Promoting Self-Regulation and Behavioral Discipline in Preschoolers Through Structured Number-Block Play

Nurwahida Nurwahida 1 Indonesia , Riskal Fitri 1 Indonesia
1 Universitas Islam Makassar, Indonesia
Link Copied!
Published 2026-10-02
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2026) PAGES 410-421
DOI 10.51574/ijrer.v6i1.5551
Views / Downloads 0 0

Behavioral discipline and early self-regulation are foundational for young children’s socio-emotional and cognitive development. Although block play is widely recognized for fostering early numeracy, its precise cognitive-behavioral mechanisms in enhancing behavioral discipline remain underexplored. This study investigates how structured number-block play fosters behavioral discipline and self-regulation among preschoolers through a collaborative Classroom Action Research (CAR) framework based on the Kemmis and McTaggart model. Conducted across two instructional cycles involving 19 preschool children (aged 4–5 years), the intervention systematically integrated spatial-mathematical tasks with small-group social scaffolding. Data were collected via structured behavioral observation protocols, semi-structured teacher interviews, and qualitative field notes. Rigorous psychometric evaluation, including inter-rater reliability testing using Cohen's Kappa (kappa = 0.86), confirmed high observational fidelity. Results revealed a progressive increase in classical mastery of behavioral discipline indicators, rising from 36.84% (n=7) at baseline to 68.42% (n=13) in Cycle I, and reaching 89.47% (n=17) in Cycle II. The most pronounced growth was observed in frustration tolerance and turn-taking behavior, which surged following the transition from large-group to small-group instructional configurations. These findings demonstrate that structured block play serves as a cognitive bridge linking spatial-mathematical manipulation, inhibitory control, and executive function. This research provides pedagogical implications for early childhood educators seeking play-based, non-coercive interventions to cultivate self-regulation in early educational settings.

Nurwahida, N., & Fitri, R. (2026). Promoting Self-Regulation and Behavioral Discipline in Preschoolers Through Structured Number-Block Play . ETDC: Indonesian Journal of Research and Educational Review , 6(1), 410–421. https://doi.org/10.51574/ijrer.v6i1.5551
More Citation Formats
Download Citation

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
  1. Alam, A. (2022). Educational robotics and computer programming in early childhood education: a conceptual framework for assessing elementary school students’ computational thinking for designing powerful educational scenarios. 2022 International Conference on Smart Technologies and Systems for Next Generation Computing (ICSTSN) (pp. 1-7). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICSTSN53084.2022.9761354
  2. Bartholomew, K. J., Ntoumanis, N., Mouratidis, A., Katartzi, E., Thøgersen-Ntoumani, C., & Vlachopoulos, S. (2018). Beware of your teaching style: A school-year long investigation of controlling teaching and student motivational experiences. Learning and Instruction, 53, 50-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.07.006
  3. Belolutskaya, A., Bukhalenkova, D., Krasheninnikov-Khait, E., Shiyan, I., Shiyan, O., & Veraksa, A. (2022). Constructivism and social constructivism in the study of relationship between early childhood education quality and executive function at 5–6 years old. Piaget and Vygotsky in XXI century: Discourse in early childhood education (pp. 145-164). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05747-2_9
  4. Cai, L., Wu, D., Zhou, J., & Li, H. (2022). Theme-based block play intervention facilitates Chinese preschoolers’ language development: A quasi-experiment. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 741113. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.741113
  5. Day, N., Paas, F., Kervin, L., & Howard, S. J. (2022). A systematic scoping review of pre-school self-regulation interventions from a self-determination theory perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(4), 2454. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19042454
  6. Drake, K. R., & Nelson, G. (2021). Natural rates of teacher praise in the classroom: A systematic review of observational studies. Psychology in the Schools, 58(12), 2404-2424. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22602
  7. Dutta, S. (2026). Beyond Discipline: How Parental Practices Shape Early Child Development and Self-Regulation. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2026.2638784
  8. Edossa, A. K., Schroeders, U., Weinert, S., & Artelt, C. (2018). The development of emotional and behavioral self-regulation and their effects on academic achievement in childhood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 42(2), 192-202. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025416687412
  9. Eun, B. (2019). The zone of proximal development as an overarching concept: A framework for synthesizing Vygotsky’s theories. Educational philosophy and theory, 51(1), 18-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2017.1421941
  10. Francisco, S., Forssten Seiser, A., & Olin Almqvist, A. (2024). Action research as professional learning in and through practice. Professional development in education, 50(3), 501-518. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2024.2338445
  11. Harma, M., Aktaş, B., & Sümer, N. (2025). Behavioral but not psychological control predicts self-regulation, adjustment problems and academic self-efficacy among early adolescents. The Journal of psychology, 159(8), 679-704. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2025.2465478
  12. Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., Nixon, R., & MacTaggart, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research (Vol. 200). Singapore: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2
  13. Lunga, P., Esterhuizen, S., & Koen, M. (2022). Play-based pedagogy: An approach to advance young children’s holistic development. South African Journal of Childhood Education, 12(1), 1133. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajce.v12i1.1133
  14. Mohammed, A. H., Nigussie, B., Schellens, T., & Rotsaert, T. (2026). Play-based learning in early childhood education: A scoping review. Early Childhood Education Journal, 54(5), 3929-3975. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-026-02127-6
  15. Montoya, M. F., Susperreguy, M. I., & Morrison, F. J. (2023). Self-regulation scaffolding behaviors of teachers in Chilean preschool classrooms. Early Education and Development, 34(6), 1305-1324. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2022.2135867
  16. Muir, R. A., Howard, S. J., & Kervin, L. (2023). Interventions and approaches targeting early self-regulation or executive functioning in preschools: A systematic review. Educational Psychology Review, 35(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09740-6
  17. Munif, M., Sali, M., Fajri, Z., Mahmuda, M., & Farlina, T. (2022). Implementation of number block game techniques for learning number symbol in early childhood. Jurnal Obsesi: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 6(4), 3449-3459. https://doi.org/10.31004/obsesi.v6i4.2074
  18. Narvekar, S., Peng, B., Leonetti, M., Sinapov, J., Taylor, M. E., & Stone, P. (2020). Curriculum learning for reinforcement learning domains: A framework and survey. Journal of Machine Learning Research, 21(181), 1-50. http://jmlr.org/papers/v21/20-212.html
  19. Nelson, C. A., & Gabard-Durnam, L. J. (2020). Early adversity and critical periods: neurodevelopmental consequences of violating the expectable environment. Trends in neurosciences, 43(3), 133-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tins.2020.01.002
  20. Peker, C., Akcabağ, E., & Çabuk, F. E. T. (2024). Views, knowledge, and self-reported practices of early childhood educators: Sociocultural theory’s practicability. Journal of Uludag University Faculty of Education, 37(2), 653-675. https://doi.org/10.19171/uefad.1431937
  21. Puntambekar, S. (2022). Distributed scaffolding: Scaffolding students in classroom environments. Educational Psychology Review, 34(1), 451-472. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-021-09636-3
  22. Robson, D. A., Allen, M. S., & Howard, S. J. (2020). Self-regulation in childhood as a predictor of future outcomes: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 146(4), 324. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000227
  23. Schmitt, S. A., Korucu, I., Napoli, A. R., Bryant, L. M., & Purpura, D. J. (2018). Using block play to enhance preschool children’s mathematics and executive functioning: A randomized controlled trial. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 44, 181-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.04.006
  24. Schmitt, S. A., Purpura, D. J., Duncan, R. J., Bryant, L., Zehner, T. M., Devlin, B. L., ... & Paes, T. A. (2025). Testing block play as an effective mechanism for promoting early math, executive function, and spatial skills in preschoolers from low-income backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 71, 163-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2024.12.011
  25. Şeker, P. T. (2020). Manipulative assisted mathematics activities in early childhood. Cumhuriyet International Journal of Education, 9(3), 922-934. http://dx.doi.org/10.30703/cije.702934
  26. Stucke, N. J., & Doebel, S. (2024). Early childhood executive function predicts concurrent and later social and behavioral outcomes: A review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 150(10), 1178. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000445
  27. Trawick-Smith, J., Swaminathan, S., Baton, B., Danieluk, C., Marsh, S., & Szarwacki, M. (2017). Block play and mathematics learning in preschool: The effects of building complexity, peer and teacher interactions in the block area, and replica play materials. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 15(4), 433-448. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X16664557
  28. Van den Akker, A., Leijten, P., Hoffenaar, P., & Gardner, F. (2024). Using daily diary assessments to better understand the role of parental consistency in the development of externalizing child behavior. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 52(1), 79-92. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-023-01073-w
  29. Vu Huy Tran, H. (2022). The zone of proximal privilege: towards a Vygotskian theory of privilege in education. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 35(7), 791-804. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2022.2061634
  30. Waite-Stupiansky, S. (2022). Jean Piaget’s constructivist theory of learning. Theories of early childhood education: Developmental, behaviorist, and critical, 3-18. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288077-2
  31. Yang, W., Ng, D. T. K., & Gao, H. (2022). Robot programming versus block play in early childhood education: Effects on computational thinking, sequencing ability, and self‐regulation. British Journal of Educational Technology, 53(6), 1817-1841. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13215

Copyright (c) 2026 Nurwahida Nurwahida, Riskal Fitri

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Dimension Badge

Downloads

Downloads
Crossmark Badge
Crossmark Badge
Section
Articles
Keywords
Behavioral Discipline Early Childhood Education Executive Function Number-Block Play Self-Regulation