영유아기 사교육 경험과 발달에 관한 연구

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide foundational data on the current state of private education during infancy and early childhood, parents' perceptions and demands regarding private education, and the impact of early private education experiences on subsequent development. To achieve this, the following research methods were employed: literature review analyzing prior research, legal and policy materials; in-depth analysis of the Korean Children’s Panel Data using private education experience variables, parental variables, and child characteristic variables; analysis of assessment results of 72 1st-grade elementary school students and survey data from their 72 parents; regional distribution analysis of private education academies, counseling centers and play therapy centers for young children; survey involving 1,500 mothers with children aged 2, 3, and 5; policy forum; and expert advisory meetings. In this study, private education is defined as education conducted privately at institutions other than kindergartens and childcare centers. The Early Childhood Education Act regulates private education through provisions such as regulations on after-school programs and restrictions on the use of the term "kindergarten," and specifies policies to respond to early childhood private education through the Private Education Reduction Measures(Ministry of Education, 2023). These measures propose short-term initiatives, such as the operation of “linking semesters” and the expansion of customized after-school programs for subjects like English, arts, and physical education, as well as long-term plans, including linking early childhood care and education systems, revising the curriculum for children aged 3 to 5, and establishing new surveys on private education expenses. A review of prior studies on the effects of private education during infancy and early childhood found mixed results. While some studies reported positive outcomes on cognitive and language development (Woo, N., Baek, H., & Kim, H., 2005; Ren et al., 2020), others noted negative effects on socio-emotional development (Kwon, J., 2007; Baek, H. et al., 2005; Kim, S., 2013). Additionally, research showed that the effects on development vary depending on the type and number of concurrent private education (Shi et al., 2022), with some studies finding no significant effects at all (Lee, K., Kim, S., & Kim, M., 2011; Lee, K. et al., 2013; Yoon, S. & Kim, J., 2016). According to the survey results of this study, 65.33% of the respondents used private education services. Among these, 37.65% engaged in arts, physical education/ non-academic private education, 32.24% participated in academic private education, and 30.10% received both. The average weekly frequency of private education was 4.59 times, with sessions occurring almost daily on weekdays and lasting about 42 minutes each. Families with older children, parents with higher educational attainment, and families with higher household incomes were more likely to use additional private education. Urban children, particularly those in metropolitan areas, participated more in private education than those in small and mid-sized cities. For academic private education, children attended an average of 1.85 academies, while for arts and physical education/ non-academic private education, they attended an average of 1.36 academies. High-income families (monthly income above 7 million KRW) were significantly more likely to enroll their children in both academic and arts and physical education/non-academic private education. Girls participated in more arts and physical education/non-academic private education programs than boys. The starting age for private education was earlier in households where the mother had a postgraduate degree and in those attending full-day ECEC services. The first type of private education children encountered was most commonly physical education, with boys starting with sports, mathematics, and Korean, and girls starting with dance, art, and music. Monthly spending on private education averaged 198,000 KRW, with academic education costing 163,000 KRW and arts and physical education/non-academic programs costing 142,000 KRW. Higher household income groups had significantly higher monthly expenditures on private education. The average monthly tuition for half-day or longer programs is 1,829,000 KRW, with a standard deviation of 921.25, showing a significant variation between individual households. Compared to 2016, participation rates, types, and costs of private education after kindergarten or childcare have steadily increased. Physical education remain the most popular type, while participation in mathematics and science programs continue to grow. The starting age for private education has gradually decreased, and the costs of programs and full-day academies have risen over time. In terms of perceptions regarding private education, parents’ main purpose for sending their child to private academies was primarily to support the child’s development and learning. The biggest reason parents choose private education academies over kindergartens or childcare centers is the lower teacher-child ratio and the high-quality programs offered. Most parents expressed satisfaction with private education. Among the survey respondents in this study, 79% indicated their intention to either start or continue private education, with a stronger inclination to do so as the child's age increased and household income grew. Regarding private education policies, the demand for enhancing extracurricular activities in public education decreased compared to 2016, while the preference for accomodating the demand for private education through infrastructure development significantly increased. Regardless of income, parents overwhelmingly preferred absorbing private education demands through infrastructure development. Among income groups, those earning less than 3 million KRW preferred reducing private education, while those with incomes above 7 million KRW preferred maintaining or boosting private education. The percentage of respondents who believed that specialized programs or extracurricular activities could replace private education decreased compared to the past, and overall, trust in such programs declined. Families with lower incomes were more likely to believe that specialized programs could replace private education. Over time, there was a growing perception that specialized programs or extracurricular activities were of lower quality compared to private education. When accomodating private education demands through public education, parents considered the quality of the program to be the most important factor. Parents of children attending kindergartens or half-day services valued program quality the most, while parents of children attending childcare centers equally prioritized both program quality and teaching methods suited to the child’s characteristics. Parents who provided home care for their children placed the most importance on developmentally appropriate teaching methods suited to the child’s characteristics. Across all backgrounds, the most preferred program for accomodating private education demands in public education was physical education and sports programs. The impact of private education during early childhood was examined in various ways. First, according to the survey results of this study, children who received both academic and extracurricular private education had significantly lower scores on behavior problems and hyperactivity/inattention compared to other groups. However, in detail, there were almost no differences in early childhood behavioral characteristics depending on the presence of private education or the number of private education sessions. The younger the child, the higher the frequency of parent-child interactions. Additionally, parents of young children who received private education or more academic private education had relatively lower frequencies of both parents jointly engaging in household chores and participating in sports or physical activities. To examine the short-term effects of private education experiences during early childhood, a study was conducted with first-grade elementary school children and their parents, exploring the relationship between private education experiences and language ability, problem-solving skills, executive function, emotional and behavioral characteristics. The results are as follows: When analyzing the differences in private education experiences, language ability, problem-solving skills, executive function, and emotional and behavioral characteristics based on the children's gender, no significant gender differences were found. An analysis of the relationship between current and past private education experiences and the child’s language development, problem-solving skills, executive function, and emotional and behavioral development showed no significant positive or negative correlations. These results suggest that private education experiences did not have a positive effect on language ability, problem-solving skills, or executive function development. Meanwhile, the amount of time spent on current private education and the costs associated with it were not correlated with traits such as conscientiousness, self-esteem, openness, understanding of others, social initiative, community awareness, school violence victimization, lack of concentration, anxiety, learning, or hypersensitivity. However, children who had participated in physical education private programs in the past showed higher levels of conscientiousness and understanding of others. This indicates that experiences in physical education and dance programs may positively affect conscientiousness and the ability to understand others. Additionally, children with more experience in private arts education programs were less likely to have concentration difficulties, suggesting that arts programs may positively impact concentration. However, children who had more experience with academic private education programs showed a negative impact on their self-esteem, indicating that private education experiences may have a detrimental effect on emotional development. When analyzing the impact of children’s private education experiences on language ability, problem-solving skills, executive function, and emotional and behavioral characteristics, the amount of time spent on current private education, private education costs, and the number of current and past private education programs the child is participating in did not significantly explain any of these factors. To examine the medium- and long-term effects of private education experiences during early childhood, the study utilized data from the Korea Child Panel to analyze the trends in private education experiences, the impact of parental variables on private education, and the influence of private education on subsequent academic and socio-emotional development. Hierarchical regression analysis and latent growth models were applied to verify the independent effects of private education, controlling for various child and parent variables such as the child’s intelligence, parental income level, and birth order. The results showed that private education experiences had some positive effects on early academic performance and school adaptation, but the differences were minimal. Furthermore, no significant effects of private education were found in socio-emotional aspects such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, and overall happiness. This suggests that private education alone is unlikely to guarantee long-term academic achievement or emotional well-being for children. In particular, even after controlling for various factors such as the child’s IQ, household income, and parental education level, the independent effect of private education was found to be small. This suggests that other factors, beyond private education, may play a more important role in child development. The distribution of foreign language academies, counseling and play therapy centers for young children was examined by region, and the correlation between the distribution of the two types of institutions was analyzed. The results showed that early childhood private education institutions are concentrated in metropolitan cities and the Seoul metropolitan area, accounting for over 66% of the total, and generally follow a distribution proportional to the population. On a district-by-district basis, an average of 34 institutions are distributed per district, with Gangnam District in Seoul having the highest number at 277, the largest concentration of private education institutions in the country. Other areas with high concentrations include autonomous districts in metropolitan cities and administrative districts in large regional cities. Among the foreign language academies for young children, over 85% of the 956 institutions nationwide are concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area and major cities, showing a higher spatial concentration compared to private education institutions. On average, 3.8 institutions are distributed per district, with Gangnam District having 36 institutions, the highest in the country, and the top 10 districts accounting for more than 6.5 times the national average. In contrast, 121 districts nationwide which account for 48% of all districts, have no foreign language academies for young children, suggesting that the concentration of foreign language academies is much higher in major cities and the metropolitan area compared to the regional concentration of early childhood private education institutions. Counseling and play therapy centers for young children are mostly concentrated in autonomous districts of metropolitan cities, nearby urban areas, and Jeju Island. On average, 20.4 centers are distributed per district, with the top 10 districts having an average of 80 centers, showing about a 4-fold concentration compared to the national average. To investigate whether regions with many early childhood private education institutions also have a significantly higher number of counseling and play therapy centers, a correlation analysis was conducted. The analysis revealed a slight but statistically significant positive correlation. Additionally, by constructing the LISA index and LISA map, the local patterns of spatial autocorrelation were examined. The results showed that about 11.2% of districts exhibited positive spatial autocorrelation, indicating that the density distributions of foreign language academies and counseling and play therapy centers match in certain districts. However, LISA analysis does not model causality beyond correlation. Therefore, while the correlation results show that the density of both values is high in some districts, this does not imply that one distribution is the cause or result of the other. Based on the findings of this study, the current state of private education for young children can be summarized as follows: First, despite various government policies on private education, the participation rate and costs of private education for young children have continued to increase. Second, due to the characteristics of young children, the participation rate in extracurricular activities related to arts and physical education is relatively high, but many also participate in learning-related private education or extracurricular activities. Third, the participation in private education, its types, frequency, and costs vary depending on background factors. Fourth, the purpose of private education for young children varies: for infants, the focus is on their interests, while for preschoolers, it is on their aptitudes or talents. Fifth, there is a gap between parents' perceptions and actual behaviors. While parents often cite their children's interests or aptitudes as the main reason for enrolling them in private education, the actual participation rate in part-time private academies is increasing. Additionally, the participation rate in learning-focused private education, such as reading and writing Korean and English, is as high as that for arts and physical education, indicating a strong interest in learning. Meanwhile, the effects of private education for young children can be summarized as follows: First, studies on the effects of private education during early childhood have not provided consistent results. Second, positive outcomes of early childhood private education include improved learning strategies, increased confidence in interpersonal relationships, and positive impacts on cognitive and language development. In the survey of this study, young children who received both learning and extracurricular private education had fewer behavioral problems. In the in-depth analysis of the child panel data, the long-term effects of early childhood private education were limited, but there were positive effects on initial academic performance and school adaptation. Third, negative outcomes of early childhood private education include stress, inattention, lack of persistence, selfish tendencies, excessive consciousness about others, and lack of autonomy. Fourth, the positive or negative effects of early childhood private education were related to the type of private education. While private education in arts and physical education was reported to be helpful in social skills development, private education focused on cognitive training showed negative effects such as stress and memory impairment. In the child assessment results of this study, children who had more experience with arts private education were less likely to experience issues with attention deficits, while those who had more experience with learning private education had negative impacts on their self-esteem. Fifth, the negative effects of early childhood private education were related to the number, frequency, and duration of private education. When children participated in multiple private education programs at the same time or the number and frequency of private education increased, their stress levels rose, and behavioral problems such as aggression, withdrawal, depression, and anxiety increased, while their happiness decreased. On the other hand, longer durations of private education were found to have negative effects on social-emotional development. Sixth, there were studies showing that early childhood private education had no significant effect on school adaptation, interest in school lessons, understanding of lesson content, or learning attitudes. In the child assessment results of this study, private education experiences did not show significant positive or negative relationships with children's language development, problem-solving abilities, or executive function. Based on the above conclusions, the implications for the establishment of private education policies for young children were summarized into four points: developing and expanding the distribution of young children-focused programs, expanding public support to reduce the gap in private education opportunities, designing policies based on parental demand, and strengthening education and information provision for parents.