Proper

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate daycare center teachers’ perceptions about developmental characteristics and educational supports for at-risk young children from multicultural families. A questionnaire was distributed to teachers at daycare centers located in the Asan and Chunan city areas in South Korea. A total of 278 teachers participated, and the obtained data were analyzed by dividing them into two groups by their experiences teaching young multicultural children. The results of this study were as follows. First, both groups of teachers addressed slow progress in language and cognitive development in young multicultural children. Second, the two groups differed in their responses about appropriate timing to begin interventions and effective assessment tools to determine the extent of development. Third, both groups of teachers cited language development and social-emotional development as two areas to focus on, though the two groups also differed in their thoughts about the most needed area for educational supports. Based on the results, discussions and implications are suggested in terms of developing programs and implementing interventions for at-risk young children from multicultural families.