An Analysis of Research Trends in Early Childhood Teachers’Learning Communities Through Keyword Network Analysis

The purpose of this study was to analyze research trends in early childhood teachers’ learning communities using a keyword network analysis method. The data for analysis consisted of 92 articles published in domestic KCI (Korea Citation Index) journals, including candidate journals, between 2003 and 2022, retrieved from the RISS database. Trends by year and research subjects were examined using frequency and percentage calculations, and major keywords and their centrality within the network were examined through keyword network analysis. The results of this study are as follows: First, in the analysis of research trends by year and subject, 56.53% of the studies were published in the most recent three years (2020–2022), with the majority of the research focusing on kindergarten teachers (41 articles). Second, an analysis of the frequency, weighting, and N-grams for major keywords related to research on early childhood teachers’ learning communities yielded similar results, with the most prominent keywords being ‘teacher learning communities,’ ‘educational field expert,’ and ‘play-based curriculum.’ Third, the analysis of degree centrality among the major keywords revealed that terms such as ‘teacher learning communities,’ ‘educational field expert,’ and ‘play-based curriculum’ emerged as nodes with high centrality. These findings suggest that future research on teacher learning communities for early childhood educator should be expanded to encompass a broader range of topics.