국가수준의 유치원 평가 체계화 연구

Abstract

The premise of this study is the need to systematize elements of kindergarten education in Korea. A systematic and comprehensive reviewing method should be employed in the operations of kindergartens, by building a nationwide evaluation system would have the following goals: 1) increase their responsibility in terms of their place in the regular school education; 2) speed up the process of including education for young children in the realm of public education; 3) and improve the quality of education in general. Administrative and financial support to kindergartens should be determined, based on evaluation results so that any investments can be done with the utmost efficiency. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology established a framework for the nationwide evaluation of kindergartens in 2007 for the first time in Korea, and carried out pilot operations, targeting 100 public and private kindergartens across the nation. Between 2008 and 2010, 8,300 kindergartens across the nation were subjected to the evaluation of the first round of the pilot operations.

The first round of the evaluation discovered that there is much to be improved regarding the kindergarten evaluation index, selection and operation of evaluators, operational structure, and usage of evaluation results. KICCE has provided support to the government’s kindergarten evaluation project from the beginning of these pilot operations. The present authors recognize the necessity of developing measures to improve the evaluation index for the second round of operation, which will be launched in 2011 and systemize the kindergarten evaluation system further in the future. This study has a goal for developing a structured evaluation index for the second round by collecting and analyzing materials on the process and evaluation results of the 16 city/ provincial offices of education, and conducting surveys the experts and participants of the evaluation process. In order to systemize and improve the nationwide evaluation process, this study identifies a number of relevant measures including establishing the development direction and operational system, based on feedback and any lessons learned from issues arising from the first round.

The study puts forward the following suggestions. 1) Among the four evaluation areas (procedure, environment, and health and safety management) and 28 evaluation indexes, it is recommended that the four areas are maintained as the number of the indexes should be reduced to 14 by integrating overlapped indexes. 2) Each index, basically, should be graded on a scale of one to five; however, important indexes should be given additional weight and be graded on a scale of one to ten. 3) The evaluation procedure should consist of a self evaluation, a written evaluation, and an on-site evaluation, being done at the first round of evaluation. 4) Evaluators should be professors of childhood education, practicing teachers, or those with appropriate qualifications. A pool of evaluators should be secured, and three evaluators should be grouped as a team to evaluate each kindergarten. 5) Feedback should be provided to kindergartens after the evaluation, and the evaluation results should be disclosed in stages.

For the successful implementation of a nationwide kindergarten evaluation system, the study recommends the following policy measures. First, the evaluation results of the 16 city/provincial education offices should be collected and analyzed to identify problems and improvement measures, and the findings should be reflected in the action plans for the evaluation system. Second, a concrete handbook and manual for the second round of evaluation should be developed and distributed. Third, centralized training sessions should be provided to the professionals of the 16 city/provincial offices of education, commissioners of the evaluation committee, and leaders of the evaluation teams. Fourth, a guideline for the evaluation process should be developed and distributed, so that it can be presented during the orientation sessions and workshops for kindergartens participating in the evaluation process. Fifth, the validity of the evaluation index should be verified, based on the evaluation data of the public and private kindergartens across the nation. Sixth, a standardized form should be developed to lessen the burden imposed upon kindergartens during the evaluation process. Seventh, consultations linked with the evaluation process should be promoted in order to provide professional support and enhance kindergartens’ educational capabilities in general.