Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between
caring thinking and communication skills of childcare center teachers, and the
effect of caring thinking on communication skills.
Methods: The subjects of this study were 152 teachers working at childcare
centers in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The research tool used was a
self-reporting questionnaire in order to examine caring thinking and the
communication skills of those teachers. For the data analysis, one-way ANOVA,
Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were used.
Results: First, there were significant differences in caring thinking and communication
skills according to the age and academic background of the teachers.
Second, there was a significant positive correlation between caring thinking and
the communication skills of the teachers. Third, responsibility, respect, and a
non-directive attitude among the sub-factors of the teachers had a significant
impact on communication skills.
Conclusion/Implications: In this study, it was found that caring thinking of the
teachers was one of the variables that improved communication skills. These
results suggest that there is a need to provide various programs and support for
enhancing caring thinking as one of the ways to develop the communication
skills of childcare center teachers.