A Qualitative Meta-Analysis of Teachers' Perceptions of Early Childhood Problem Behavior and Guidance Difficulties

This study examined the difficulties in the perception and guidance of problematic behavior experienced by teachers in the field of early childhood teaching, through a qualitative meta-analysis. Apropos this, 10 qualitative studies related to children’s problem behaviors were analyzed. The following results were obtained. First, early childhood teachers faced problem behaviors expressed in various aspects of their daily lives. Second, in guiding problem behaviors, teachers experienced both positive and negative aspects. Third, early childhood teachers experienced dilemmas in the relationship between parents and fellow teachers in the process of guiding problem behaviors. Fourth, efforts to improve the professionalism of early childhood teachers and the necessity of linking experts to teachers are recognized as future tasks to support early childhood problem behavior. Based on these results, implications for guiding problem behavior in the field of early childhood education are discussed.