Southeast Asia Early Childhood Journal

Early childhood pre-service teachers’ adversity quotient and academic performance

2024-12-05T08:33:49+00:00

There is a growing number of studies which delved into the relationship of Adversity Quotient (AQ) and academic performance of students. To add to the growing body of literature on this field, this study aims to determine Early Childhood Education pre-service teachers’ AQ and its relation to their academic performance. One hundred twenty-five (125) second- and third-year BECEd students participated in the study. Descriptive correlational-survey design was implemented. The revised Adversity Response Profile (ARP) was utilized to gather data. Mean and Standard Deviation were used to determine the AQ and academic performance of students, Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine the relationship between AQ and students’ academic performance, and content analysis were used to analyze students’ answer to the open-ended question. The findings show that BECEd pre-service teachers obtained an average score of 135 (SD = 14.4) which is interpreted as Moderate AQ. In terms of their academic performance, students obtained a grade point average of 1.5 (SD = 0.190) which is interpreted as Very Good. In addition, the result of the study reveals that there is no significant relationship between participants’ AQ and academic performance, r (123) = -0.02, p = 0.831. Further, there is no significant relationship in any of the four dimensions (control, ownership, reach, endurance) of AQ and their academic performance. Since the study reveals that the pre-service teachers have moderate AQ in which the majority of individuals fall on this range, it is recommended that a student-development program be created and implemented to strengthen BECEd students’ AQ.

Learning through the screen: Malaysian parents’ perspectives on youtube and their children’s english acquisition

2024-11-21T05:34:42+00:00

YouTube is a widely used digital platform that plays a significant role in children’s daily exposure to digital content. Despite its popularity, there is limited research on YouTube’s specific influence on young children’s English language acquisition in non-Western contexts like Malaysia, where English is not the first language. Existing studies often focus on general screen time, leaving a gap in understanding YouTube’s specific role in shaping early language learning. This study addresses this gap by exploring Malaysian parents’ perceptions of YouTube’s impact on their children’s English language development. Using qualitative methods, interviews were conducted with ten parents of children aged five to six who use YouTube. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: the duration of YouTube access, children’s improvement in English skills, the types of content consumed, YouTube’s effectiveness as a learning platform, and the role of parental supervision. Parents noted that English cartoons, nursery rhymes, and storytelling videos enhanced their children’s speaking abilities, vocabulary acquisition, listening comprehension, and spelling skills. While parents valued YouTube’s accessibility and variety, they raised concerns about inappropriate content and stressed the importance of parental supervision. Monitoring emerged as a crucial parental strategy, with parents actively selecting suitable content and setting clear boundaries to support their children’s education and uphold cultural values.

Exploration of preschool teachers' views towards vak's learning style in pre-number skills

2024-11-06T07:52:23+00:00

This study explores preschool teachers' perspectives on their knowledge, awareness, and interest in Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic (VAK) learning styles within the context of teaching pre-number skills. This study uses a qualitative approach, by involving a total of 6 preschool teachers from Melaka to be interviewed to obtain an in-depth perspective on the understanding and implementation of the VAK learning style in teaching pre-number skills. Regarding knowledge, the findings indicate that three teachers are knowledgeable about VAK learning styles, two teachers understood and recognized the importance of VAK only after the researcher’s explanation, and one teacher had merely heard of VAK without implementing it in teaching. In terms of awareness, all teachers acknowledged the importance of the VAK approach after receiving an explanation and expressed that this approach could help students better understand pre-number skills. Concerning interest, all teachers indicated that the VAK approach could engage students and assist teachers in achieving their teaching objectives. This study's primary contribution is discovering that explanations and guidance on VAK learning styles can enhance teachers' awareness and understanding and their interest in applying it in teaching pre-number skills. The study's implications suggest that continuous training and guidance on VAK learning styles should be provided to preschool teachers to enrich the teaching and learning of pre-number skills. Future research is recommended to investigate the long-term effects of using VAK learning styles on the cognitive development of preschool students. With increased knowledge and awareness, it is hoped that preschool teachers can leverage VAK learning styles to enrich children's learning experiences and pre-number skills.