The present study examines the career patterns and resignations of nursery teachers through both segmentation and classification analysis of interview data from four former directors of public nursery schools. The analysis revealed six career stages of nursery school teachers: (1) training school, (2) newcomer, (3) attaine, (4) transition to manager, (5) manager, and (6) non-regular employee. Results of this study reveal that, overall, the dissatisfaction and resignation of nursery school teachers are related to one's competency, environmental human relationships, and employment status. In order to reverse the trend of frequent resignations, we suggest the following tactics to promote retention and, consequently, the quality of child care: modification of career education for middle education students, primarily during the high school years; appointment of a regional supervisor; and establishment of a recruiting system for non-regular employees to become regular employees.
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