CHALENGING BEHAVIOR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: TEACHER’S KNOWLEDGE AND IT’S IMPLEMENTATION

Background. Early childhood is a crucial phase of child development. It’s the foundation for physical, cognitive, social emotional competencies at the elementary school age. Despite the typical early childhood behaviour that express their development, there are certain behaviour that gives challenges for the teachers. Challenging behavior is children’s behavior that interupting the classroom activities, have a potential to disturb the learning process and socialization of the other children in the classroom. However, for some children, challenging behavior is a part of their development and need to be managed constructively. Early childhood teachers needs to be able to identify, manage and respon to challenging behaviour in an educative ways for the best interest of the children. Without an effective techniques and strategies, children with challenging behavior will be labeled as a naughty children, and will affected their social and emotional development. The purpose of this study is to measure teacher’s understanding about challenging behavior and how the teacher implement their knowledge in managing their classroom.

Methods. Research participant were 42 PAUD’s teachers. They fill in a Challenging Behavior Knowledge Scale, which consists of 33 items. This scale was constructed and tested for the psychometric properties to ensure its reliability and validity. Focus Group Discussion were added to obtain data about teacher’s knowledge implementation in managing the challenging behaviour. Descriptive statistics used to analyze the scale’s results. Thematic coding used to analyze the FGD data.

Results. Challenging Behavior Knowledge Scale result shown that the teachers have a high knowledge about challenging behaviour. They know the behaviour that could be identified as challenging, the behaviour types, and also how to manage those behaviour. They got those knowledge from experiences and teacher’s trainings or workshops. Nevertheless, the FGD’s data shown that teacher didn’t always implement those knowledge when they relate with the children inside the classroom. Teachers tend to find the easiest way of dealing with child’s challenging behavior, with one intention to stop or eliminate those behavior. This intention motivated by the need to accomplish the lesson plan according to the curriculum schedule and lack of help from teacher’s assistant.

Conclusions. PAUD / Early childhood education teachers already know about early childhood children’s challenging behaviour. But those knowledge didn’t automatically change their behaviour management in the classroom. There is gap between the teacher’s knowledge about challenging behaviour and its implementation in educating the student.

Added-values. The result from this research giving information that early childhood teachers training about challenging behaviour is not enough to help them changing their ways of relating and educating earlychildhood students. Meanwhile, the approach used to educate PAUD’s teacher mostly by enrol them in a compulsory workshop or training. Trainings or workshops should be continued with field coaching for the teachers. Coaching sessions will be able to facilitate change in teacher’s behaviour when dealing with the challenging students, because the coach will gives constructive feedback regularly until the teacher mastering the new strategies and techniques. The coaching program for PAUD’s teachers could be facilitate by the universities as one of the community services acitivities. Lecturers and senior students from relevant department (education, psychology) could be involved and take part as the coach for the teachers.

Keywords: early childhood education, teachers, challenging behavior

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