The purpose of this study is to provide basic data for enhancing the positive self-concept and child value in parents who have influence upon infants and young children, by examining what about a relationship between the self-concept and the child value in early childhood parents? The following are the research problems that were established for this.
1. What about the self-concept and the child value perception in early childhood parents?
1-1. Is there a difference in the self-concept of early childhood parents according to general backgrounds?
1-2. Is there a difference in the child value of early childhood parents depending on general backgrounds?
2. What about a relationship between the self-concept and the child value in early childhood parents?
This study conducted the questionnaire survey targeting 412 parents at child care centers and kindergartens where are located in Busan Metropolitan City. The self-concept in early childhood parents was applied the test tool that Kim Hyeong-bun(2011) used. Parents' value of children was used the test tool by Sim Do-dam(2017). Data analysis was used SPSS 24.0 program. To figure out the general backgrounds in research subjects, the frequency, percentage, and descriptive statistics were calculated. T-test, F-test, and Scheffé test were carried out. To look into a relationship between the self-concept and the child value in early childhood parents, Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient was implemented.
The main results that were shown in this study are as follows.
First, examining the self-concept and the child value in early childhood parents, the average of the self-concept in early childhood parents stood at 3.65 points to begin with. And it was indicated to be high in order of the family-based self, the moral self, the social self, and the competent self. A significant difference was shown according to parents' academic career, child composition, whether or not having school children, experience of educational institution, and economic level. It can be confirmed that their self-concept is high if parents' educational background and economic level are high.
Subsequently, the child value in early childhood parents reached averagely 2,94 points. And it was seen to be in order of the emotional value, the burden-taking value, and the instrumental·social value. A meaningful difference was reflected depending on parents' gender, academic career, experience of educational institution, and economic level. It can be checked that the higher academic background in parents leads to the higher emotional child value of perceiving children positively and that the lower economic level leads to the higher perception of instrumental·social value.
Second, figuring out the self-concept and the child value relationship in early childhood parents, the parents' self-concept and child value were not manifested a significant correlation on the whole. A positive correlation with emotional value was partially shown in parents' self-concept. A negative correlation was reflected with the instrumental·social value and the burden-taking value. In parents' child value, the instrumental·social value and the burden-taking value were seen a negative correlation with the competent self. It can be verified that if parents' self-concept is high, the emotional value in parents' thinking of children affirmatively is high, the burden-taking value in feeling pressure about children is low, and the instrumental·social value in thinking of children as a tool such as family succession or social recognition gets lower.
Based on the results of this study, what has a healthy self-concept makes parents grow themselves and has a positive impact even on children, thereby being able to be expected to lead to the affirmative child-value perception in parents who bring up children. And it is considered to be the significant outcome helpful even for the positive relationship between parents and children. Therefore, the insight into the parents themselves needs to be set up as the main goal of the parent education so that the parents can form the affirmative self-concept. A program of supporting the early childhood parents is demanded for possibly driving up the value of children in parents.