Quantitative text analysis on how to capture acceptance by pre-school teachers in early childhood education and care sites

Abstract

Acceptance by pre-school teachers has been regarded as one of the foundations of early childhood education and care. However, it is hard to say that its essence has been confirmed and shared. The purpose of this study is to clarify the perception of acceptance by pre-school teachers. As a method, we conducted a questionnaire survey focusing on free writing for kindergartens, nursery schools, and certified centers for early childhood education and care. We performed a quantitative analysis on free descriptions using text mining software. As a result, the following three points became clear. 1) From the extracted words, children are the center of acceptance by pre-school teachers, and the relationship between acceptance, trust, and self-esteem is clearly shown. 2) The characteristics of the perception of acceptance were found in each of the three groups of beginners, middle-ranking teachers, and skilled teachers with a focus on the number of years of pre-school teachers’ experience, suggesting differences due to accumulated experience and differences in positions. 3) On the other hand, a common way of thinking was found between beginners and skilled teachers even though they were generational, and suggestions for common understanding and training were obtained. Based on these results, we discussed future specific research issues related to acceptance by pre-school teachers.