A Metaphor Analysis of Early Childhood Education of Pre-service Early Childhood Teachers Taking the Early Childhood Curriculum Course

Objectives The purpose of this study is to find out the perceptions of pre-service early childhood teachers about early childhood education before and after taking the Early Childhood Curriculum course through metaphor analysis. Methods 35 pre-service early childhood teachers taking a class at S University in Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, collected and analyzed data using a metaphor questionnaire for early childhood education before and after taking the course (1 week) and after (15 weeks), resulting in a total of two upper categories and six lower categories. Based on this, we analyze the frequency of metaphor concepts belonging to each category and qualitatively analyze the reasons for the metaphor concept to understand pre-service early childhood teachers' perceptions of early childhood education. Results First, pre-service early childhood teachers' perception of early childhood education before taking the Early Childhood Education Curriculum course was high in the order of supporting the growth and development of infants, forming basic knowledge of infants as a member of society, and a sense of calling as a teacher. After taking the course, pre-service early childhood teachers' perception of early childhood education was high in the order that children's freedom and initiative were expressed, that members surrounding infants had to cooperate, and that continuous strengthening of teacher expertise was important. Second, pre-service early childhood teachers before taking the Early Childhood Education Curriculum course recognized infants as relatively passive beings by placing importance on their sense of calling and leadership as teachers, and recognized them as the subject of education as teachers. However, after taking the course, pre-service early childhood teachers recognized early childhood education as children's leading and autonomous play itself, emphasizing the teacher's professionalism as well as cooperation between parents and local communities. Conclusions Through this study, the recognition of pre-service early childhood teachers' awareness of infants and pre-service early childhood teachers were more specificized in the actual scene, and it was confirmed that it was higher understanding about the actual scene.