영아의 기질, 교사의 민감성 및 어머니의 분리불안이 영아의 어린이집 적응에 미치는 영향

The Effects of Infants’ Temperament, Teachers’ Sensitivity, and Mothers’ Separation Anxiety on the Infants’ Child Care Center Adjustment

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dispositional (infant’s temperament) and contextual factors (teacher’s sensitivity & mother’s separation anxiety) of infants on their adjustment in childcare centers. Participants were 304 infants under the age of two who were attending childcare centers in Gyeonggi province. The results were as follows; First, infants’ individual factors such as gender, age, sibling presence affected their adjustment. The adjustment of male infants were affected more by social characteristics and adaptability to the daily life whereas that of female infants were affected more by their aggressiveness. In comparison of two-and one-year-old groups, two-year-old infants had higher ego-strength and better adjustment to the daily life while the one-year-old had more separation anxiety. Infants with siblings adjusted better to a task while the only child experienced more separation anxiety. Second, infants’ accessibility in temperament predicted their positive sense of the adjustment. Third, teacher s sensitivity predicted infants separation anxiety in the adjustment and their aggressiveness. Forth, mothers’ separation anxiety did not predict their adjustment. Finally, teachers sensitivity has shown to be a critical factor deciding adjustment.