Strategies of Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers for Developing Children’s Prosocial Behaviour

Authors

  • Nurul Arifiyanti School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
  • Siti Irene Astuti Dwiningrum School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia
  • Amir Syamsudin School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.57.75

Keywords:

early childhood character, kindergarten teacher, prosocial behaviour, social development, prosocial development strategies

Abstract

Aim. This study aimed to investigate the methods utilised by kindergarten teachers in Indonesia to cultivate prosocial behaviour in young children, acknowledging the potential impact of insufficient prosocial behaviour on both social and academic progress.

Method. Using a qualitative approach, the research gathered insights through open-ended inquiries in virtual interviews with 49 kindergarten educators throughout Indonesia. The data collected was thematically analysed, focusing on teachers’ observations and approaches to encourage prosocial conduct.

Results. The examination revealed that approximately 91.8% of teachers noted deficiencies in prosocial behaviour among confident children, particularly citing challenges in sharing and cooperation. Teachers implemented diverse strategies such as direct engagement with students, facilitating collaborative activities, fostering prosocial values, establishing classroom rules, and modelling prosocial behaviour. Collaborative learning frameworks emerged as the predominant method employed to bolster prosocial development.

Conclusion. The outcomes of this investigation provide practical guidance for early childhood teachers to refine classroom methodologies and exemplify behaviour that fosters prosocial skills in young learners. Moreover, this study contributes to unravelling effective techniques for cultivating prosocial behaviour within Indonesia’s cultural and educational landscape, addressing a notable gap in local research on early childhood education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Nurul Arifiyanti, School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

    Doctoral's degree in Educational Science with concentration in Early Childhood Education at Yogyakarta State University. Bachelor of Early Childhood Teacher Education. Recipient of doctoral dissertation research grant from the Indonesian Ministry of Higher Education. Research in field of early childhood learning model. 

  • Siti Irene Astuti Dwiningrum, School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

    Professor of educational sociology at Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, researcher in the field of school and community resilience studies, author of more than 100 scientific publications such as articles, books, and reviewers in the International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education (IJERE)

  • Amir Syamsudin , School of Education and Psychology, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY), Jl. Colombo 1, Karang Malang, Caturtunggal, Kec. Depok, Kabupaten Sleman Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta 55281, Indonesia

    Assistant Professor of Religion and Morals in Early Childhood at Yogyakarta State University, researcher in the field of early childhood assessment studies, author of more than 100 scientific publications such as articles and books.

References

Bates, E. J. S., Berny, L. M., Ganiban, J. M., Natsuaki, M. N., Neiderhiser, J. M., Shaw, D. S., & Leve, L. D. (2023). Examination of promotive and protective effects on early adolescent prosocial behaviour through a bioecological lens. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 1280346. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1280346

Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G. W. (1997). The teacher-child relationship and children’s early school adjustment. Journal of School Psychology, 35(1), 61–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4405(96)00029-5

Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programmes serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Conte, E., Grazzani, I., & Pepe, A. (2018). Social cognition, language, and prosocial behaviours: a multitrait mixed-methods study in early childhood. Early Education and Development, 29(6), 814–830. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2018.1475820

Coulombe, B. R., & Yates, T. M. (2018). Prosocial pathways to positive adaptation: the mediating role of teacher-child closeness. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 58, 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2018.08.003

Demaray, M. K., Malecki, C. K., Rueger, S. Y., Brown, S. E., & Summers, K. H. (2009). The role of youth’s ratings of the importance of socially supportive behaviours in the relationship between social support and self-concept. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 38(1), 13–28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9258-3

Diamond, A., Lee, C., Senften, P., Lam, A., & Abbott, D. (2019). Randomised control trial of tools of the mind: Marked benefits to kindergarten children and their teachers. PLOS ONE, 14(9), Article e0222447. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222447

Doescher, S. M., & Sugawara, A. I. (1992). Impact of prosocial home- and school-based interventions on preschool children’s cooperative behaviour. Family Relations, 41(2), 200-204. https://doi.org/10.2307/584833

Dunfield, K. A. (2014). A construct divided: prosocial behaviour as helping, sharing, and comforting subtypes. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(AUG), Article 00958. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00958

Elksnin, L. K., & Elksnin, N. (2000). teaching parents to teach their children to be prosocial. Intervention in School and Clinic, 36(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/105345120003600104

Engelmann, J. M., & Rapp, D. J. (2018). The influence of reputational concerns on children’s prosociality. Current Opinion in Psychology, 20, 92–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.08.024

Finn, J. D., & Pannozzo, G. M. (2004). Classroom organisation and student behaviour in kindergarten. The Journal of Educational Research, 98(2), 79–92. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOER.98.2.79-93

Flook, L., Goldberg, S. B., Pinger, L., & Davidson, R. J. (2015). Promoting prosocial behaviour and self-regulatory skills in preschool children through a mindfulness-based kindness curriculum. Developmental Psychology, 51(1), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038256

Futamura, I., & Shima, Y. (2024). Young children’s behaviour predictions in direct reciprocal situations. European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 21(1), 36–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2023.2250125

Grueneisen, S., & Warneken, F. (2022). The development of prosocial behaviour—from sympathy to strategy. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 323–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.08.005

Hanley, G. P., Heal, N. A., Tiger, J. H., & Ingvarsson, E. T. (2007). Evaluation of a classwide teaching programme for developing preschool life skills. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 40(2), 277–300. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.2007.57-06

Helm, J. H., & Katz, L. (2011). Young investigators: The project approach in the early years (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.

Huber, L., Plötner, M., & Schmitz, J. (2019). Social competence and psychopathology in early childhood: A systematic review. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 28(4), 443–459. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-018-1152-x

Jambon, M., Madigan, S., Plamondon, A., & Jenkins, J. (2019). Developmental trajectories of physical aggression and prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Family antecedents and psychological correlates. Developmental Psychology, 55(6), 1211–1225. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000714

Jaruseviciute, V., Kiuru, N., & Silinskas, G. (2022). Teacher– and parent–child relationships and children’s adjustment behaviours in grade 1: The role of temperament. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(8), 1363–1375. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001023

Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308325693

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09339057

Juliyanti, P. A., & Yulindrasari, H. (2021). Does Background Linearity Matter? A Study About Teacher’s Professionalism in Early Childhood Education. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Early Childhood Education (ICECE 2020), 548, 23-26. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210322.006

Lasota, A. (2023). Empatia i zachowania prospołeczne małych dzieci w percepcji rodziców [Empathy and prosocial behaviour of young children in the perception of parents]. Studia z Teorii Wychowania, XIV(1(42)), 245–264. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.3435

Leyva, D., Weiland, C., Barata, M., Yoshikawa, H., Snow, C., Treviño, E., & Rolla, A. (2015). Teacher–child interactions in Chile and their associations with prekindergarten outcomes. Child Development, 86(3), 781–799. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12342

Longobardi, C., Settanni, M., Lin, S., & Fabris, M. A. (2021). Student–teacher relationship quality and prosocial behaviour: The mediating role of academic achievement and a positive attitude towards school. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 547–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12378

Luo, X., Xie, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Effect of parenting styles on children’s prosocial behaviour. Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 26, 186–191. https://doi.org/10.54097/h4y30486

Ma, T., Zarrett, N., Simpkins, S., Vandell, D. L., & Jiang, S. (2020). Brief report: Patterns of prosocial behaviours in middle childhood predicting peer relations during early adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 78(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.11.004

Marantz, M. (1988b). Fostering Prosocial Behaviour in the Early Childhood Classroom: Review of the Research. Journal of Moral Education, 17(1), 27–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305724880170104

Mareš, J. (2017). Prosocial behaviour education in children. Acta Technologica Dubnicae, 7(2), 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1515/atd-2017-0009

McKeown, C. A., Luczynski, K. C., & Lehardy, R. K. (2021). Evaluating the generality and social acceptability of early friendship skills. Journal of Applied Behaviour Analysis, 54(4), 1341–1368. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.842

Memmott-Elison, M. K., & Toseeb, U. (2023). Prosocial behaviour and psychopathology: An 11-year longitudinal study of inter- and intraindividual reciprocal relations across childhood and adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 35(4), 1982–1996. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579422000657

Myers, S. S., & Pianta, R. C. (2008). Developmental commentary: individual and contextual influences on student–teacher relationships and children’s early problem behaviours. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 37(3), 600–608. https://doi.org/10.1080/15374410802148160

Nantel‐Vivier, A., Kokko, K., Caprara, G. V., Pastorelli, C., Gerbino, M. G., Paciello, M., Côté, S., Pihl, R. O., Vitaro, F., & Tremblay, R. E. (2009). Prosocial development from childhood to adolescence: a multi‐informant perspective with Canadian and Italian longitudinal studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 50(5), 590–598. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2008.02039.x

Palermo, F., Hanish, L. D., Martin, C. L., Fabes, R. A., & Reiser, M. (2007). Preschoolers’ academic readiness: What role does the teacher–child relationship play? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22(4), 407–422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.04.002

Paulmann, S., & Weinstein, N. (2023). Teachers’ motivational prosody: A pre‐registered experimental test of children’s reactions to tone of voice used by teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(2), 437–452. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12567

Paulus, M. (2014). The emergence of prosocial behaviour: why do infants and toddlers help, comfort, and share? Child Development Perspectives, 8(2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12066

Paulus, M., & Moore, C. (2012). Producing and Understanding Prosocial Actions in Early Childhood. In J. B. Benson (Ed.), Advances in Child Development and Behavior (vol. 42, pp. 271–305). https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394388-0.00008-3

Paz, Y., Davidov, M., Orlitsky, T., Hayut, M., Roth-Hanania, R., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2023). Prosocial behaviour in toddlerhood and early childhood: Consistency across subtypes and over time. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, Article 950160. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.950160

Pianta, R. C., & Stuhlman, M. W. (2004). Teacher-child relationships and children’s success in the first years of school. School Psychology Review, 33(3), 444–458. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2004.12086261

Pramono, Nurhasan, Kusnanik, N. W., & Sudarsini. (2019). Development of physical activity play management to improve prosocial behaviour. International Journal of Engineering and Advanced Technology, 8(6s3), 378–382. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijeat.F1065.0986S319

Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Curby, T. W., Grimm, K. J., Nathanson, L., & Brock, L. L. (2009). The contribution of children’s self-regulation and classroom quality to children’s adaptive behaviours in the kindergarten classroom. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 958–972. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015861

Shi, Q., Ettekal, I., Liew, J., & Woltering, S. (2021). Predicting differentiated developmental trajectories of prosocial behaviour: A 12-year longitudinal study of children facing early risks and vulnerabilities. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 45(4), 327–336. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025420935630

Slavin, S. (2014). Educational psychology: Theory and practice. SAGE Publications.

Spinrad, T. L., & Gal, D. E. (2018). Fostering prosocial behaviour and empathy in young children. Current Opinion in Psychology, 20, 40–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.08.004

Suntheimer, N. M., & Wolf, S. (2020). Cumulative risk, teacher-child closeness, executive function and early academic skills in kindergarten children. Journal of School Psychology, 78, 23–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2019.11.005

Tan, E., & G, K. (2024). Building prosocial behaviours: Examining the possibilities of social stories in early childhood classroom settings. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 22(3), 458–470. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X241227044

Taridi, M., & Dono, A. (2019). The kindergarten teachers’ pedagogical competences: a case study. Indonesian Research Journal in Education |IRJE|, 3(1), 107–119. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v3i1.6737

Tavassoli, N., Recchia, H., & Ross, H. (2019). Preschool children’s prosocial responsiveness to their siblings’ needs in naturalistic interactions: a longitudinal study. Early Education and Development, 30(6), 724–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2019.1599095

Thierry, K. L., Bryant, H. L., Nobles, S. S., & Norris, K. S. (2016). Two-year impact of a mindfulness-based programme on preschoolers’ self-regulation and academic performance. Early Education and Development, 27(6), 805–821. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1141616

Toseeb, U., & St Clair, M. C. (2020). Trajectories of prosociality from early to middle childhood in children at risk of developmental language disorder. Journal of Communication Disorders, 85, Article 105984. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.105984

Tremblay, R. E., Vitaro, F., Gagnon, C., Piché, C., & Royer, N. (1992). A prosocial scale for the preschool behaviour questionnaire: concurrent and predictive correlates. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 15(2), 227–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/016502549201500204

Viglas, M., & Perlman, M. (2018). Effects of a mindfulness-based programme on young children’s self-regulation, prosocial behaviour and hyperactivity. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(4), 1150–1161. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0971-6

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

Wang, X., Liu, M., Tee, S., & Dai, H. (2021). Analysis of adversity quotient of nursing students in Macao: A cross-section and correlation study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences, 8(2), 204–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.02.003

Weltzien, S., Marsh, L. E., & Hood, B. (2018). Thinking of me: Self-focus reduces sharing and helping in seven- to eight-year-olds. PLoS ONE, 13(1), Article e0189752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189752

White, K. M. (2013). Associations between teacher–child relationships and children’s writing in kindergarten and first grade. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(1), 166–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.05.004

Widel, T. G., & Ramadan, Z. H. (2021). Teachers’ influence on students’ independence in elementary school. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(3), 1944–1950. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i3.1136

Wildeboer, A., Thijssen, S., van IJzendoorn, M. H., van der Ende, J., Jaddoe, V. W. V., Verhulst, F. C., Hofman, A., White, T., Tiemeier, H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2015). Early childhood aggression trajectories. International Journal of Behavioural Development, 39(3), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414562239

Windari, Dewi, R., & Sihotang, D. O. (2020). Become a professional teacher in the future. In Proceedings of the 5th Annual International Seminar on Transformative Education and Educational Leadership (AISTEEL 2020) (vol. 488, pp. 214-218). https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.201124.046

Downloads

Published

2025-06-27

How to Cite

Arifiyanti, N. ., Dwiningrum, S. I. A. ., & Syamsudin , A. (2025). Strategies of Indonesian Kindergarten Teachers for Developing Children’s Prosocial Behaviour. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 16(1), 57-75. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2025.2.57.75