Childcare Center Director’s Perceptions of the Importance and Performance of Parent Counseling Competencies for Children with Disabilities

Abstract

This study examined the importance and performance of parent counseling competencies for children with disabilities as perceived by childcare center directors using the importance-performance analysis (IPA) method. Participants were childcare center directors located in the K region in South Korea. The results indicated that counseling skills were identified as the highest-priority area for improvement among the components of parent counseling competencies. These findings highlight the need for systematic teacher education and case-based professional training focused on counseling skills to enhance the quality of parent counseling for children with disabilities. Based on these findings, implications for improving parent counseling practices and suggestions for future research are discussed.