THE EFFECTS OF PROBLEM BASED INTEGRATED DIVERSITY LEARNING EXPERIENCE PROVISION ON SOCIAL AWARENESS OF YOUNG CHILDREN

Abstract

This research aimed to study the effects of problem-based learning integrated with diversity on the social awareness of young children. The sample consisted of 21 kindergarten level 2 students from Classroom 1 at Rajini School, selected through cluster random sampling. The instruments used in this study consisted of eight problem-based and diversity-integrated learning experience plans. The quality of the plans was evaluated by three experts and rated at the very good level. The plans were also piloted with children who were not included in the sample group. In addition, a social awareness assessment for young children was employed, covering three dimensions: understanding others, accepting individual differences, and respecting others. Content validity was examined using the Index of Item-Objective Congruence (IOC), with values ranging from 0.67 to 1.00. The inter-rater reliability was also found to be at a high level. Data were collected over a period of eight weeks. Quantitative data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and t-test, while qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. The findings revealed that young children who participated in the problem-based learning integrated with diversity had higher post-test mean scores than pre-test scores, both overall and in each aspect with statistical significance at the 0.05 level. The children were able to perceive and understand others’ feelings, accept individual differences, and respect others through appropriate expressions and verbal communication. The findings reflected improved social awareness among young children and demonstrated that problem-based learning integrated with diversity can be applied to promote social awareness among young children within the context of a diverse society.