Semantic Network Analysis of Integration of the Early Childhood Education and Care related Articles: Since the Inauguration of the Yoon Suk Yeol Government

This study analyzed news articles using semantic network analysis to identify the actual and direction of the Yoon administration's integration of the early childhood education and care policy. To do this, we collected news articles from national daily newspapers from May 10, 2022 to December 31, 2023, and identified semantic structures through semantic linkage network and agglomeration group analysis. The analysis categorized the articles on integration of the early childhood education and care during Yoon administration's into five subgroups: opinions from the frontline, the purpose of reservation integration, teacher training and qualifications, administrative unification, and financial and legal system unification. Comparing this to the UNESCO report's integration factors, we found that while there was strong news coverage of administrative, financial, and legal systems, and teacher training and qualifications, there was a lack of mention of curriculum and service types and accessibility. Based on these findings, we discussed the implications for the promotion of integration of the early childhood education and care and future directions.