how early childhood creativity education discourse is produced and sustained. Conclusions: The discourse is overly concentrated on specific ages, subjects, and effectiveness measures, often following a top-down policy approach. This highlights to the need for a broader, more integrative discourse that includes diverse subjects, areas, and approaches.