A Study Trend Analysis on Play Beliefs of Early Childhood Teachers

Objectives This study analyzes the trends of domestic research related to play beliefs of infants and toddler teachers to provide basic data for the study of play beliefs, and suggests the direction and implications of subsequent studies. Methods 107 collected papers were systematically analyzed using the method of calculating frequency and percentage according to the research period, research subject, research method, research tool, and research topic. Results First, research related to play beliefs of infants and toddler teachers has been conducted continuously since 1998, and has increased sharply since 2020, when the 2019 revised Nuri course was applied to the field. Second, the most research has been conducted on incumbent teachers, and among them, research on early childhood teachers has been conducted with a higher proportion than infant teachers. Third, most of the research was conducted with quantitative research methods, and in particular, the most research examining the correlation between various variables related to play beliefs was conducted, showing a somewhat biased tendency. Fourth, the type that was adapted and modified from the PPBS of Fogle (2003) was the most used among all studies. Fifth, the most research has been conducted on ‘seeking variables related to play beliefs’. Conclusions Through the results of this study, it is significant in that it identifies the research trend of teachers' play beliefs that support infants' play, examines the limitations, and provides basic data on teachers' practices supporting play-oriented education in early childhood education sites to suggest the direction for future follow-up research related to play beliefs.