The author's purpose in this study was to test 4 hypotheses that proposed different paths for the influences of children's television viewing on their academic achievement. Data were drawn from the 1997 Child Development Supplement (CDS) to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The population for this study included 1,203 children between the ages of 6 and 13 years from the CDS-PSID data set. The author used structural equation modeling to test pathways from children's television viewing to their academic achievement. The author assumed that children's television viewing hindered their academic achievement by reducing certain traits that related to academic achievement. Results showed that 3 hypothetical models fit the data-the time-displacement hypothesis, the mental effort-passivity hypothesis, and the attention-arousal hypothesis. A 4th hypothetical model, the learning-information hypothesis, which proposed that children's television viewing practices stimulate their academic achievement, was not supported. In sum, children who watched more television tended to spend less time doing homework, studying, and reading for leisure. In addition, their behaviors became more impulsive, which resulted in an eventual decrease in their academic achievement.

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The aim of this study is to explore models for integrated policies and systems of early childhood education and childcare in Korea. We proposed five prospective models and offered a possible roadmap toward the integration of administrative systems. The roadmap was constructed after obtaining feedback from professionals in the fields and by evaluating the advantages and limitations of each of the prospective models that were developed. After identifying significant disagreements among stakeholders, we recommended a roadmap for integration which could minimize the conflicts among key groups. We presented specific tasks to explore before undertaking the administrative integration. The suggested tasks included integrating the two existing committees of early childhood education and childcare under the supervision of the Prime Minister, accommodating the functions of kindergartens and childcare facilities, integrating teacher training and qualification systems, and equalizing public financial support and regulatory systems between the two sectors.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of shyness of 3 to 5-year-olds and the teacher-child relationship on peer play behaviors. For this purpose, a survey was conducted targeting 33 teachers working with 277 three to five-year-olds at child care centers located in Chungbuk, Korea. SPSS 19.0 was used to implement exploratory analyses and hierarchical regression analysis. It was found that children with low sociability and thoes with close relationships with teachers indicated the least play disruption. Children whose assertiveness and sociability were low and whose relationships with teachers were close were likely to do the most play interaction. However, regardless of the level of the lack of assertiveness and of the lack of sociability, children with close relationships with teachers had a higher level of play interaction. Children with a higher level of lack of sociability and in conflict relationships with teachers had a higher level of play disconnection. Findings of this study highlight the importance of considering the interplay of children's shyness and teacher-child relationships in the development of peer play behaviors.