Fostering Socio Emotional Development Through Inclusive Service Learning Projects for IECE Students

Abstract

Aspects of social-emotional development are critical to young children’s overall development, in early childhood inclusive classrooms where children have a wide variety of needs. In Indonesia, a number inclusive education programs continue to grapple with the development of empathy, cooperation and emotional regulation, demonstrating that evidence-based strategies for young children to develop these abilities is an urgent priority. This investigation focused on the effect of service-learning experiences for children in inclusive early childhood programs. Twelve 5- to 6-year-old students participated from an inclusive classroom, using a mixed-method design. The collection of quantitative data was provided from PAPI testing, while the qualitative part consisted of classroom observations around peer interaction and affect regulation as well as semi-structured teacher interviews about engagement and feasibility. Students, overall, demonstrated a 32% average increase in social-emotional competence with the largest increase in empathy (35%), cooperation (30%) and emotional regulation (28%). Teachers noted better participation and cooperation between students as well. These results suggest that service-learning is an effective intervention for promoting social-emotional competence in inclusive preschool classrooms. The research contributes with practical applications for Indonesian educators and policy makers to implement service-learning in inclusive education that supports both social-emotional development as well as equitable learning beginning in the early years of education.Aspek perkembangan sosial-emosional sangat penting bagi perkembangan keseluruhan anak-anak usia dini, terutama di kelas inklusif awal masa kanak-kanak di mana anak-anak memiliki berbagai kebutuhan yang beragam. Di Indonesia, sejumlah program pendidikan inklusif masih menghadapi tantangan dalam mengembangkan empati, kerja sama, dan regulasi emosi, menunjukkan bahwa strategi berbasis bukti untuk membantu anak-anak usia dini mengembangkan kemampuan ini merupakan prioritas mendesak. Penyelidikan ini berfokus pada dampak pengalaman belajar melalui pelayanan (service-learning) bagi anak-anak dalam program pendidikan inklusif awal masa kanak-kanak. Dua belas siswa berusia 5 hingga 6 tahun berpartisipasi dari kelas inklusif, menggunakan desain campuran. Pengumpulan data kuantitatif diperoleh dari tes PAPI, sementara bagian kualitatif terdiri dari pengamatan kelas seputar interaksi teman sebaya dan regulasi emosi, serta wawancara semi-terstruktur dengan guru tentang keterlibatan dan kelayakan. Secara keseluruhan, siswa menunjukkan peningkatan rata-rata 32% dalam kompetensi sosial-emosional, dengan peningkatan terbesar pada empati (35%), kerja sama (30%), dan regulasi emosi (28%). Guru juga mencatat peningkatan partisipasi dan kerja sama antar siswa. Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran berbasis layanan merupakan intervensi efektif untuk meningkatkan kompetensi sosial-emosional di kelas prasekolah inklusif. Penelitian ini memberikan kontribusi praktis bagi pendidik dan pembuat kebijakan di Indonesia untuk menerapkan pembelajaran berbasis layanan dalam pendidikan inklusif yang mendukung perkembangan sosial-emosional serta pembelajaran yang adil sejak awal masa pendidikan.