In modern society, the installation of CCTVs that feature the function of surveillance and control is increasingly rampant both in the public and private sectors for the purposes of the safety of citizens and of the prevention of terrorism and crimes. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of awareness among early childhood teachers in early childhood education institutions about CCTV installation and the characteristics of their awareness types. The installation of CCTV is mandatory in today''s society, and early childhood education institutions are legally required to be equipped with CCTVs to prevent child abuse. At the same time, early childhood teachers are viewed as ones who are likely to abuse children, and they are alienated or ruled out as ones who should be kept under guard. Therefore it''s specifically meant in this study to listen to their voices and to suggest some of the right directions for CCTV installation in early childhood education institutions.
This study was implemented from November, 2013, to September, 2014, by applying Q-methodology. The subjects in this study were 200 early childhood teachers who were selected by random sampling from early childhood education institutions in the city of Busan. A survey was conducted by using open-ended questionnaire, and the answer sheets from 192 respondents were gathered. The collected data were analyzed to make up a Q-population, and 33 Q-statements were selected from the Q-population. After 50 teachers whose statements were sorted out as P-samples were selected, Q-classification was made, and the data were analyzed by a QUANl program. The findings of the study were as follows:
First, the awareness of the early childhood teachers about CCTV installation was classified into three types. The overall variate of the three types stood at 46 percent. Type 1 had the largest explainability of 25 percent, followed by type 2 with an explainability of 16 percent and type 3 with an explainability of 5 percent. Among these types, the awareness of the early childhood teachers about CCTV installation was best explainable by type 1.
In Q-analysis, two different variables are more independent from each other when their correlation coefficient is closer to zero. Therefore types 1 and 3 could be said to be most independent. In the P-samples, 19 teachers were type 1, and 16 teachers belonged to type 2. Nine belonged to type 9.
Second, concerning the characteristic of each type, type 1 could be defined as those who focused on the invasion of privacy. Type 2 could be said as those who put confidence in the function of CCTV, and type 3 could be regarded as those who supported CCTV as a possible alternative.
The early childhood teachers of type 1 thought that CCTV infringed on privacy and watched individual people without offering objective information or preventing crimes, and that it contributed to increasing distrust between teachers and parents. Thus, they took a dismal view of CCTV.
The early childhood teachers of type 2 viewed CCTV as a tool to prevent the occurrence of problems, to give a club on how to solve an incident and to build trust among parents, teachers and principals. And they thought that there must be no blind spots.
The early childhood teachers of type 3 regarded CCTV not as a machine to watch teachers or invade their privacy but as a tool to show how an incident took place and to prevent crimes. They thought that it should be installed in a blind spot rather than in the classroom.