MANAGING CHILDREN’S PROBLEM BEHAVIOUR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTRES: STRATEGIES ADOPTED BY THE EFFUTU MUNICIPALITY, GHANA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.3105Keywords:
management, children, problem behaviour, strategies, GhanaAbstract
This descriptive survey sought to explore the type of children’s problem behaviour and classroom management strategies adopted by the selected schools in the Effutu Municipality. The study adopted the explanatory sequential mixed method design. Data was gathered through a semi-structured interview guide and questionnaire. The stratified sampling technique was used to aid in the selection of 15 Early Childhood Centres (ECC) from three circuits within the Effutu Municipality. Simple random sampling was used to select 45 respondents from the 15 selected early childhood schools to respond to the questionnaire while purposive sampling was used to sample 15 participants who were part of the 45 questionnaire respondents to answer semi-structured interview questions designed by the researchers. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data were analysed thematically using Atlas ti software. It emerged from the findings that the predominant type of children’s problem behaviour was related to aggression, non-compliance, hyperactivity, destructiveness, refusal to take instruction, intentional destruction of property, among others. It also emerged from the analysed data that the respondent used strategies such as doing activities in turns, teaching playground rules, verbal warning, reward and punishment, using reminders, and others as strategies to manage children’s problem behaviour in their respective early childhood centres. The study recommended that Effutu Metropolitan Assembly, Winneba Educational Directorate and the headteachers of the selected schools for the study should organize programmes in collaboration with the early childhood unit on how to cope, prevent and deal with problem behaviour to ease the burden of parents and teachers.
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