Analysis of the Conceptual Diagrams of Preservice Early Childhood Teachers on Early Childhood Mathematics Education

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the conceptual diagrams of college students majoring in early childhood education on mathematics education. Methods/Statistical Analysis: The subjects in this study were 53 selected juniors who were in the department of early childhood education at a four-year university located in the city of Busan. Findings: The conceptual diagrams made by the college students consisted of super ordinate concepts and subordinate concepts. The findings of the study were as follows: First, there were 410 super ordinate concepts described by the college students about the contents of mathematics education, and they were categorized into 18 super ordinate concepts. Second, the number of the subordinate concepts that belonged to “curriculum” was higher in the conceptual diagrams of the college students on the contents of mathematics education, and the hierarchy score and saliency score of “curriculum” were higher as well. Improvements/Applications: The findings of the study suggest that the kind of education which can instill confidence in college students about early childhood math education and motivate them in everyday life is required to make math education more accessible and interesting to preschoolers.