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Ethnographic Research on the Teacher’s Role Conflict
during Lunchtime in the Three-Year-Old Kindergarten Class

Kang, Hyo-Jung


Department of Early Childhood Education
Graduate School of Education
Gangneung-Wonju National University


The purpose of this research is to understand the meaning of the role conflict experienced by the teacher in the three-year-old class during kindergarten lunchtime and to find ways to support the difficulty of the teacher’s lunchtime instruction.
The research question according to this purpose is as follows: What is the teacher''s role conflict in the three-year-old kindergarten class during lunchtime?

This ethnographic research observes the teacher''s role for a teacher and 13 children as the research participants in the Sackdong Kindergarten located in Eumsung-goon, Chungbuk.

The research period is approximately 6 months from September 01, 2017 to February 20, 2018. Data collected during this period include observational and participatory observation transcripts, teacher interview transcripts, field notes, recordings, and related documentation.

The summary of the results of this research is as follows. The teacher’s role conflict in the three-year-old kindergarten class is classified as six categories such as discrepancy between theory and practice of lunchtime instruction, difficulty of mood change and understanding of dietary behavior, concurrent of solving the problem of lunch instruction and peer conflict, inconsistency of the teacher’s unbalanced dietary habits and guidance, simultaneous multiple role performance and identity loss, difficult communication and collaboration with parents, cooks, and the director.

The conclusion based on the above results is as follows. First, the teacher needs to establish educational beliefs and meanings related to various role performance during kindergarten lunchtime. Second, at kindergarten lunchtime, the teacher needs customized interaction methods to meet the individual demands and needs of children. Third, the teacher has difficulty in overly performing simultaneous and multiple roles during kindergarten lunchtime. The implications of this conclusion are as follows: First, it is necessary to provide concrete and practical knowledge in order to facilitate the individual interaction with the child during kindergarten lunchtime. Second, communication and cooperation with parents and the director, and administrative support system such as lunchtime aid are needed in order to resolve and support the role conflict of the lunchtime instruction the teacher experienced.