The experiences and meanings of early childhood teachers participating in intercultural competence enhancement practices

Objectives The purposes of this study were to explore the experiences and meanings of early childhood teachers who practiced activities to enhance intercultural competence. Methods The research participants were eight early childhood teachers enrolled in the advanced program of the Department of Early Childhood Education at A University in Busan, who were taking the “Multicultural Education” course. The collected data consisted of reports documenting the intercultural competence enhancement activities conducted over eight weeks, along with questionnaires completed before and after the activities, followed by content analysis. Results The experiences of early childhood teachers in enhancing intercultural competence were categorized into: ‘Fostering relationships and promoting growth by respecting individual differences in children,’ ‘Resolving conflicts centered on children and mediating based on empathy,’ ‘Communicating by considering the diversity and needs of children and parents,’ and ‘Self-reflection and understanding others as a teacher’ The meanings of the teachers’ practices for enhancing intercultural competence were identified as: ‘Changes in the understanding of intercultural competence,’ ‘Improved understanding and educational approaches toward children from multicultural families,’ and ‘Strengthening intercultural competence through continuous practice’ Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that early childhood teachers' intercultural competence is essential for supporting children and parents from diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it suggests that intercultural competence should be considered in the formulation of early childhood education policies, and the development of related educational programs for early childhood teachers is required.