Executive Functions Development of Kindergarten Students at Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University Demonstration School (Early Childhood) learning through Storytelling Activities, Rhythmic Movement Activities and Creative Art Activities

Abstract

The purposes of this research were to study and compare the executive functions development of kindergarten students of Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University Demonstration School (Early Childhood) before and after learning through storytelling activities, rhythmic movement activity and creative art activities. The participants were 83 kindergarten students at Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University Demonstration School (Early Childhood) in affiliation with Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University during the second semester of academic year 2019 consisting of 28 first-year kindergarten students (aged 3-4), 30 second-year kindergarten students (aged 4-5 ), 25 third-year kindergarten students (aged 5-6). The instruments used in the study were Executive Functions assessment of Preschool children (MU.EF -101) and storytelling activity plans for first-year kindergarten students, rhythmic movement activity plans for second-year kindergarten students, and creative art activity plans for third-year kindergarten students. One–group pretest-posttest design was employed to be used in the research, and the data were analyzed by T-Score, percentage, and Relative Gain Score.

The results of the research were as follows:

           1.The results of the study  of executive functions development of Kindergarten Students

before and after the experiment can be summarized that after first-year kindergarten students learned through storytelling activities, second-year kindergarten students learned through rhythmic movement activity and third-year kindergarten students learned through creative art activities, it revealed that there was a better improvement in the executive functions development level. (Based on T – score).

1. 2. The results of the comparison between before and after experiments in the Executive Functions development can be summarized that the first-year, second-year and third-year kindergarten students had higher Executive Functions development. For instance, most of the first-year kindergarten students (85.71 per cent) had higher relative development at the moderate level (Relative Gain Score = 33-50 points). Most second-year kindergarten students (56.67 per cent) had higher relative development at the high level (Relative Gain Score 57-74 points). Most third-year kindergarten students (64 per cent) had higher relative development at the high level (Relative Gain Score 52-74 points).