Developing Social and Emotional Skills Through Character Education in Late Early Childhoods in An SPK School

Abstract

Character education is a significant feature of a child's social and emotional skill development. A school needs to initiate character development for its students through an integrated curriculum. This qualitative research investigated why and how Sekolah Pelita Harapan Bukit Sentul implemented a curriculum integrated with character education and the results of the implementation. This case study also aimed to find out when to apply character education. Five respondents between the ages of six to seven who were new students in grade one were selected to determine the impact of character education on a child's social and emotional skills development. The results showed that character education impacted a child's social-emotional skill development and increased the child's positive attitude, such as commitment, independence, respect, and caring. This research suggested that a curriculum integrated with character education is one of the most efficient approaches for schools to implement.