An Analysis on School Factors Affecting Participation in Elementary School Care Programs

This study analyzed school factors affecting participation in elementary school care programs by using data from Edu Data Service System (EDSS). A total of 3,574 elementary schools in Korea were analyzed. The analysis method was hierarchical multiple regression to examine the explanatory power of each variable affecting participation in elementary school care programs. The dependent variable was the participation rate of elementary school care programs, and the independent variables were school characteristics, school educational activity programs, and school facilities. In addition, by analyzing the participation rate of elementary school care programs by region, this study examined the participation rate of elementary school care programs according to regional factors. The results showed that the explanatory power of model 1, which includes school characteristics variables, is 34%. The explanatory power of model 2, which includes the school education activity program variable, increased by 12.6%, and the explanatory power of model 3, which includes the school facility variable, increased by 6.2%. In terms of the participation rate of elementary school care programs by region, it was found that the participation rate of elementary school care programs in small cities and towns were higher than in large cities. In conclusion, the following implications can be drawn from the analysis. First, school facilities should be expanded to accommodate elementary school care programs. Second, it is necessary to expand the number of elementary school care programs to be focused on small cities and towns where there is a high demand for elementary school care programs. Third, after-school programs should be diversified. This means that elementary school care programs should be operated not only for lower grades but also for higher grades.