This study investigates early childhood teachers’ and directors’ experience and cultural competence in interacting with both North Korean women and their children. Fourteen educators, who work in seven pre-schools in areas of high density of North Korean residents in South Korea, participated in this research. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were employed to investigate teachers’ and directors’ experiences with North Korean women and their children through open-ended and in-depth questions. This research explores how educators have become aware of North Korean women and their children, how knowledgeable they are about them, what kind of attitudes they have towards them, and how skillful they are in engaging with North Korean women and their children. The results highlighted that the educators show knowledge regarding the North Korean parenting style and its influence on children, family background influences on children, and cultural differences. Most of the participants have respectful attitudes towards North Korean women and their children. They also show teaching skills when they work with these children and communication skills in interacting with their mothers. However, a few educators demonstrated ongoing prejudice against North Korean women and their children. Recommendations are made for the application of cultural competence approaches in teacher training.
카카오톡
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