The Effectiveness of a Play Based Social Emotional Program on Mathematics and English Language Learning Readiness in Early Childhood Education
Abstract
This study examines the effectiveness of a play-based social-emotional program on mathematics and English language learning readiness in early childhood education. Learning readiness at this stage is influenced not only by cognitive abilities but also by social-emotional competencies such as self-regulation, attention, cooperation, and confidence. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group was employed. Participants were children aged 5–6 years divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received a play-based social-emotional program integrated into daily learning activities, while the control group followed conventional instruction. Data were collected using social-emotional observation sheets, mathematics readiness assessments, and English language learning readiness assessments. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent samples t-tests. The results showed that children in the experimental group demonstrated significantly higher readiness to learn mathematics and English compared to the control group. These findings indicate that integrating social-emotional learning into play-based activities effectively supports holistic learning readiness in early childhood education.
References
Blair, C., & Raver, C. C. (2015). School readiness and self-regulation: A developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 711–731. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015221
Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets: Unleashing students’ potential through creative math, inspiring messages and innovative teaching. Jossey-Bass.
Boaler, J. (2016). Mathematical mindsets and the role of mindset in mathematics learning. Journal of Mathematics Education, 9(2), 1–12.
Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2017). Tools of the mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.01.002
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Wyatt, T. (2016). The socialization of emotional competence. Early Education and Development, 27(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2015.1099423
Duncan, G. J., Magnuson, K., & Votruba-Drzal, E. (2015). Boosting family income to promote child development. Future of Children, 24(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2014.0008
Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11
Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). Sage Publications.
Fisher, K. R., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Singer, D. G., & Berk, L. (2017). Playing around in school: Implications for learning and educational policy. Oxford Review of Education, 43(3), 345–362. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2017.1305054
Hassinger-Das, B., Zosh, J. M., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Dickinson, D. K. (2020). Playing to learn mathematics: New directions for early childhood education. Child Development Perspectives, 14(3), 151–156. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12382
Hassinger-Das, B., Zosh, J. M., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Kittredge, A. K. (2020). Play-based learning and the development of mathematical skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 50, 44–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.07.011
Howard, S. J., Vasseleu, E., & Neilsen-Hewett, C. (2016). Self-regulation and executive function in early childhood. Australian Educational Researcher, 43(2), 127–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-016-0203-9
Jones, D. E., Greenberg, M. T., & Crowley, M. (2015). Early social-emotional functioning and public health: The relationship between kindergarten social competence and future outcomes. American Journal of Public Health, 105(11), 2283–2290. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302721
Jones, S. M., McGarrah, M. W., & Kahn, J. (2019). Social and emotional learning: A principled science of human development in context. Educational Psychologist, 54(3), 129–143. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2019.1625776
Li, Y., O’Connor, E. E., & Dearing, E. (2019). Classroom emotional climate and children’s academic readiness. Developmental Psychology, 55(9), 1884–1897. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000754
Papadakis, S., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2018). The effectiveness of computer-supported mathematics learning in early childhood. International Journal of Early Childhood, 50(2), 213–230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-018-0226-6
Ramani, G. B., & Scalise, N. R. (2020). It’s more than just fun and games: Play-based learning and mathematics development. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 29(5), 451–456. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721420944099
Ramani, G. B., Siegler, R. S., & Hitti, A. (2017). Taking it outside: Outdoor games promote early math skills. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 159, 20–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.01.009
Sabol, T. J., & Pianta, R. C. (2017). Patterns of school readiness and later achievement. Child Development, 88(1), 282–299. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12704
Sarama, J., & Clements, D. H. (2019). Early childhood mathematics education research. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 48, 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2019.01.004
Taylor, R. D., Oberle, E., Durlak, J. A., & Weissberg, R. P. (2017). Promoting positive youth development through social and emotional learning. Child Development, 88(4), 1156–1171. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12864
Whitebread, D., Neale, D., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Solis, S. L., Hopkins, E., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2017). The role of play in children’s development: A review of the evidence. LEGO Foundation.
Zosh, J. M., Hopkins, E. J., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Solis, S. L., & Whitebread, D. (2018). Learning through play: A review of the evidence. LEGO Foundation Research Series.
.jpg){kind=logo}
