← Back to Volume 6

Exploring the Strategies Employed by Kindergarten Teachers in China to Foster Self-regulation Skills among Young Children

Yefan Guo
pp.312-323 DOI: 10.62051/zxf5kr97 March 22, 2024
Download PDF
Abstract: The self-regulation support strategies employed by Chinese kindergarten teachers and the challenges they face when implementing these strategies are investigated. Self-regulation is considered a crucial aspect of school readiness, and this study focuses on children aged 3-6 years. Through a qualitative approach that involves interviews with six kindergarten teachers, this study explores the different strategies used by teachers to promote self-regulation among young children. The findings show that Chinese kindergarten teachers use various techniques, including games, pretend play, music and songs and picture books, to help children develop their self-regulation skills. However, teachers may encounter challenges such as children not engaging in the activities and a lack of experience among the teachers themselves. In this study, the importance of effective self-regulation support strategies in early childhood education is highlighted, and insights are also provided into the specific approaches used by Chinese kindergarten teachers.
Keywords: Self-regulation Skills; Effortful Control; Executive Functioning; Early Years Education.
APA Citation: Yefan Guo (2024). Exploring the Strategies Employed by Kindergarten Teachers in China to Foster Self-regulation Skills among Young Children. Transactions on Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 6(1), 312-323. https://doi.org/10.62051/zxf5kr97

References

  1. Adams, W. C. (2015). Conducting Semi-Structured Interviews. Handbook of Practical Program Evaluation, 1(4), 492–505. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119171386.ch19.
  2. Becker, D. R., McClelland, M. M., Loprinzi, P., & Trost, S. G. (2013). Physical Activity, Self-Regulation, and Early Academic Achievement in Preschool Children. Early Education and Development, 25(1), 56–70. https://doi. org/ 10.1080/10409289.2013.780505.
  3. Berk, L. E., Mann, T. D., & Ogan, A. T. (2006). Make-Believe Play: Wellspring for Development of Self-Regulation. Play = Learning, 74–100. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304381.003.0005.
  4. Bodrova, E., Germeroth, C., & Leong, D. (2013). Play and Self-Regulation: Lessons from Vygotsky. American Journal of Play, 6(1).
  5. Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (1998). Development Of Dramatic Play in Young Children and Its Effects On Self‐Regulation: The Vygotskian Approach. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 19(2), 115–124. https:// doi.org/ 10.1080/0163638980190204.
  6. Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2007). Tools of the mind: the Vygotskian approach to early childhood education. Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
  7. Burgess, R. G. (1984). In the field: an introduction to field research. Routledge, Cop.
  8. Carney, R. N., & Levin, J. R. (2002). Pictorial Illustrations Still Improve Students’ Learning from Text. Educational Psychology Review, 14(1), 5–26. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1013176309260.
  9. Chevalier, N., Chatham, C. H., & Munakata, Y. (2014). The practice of going helps children to stop: The importance of context monitoring in inhibitory control. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3), 959–965. https:// doi.org/10.1037/a0035868.
  10. Daneshfar, S., & Moharami, M. (2018). Dynamic Assessment in Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory: Origins and Main Concepts. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 9(3), 600. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.0903.20.
  11. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-Determination Theory. Handbook of Theories of Social Psychology: Volume 1, 1(1), 416–437. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-21800-020.
  12. Farran, D. C., & Wilson, S. J. (2014). Achievement and Self-Regulation in Pre-Kindergarten Classrooms: Effects of the Tools of the Mind Curriculum.
  13. Garner, P. W., & Parker, T. S. (2018). Young children’s picture-books as a forum for the socialization of emotion. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 16(3), 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718x18775760.
  14. Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive, 3(2).
  15. LaForge, C. (2018). Contributing to children’s early comprehension of emotions: a picture book approach.
  16. Rothschild, M. L., & Gaidis, W. C. (1981). Behavioral learning theory: Its relevance to marketing and promotions. Journal of Marketing, 45(2).
  17. Savina, E. (2014). Does play promote self-regulation in children? Early Child Development and Care, 184(11), 1692–1705. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2013.875541.
  18. Schmitt, S. A., McClelland, M. M., Tominey, S. L., & Acock, A. C. (2015). Strengthening school readiness for Head Start children: Evaluation of a self-regulation intervention. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 30, 20–31. https:// doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.08.001.
  19. Shams, L., & Seitz, A. R. (2008). Benefits of multisensory learning. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(11), 411–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2008.07.006.
  20. Shiu, S.-P., Wang, S.-H., & Chen, Y.-J. (2018). The effects of a small-scale intervention to develop self-regulation in kindergarten children. Early Child Development and Care, 190(3), 333–347. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/ 030044 30.2018.1471474.
  21. Sipe, L. R. (1988). How picture books work: A semiotically framed theory of text-picture relationships. Children’s Literature in Education, 29(2).
  22. Slot, P. L., Mulder, H., Verhagen, J., & Leseman, P. P. M. (2017). Preschoolers’ cognitive and emotional self-regulation in pretend play: Relations with executive functions and quality of play. Infant and Child Development, 26 (6), e2038. https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2038.
  23. Su, M. (2010). Play And Self-Regulation Depicted in Picture Books.
  24. Tominey, S. L., & McClelland, M. M. (2011). Red Light, Purple Light: Findings from a Randomized Trial Using Circle Time Games to Improve Behavioral Self-Regulation in Preschool. Early Education & Development, 22(3), 489–519. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2011.574258.
  25. Tsai, M.-J. (2008). Guiding Taiwanese Kindergateners’ Emotional Understanding and Emotion Regulation: The Effects of Children’s Picture Books.
  26. Vajcner, T. (2015). Dialogic Reading Using Social-Emotional Themed Storybooks: Impact on Preschoolers’ Emergent Literacy and Emotion Knowledge.
  27. Whitebread, D., Jameson, H., Lander, R., & Coltman, P. (2009). Play, cognition and self-regulation: What exactly are children learning when they learn through play? Educational and Child Psychology, 26(2).
  28. Whitebread, D., & O’Sullivan, L. (2012). Preschool children’s social pretend play: supporting the development of metacommunication, metacognition and self-regulation. International Journal of Play, 1(2), 197–213. https:// doi. org/ 10.1080/21594937.2012.693384.
  29. Zambo, D. M. (2007). Using Picture Books to Help Young Students with Special Needs Regulate Their Emotions. Council for Exceptional Children.