THE ENHANCEMENT OF EMOTIONAL COMPETENCE AMONG EARLY CHILDHOOD THROUGH GROUP ACTIVITY BASED ON CREATIVE APPROACHES

Abstract

The objectives of this research are as follows: (1) to study the emotional competence of preschool children; and (2) to compare their emotional competence before and after participating in group activities based on creative approaches. The study involved 90 preschool children aged 3-5 years, from kindergarten levels 1-3, during the second semester of the 2023 academic year at a preschool development center. To assess emotional competence, data were collected from the entire population, and a sample group was selected for intervention through purposive sampling. Twelve children, who scored at or below the 50th percentile in emotional competence, and were willing to participate in the experiment, and had parental consent, were chosen. The research instruments included the following: (1) an emotional competence assessment form for preschool children with a reliability score of 0.992; and (2) group activities based on creative approaches had a validity score of 0.933. The creative techniques used encompassed storytelling, imaginative viewing and narration, creative group activities, drawing and coloring, sensory play, board games, and role-play ing. Data analysis involved calculating the mean, standard deviation, and performing a dependent t-test. The findings revealed the following: (1) preschool children had high overall and individual emotional competence scores; and (2) those who participated in the creative group activities showed improvement in emotional competence at 0.05.