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Predicting Early Childhood Social-Emotional Development through Habituation, Independence, and Self-Confidence
Abstract
Social-emotional development is a fundamental aspect of early childhood growth that shapes children’s ability to interact, adapt, and build character throughout their lives. Nevertheless, social-emotional development among young children does not always progress optimally, raising questions about how far factors such as habituation, independence, and self-confidence actually contribute. This study aims to examine the influence of habituation, independence, and self-confidence on early childhood social-emotional development in the context of Angkasapura 3 Kindergarten, Maros Regency. A quantitative approach was employed, involving the entire population of 50 students, with data collected through a valid and reliable structured questionnaire and analyzed using simple and multiple regression. The results show that all three predictors (habituation β = 0.376; independence β = 0.330; self-confidence β = 0.334) partially exert a positive and significant influence on social-emotional development (sig. = 0.000). Furthermore, habituation, independence, and self-confidence jointly exert a significant positive influence (R² = 0.839, F = 79.704, sig. = 0.000), accounting for 83.9% of the variance simultaneously. These findings confirm that habituation, independence, and self-confidence are key determinants of early childhood social emotional development. Kindergarten teachers and parents are therefore recommended to consistently implement habituation practices and to actively foster children’s independence and self-confidence from an early age.
Keywords
References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.17509/ebj.v8i1.90788
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