Young children’s social behaviour: A Singapore perspective

Abstract

THIS ARTICLE REPORTS RESEARCH from a descriptive study, identifying parents’ and teachers’ views of young children’s social behaviour. This study was conducted in Singapore with 26 respondents, 13 early year’s teachers and 13 parents, five from an international school and 21 from a Catholic school. Using qualitative thematic analysis, the researcher revealed three key themes influencing the development of young children’s social behaviour: differences across generations, quality of relationships and mechanisms of socialisation. The intention of this study was not to compare the settings but to record the perceptions of respondents as they reflected on factors influencing young children’s social behaviour in Singapore. Implications of the findings are discussed with future research identified. Findings will inform a larger study examining the implementation of social learning curriculums across three early years’ schools in Singapore.