KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aimed to explore and understand the self-coaching experience process of middle-aged women who participated in an online coaching program. Data were collected from nine theoretically sampled participants via in-depth interviews and documents. Following the systematic grounded theory method, the analysis was conducted in three phases: phenomenon understanding, categorical relationship, and theory integration, deriving multiple concepts and 20 categories. In the categorical relationship analysis, relationships among categories were explored through causal, processual, and micro–macro analyses. In the theory integration analysis, the core category “Self-dialogue for Cultivating One's Life” was derived, and a theoretical model was developed by integrating and elaborating the findings. The results are as follows: First, the online environment of the coaching program served as a foundation that enabled middle-aged women to experience self-coaching and engage in immersion within a psychologically safe setting. Second, the dual cyclical structure of ‘questioning–reflection–practice’ and ‘recording–sharing–feedback’ served as an important driving force for deepening the process of ‘observation–recognition–acceptance–regulation’. Third, the routinization of self-coaching was found to be connected to changes in self-efficacy, psychological well-being, and quality of life. Fourth, changes through self-coaching began with restoring the relationship with oneself and gradually extended to family, workplace, and community.

This study explores the early adaptation difficulties of Early Childhood Education (ECE) freshmen using the Modified Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR-M) method to illuminate professional identity-based challenges often overlooked in general freshman research. Analyzing 224 open-ended statements from 178 ECE freshmen over a three-year period (2023–2025), the study identified three upper-level and ten mid-level categories of adaptation difficulties. Results indicate that ECE freshmen experienced professional identity crises regarding teaching aptitude and expertise from the outset. Furthermore, interpersonal relationships, academic performance, and familial vulnerabilities hindered adjustment, while concerns about alternative career paths and insufficient policy understanding caused career-related anxiety. The prevalence of these difficulties shifted annually, reflecting evolving cohort characteristics. These findings provide a structural framework for understanding the initial challenges of ECE freshmen and offer practical implications for designing specialized career guidance and coaching programs tailored to professional-track majors.

This study examines the evolutionary trends of educational technology (EduTech) in special education and proposes future directions for AI-based inclusive and integrated education. A total of 74 academic publications published between 1990 and 2025 were collected from domestic and international databases and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal three developmental stages of EduTech in special education: the assistive technology-centered stage, the digital content expansion stage, and the AI-based individualized learning stage. The first stage emphasized physical accessibility through specialized assistive devices. The second stage expanded learner engagement through digital content and the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The third stage is characterized by hyper-personalized instruction and data-driven support enabled by adaptive and generative AI technologies. Research attention shifted from sensory disabilities to cognitive‧learning and social/behavioral disabilities. Although digital and immersive technologies were most prevalent overall, generative AI research has rapidly increased in recent years. The results suggest that AI-based inclusive education requires a strategic hybrid model integrating assistive and AI technologies according to disability type, offering theoretical and policy implications for future special education development.