| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺中教育大學 === 幼兒教育學系碩士班 === 102 === This study focused on how integrated kindergartens and preschools affect public and private preschools, specifically investigating the impact the enactment of the“2012 Integrated Kindergarten and Preschool Policy” and the “2013 Early Childhood Education and Care Act” have had on public and private preschools. This study employed a qualitative research method, where the researcher used focus group interviews as the main research method. Five focus groups were chosen for interviews, including teachers and principals from private preschools, as well as directors, teachers, and caregivers from public preschools. In addition, individual in-depth interviews were also conducted to make up for any potential oversights in data gathered from focus group interviews. The researcher was able to use the data gathered from the interviews to interpret and analyze the different effects integrated kindergartens and preschools have had on public and private preschools, and to provide the results to relevant competent authorities and administrators, private preschool owners, as well as public and private educators and caregivers for reference.
The results of the study were as follows:
1. The addition of contractual employees, such as teachers, caregivers, and food service workers, affected public preschools more so than private preschools.
2. In public preschools, the difference in level of authority and responsibilities between teachers and caregivers were difficult to balance out, as coordination between teaching and administration tasks proved to be challenging.
3. Teachers and caregivers at public preschools had loosely defined roles where the job description basically covered everything, leading to feelings of unequal compensation for equal levels of work and potential proletarian issues.
4. In public preschools, the age difference within each class was overly large, which affected classroom management and teaching activities.
5. The lowered age limit for acceptance of children into preschools helped mitigate the lack of students for preschools in rural areas.
6. The addition of early child hood teachers and caregiver positions at public preschools caused private preschools to experience a loss of teachers.
7. Integrated kindergartens and preschools gave private preschools more flexibility in terms of manpower needs, but could also affect the quality of care giving and education.
8. Private preschools that were large in scale, offered good benefits, or were well established and managed, were not as affected by the integration policy.
In conclusion, the results of this study can be provided and used as reference for relevant authorities and administrators, public and private preschools, as well as for future research.
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