The purpose of this study was to examine the a mediating effect of self-directed learning
and awareness of professionalism on the relationship between the professional learning
environment and teacher-child interaction. A self-reported survey was conducted on 268
kindergarten teachers in Gyeonggi Province, and Structural Equation Modeling was used to
analyze. The results were as follow: First, professional learning environment influenced
teacher-child interaction indirectly through the self-directed learning of kindergarten teachers’.
Thus self-directed learning showed a mediating effect that professional learning environment
influence teacher-child interaction. Second, professional learning environment influenced
teacher-child interaction indirectly through awareness of professionalism of kindergarten
teachers’. Thus teachers' awareness of professionalism had a mediating effect that
professional learning environment influence teacher-child interaction. Based on these results,
strategies to improve teacher-child interaction and kindergarten environment to support
teachers’ professionalism were discussed.