The Impact of Environmental Arrangement on Early Childhood Activities: A Case Study at Karmila Kindergarten.
Keywords:
early childhood educationAbstract
Background/purpose.Early childhood learning environments play a crucial role as the "third teacher" in fostering children's holistic development. In suburban areas such as Cisaat District, many kindergartens face challenges in optimizing play environment arrangements due to limited resources and infrastructure. This study aims to analyze the impact of strategic play environment arrangements on early childhood activities at Karmila Kindergarten, Cisaat District.
Materials/methods.This research employed a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental pre-post test design involving 37 children aged 4-6 years. Total sampling technique was used to include all children at Karmila Kindergarten. Data were collected using structured observation instruments covering four dimensions: teacher as facilitator, child-centered play activities, adequate time for experimentation, and alignment with learning objectives. The intervention involved systematic rearrangement of play environments based on early childhood education principles. Data analysis was conducted using paired t-test with significance levelα= 0.05.
Results. The study revealed highly significant improvements (p < 0.001) across all dimensions with a very large effect size (Cohen's d = 2.33). Overall activity scores increased by 35.5% from pre-test to post-test conditions. The percentage of children with high-category activities increased dramatically from 10.8% to 78.4%, while no children remained in the low-category after intervention. The "adequate time for experimentation" dimension showed the highest improvement (40.6%), followed by "child-centered play activities" (38.2%).
Conclusion. Strategic play environment arrangements demonstrate transformative impact on early childhood activities. The intervention proved effective across all participant characteristics, with 94.6% of children showing moderate to very high improvements, indicating sustainable and comprehensive benefits for early childhood development.
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