The Prevalence of Socialization Skills among Daycare Children: A Baseline

Abstract

Children’s socialization skills are already developed when they start formal schooling. These socialization skills are learned from their immediate system such as the microsystem. Gordon (2011) mentioned Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as part of the child’s development, which also includes their socialization, wherein it radiates in a circular manner where the child at the core. Children’s first step of formal education start in daycare centers. They have their initial learned skills. These skills are their first weapon to be used to cope up with the school’s journey which may be affected by his friends, peers, and teachers outside the family circle.

This study reviewed the prevalence of socialization skills among daycare children when they started their formal schooling in the daycare center. The study population included forty -three (43) daycare children, fourteen (14) boys and twenty –nine (29) girls were purposively selected with a checklist answered by their lead teacher. The social skills are designed to reflect both peer-related and adult-related forms of social adjustment. It includes thirty -four (34) items that describe adaptive or positive behaviors that are likely to lead to positive personal and social outcomes. There are three (3) subscales such as Social Cooperation, Social Interaction, and Social Independence. And the results are being analyzed according to functional levels such as High Functioning, Average, Moderate, and Significant Deficit.

The results revealed that Social Cooperation and Social Interaction have very high functioning levels, 76.74%, and 58.14%, respectively, while Social Independence has 48.84% only. Among the three (3) social skills, social cooperation has a 2.33% moderate deficit while social interaction and social independence got 0%. In terms of gender, female children have a very high functioning level (55.17%) while male children have 44.83%. Female also has a 66.67% average while the male has a 33.33% average functional level. In terms of significant difficulty, it’s the male who has a very high percentage (75%) compared with a female (25%).

The prevalence rate of Social Cooperation and Social Interaction among daycare children should be nurtured and Social Independence should be enhanced through different socialization strategies by the teacher in the school and their respective families.