BASIS FOR A PROPOSED PARENTAL LEARNING SUPPORT PROGRAM TOWARDS HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT OF KINDERGARTEN PUPILS

Abstract

The study focuses on parent–child relationships, parental practices and discipline, and the household environment, as well as children’s holistic development in key learning domains. In the study, a causal-comparative research design was adopted. The participants comprised randomly selected 268 parents/guardians of kindergarten children. The data were collected via a valid and reliable scale, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including weighted mean and standard deviation to determine the status of family dynamics and the developmental domains of kindergarten pupils, and multiple linear regression analysis in order to examine the influence of family dynamics on child development. Findings indicated that family dynamics were generally at a high level, with positive parent–child relationships and supportive parental practices evident among families. Likewise, kindergarten pupils demonstrated high levels of development in the social-emotional, self-management, perceptual-motor, and expressive language domains. Parent–child relationships and parental practices were found to significantly influence children’s overall development, while the household environment showed a notable influence on social-emotional development. The study concludes that strong and supportive family dynamics play an essential role in promoting the holistic development of kindergarten pupils. However, areas such as emotional regulation, initiative-taking, and fine motor skills were identified as needing further support. Based on these findings, a parental learning support program is recommended to strengthen emotional guidance, encourage independence, and enhance language development at home.