EARLY CHILDHOOD SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH HYFLEX LEARNING (FLEXIBLE HYBRID)

ABSTRACT


Introduction
Social skills should be developed from an early age.The foundation for shaping one's social behavior is laid during the early years, which makes early childhood education an important time to ensure children learn social skills (Algan et al., 2022).Skills Social skills need to be habituated from an early age because children will bring their habits to adulthood.Developing social skills in early childhood is essential so that they can interact with others successfully and form healthy relationships throughout life (Agusniatih & Manopa, 2019).
Comb and Slaby, 1977 revealed in their research the complex social skills necessary for confident, responsive, and mutually beneficial interaction with other people are certainly among the most important skills a child must learn.A person's social facility has profound implications for nearly every facet of life in childhood and adulthood.A lack of social skills may lead directly to problems in interpersonal relationships or may interfere indirectly with optimal functioning in school, occupational, and recreational activities.Yet, as frequently noted, the training of even the most basic social skills has been almost completely neglected in American schools (Cappelen, List, Samek, & Tungodden, 2020).Researchers and clinicians have only recently begun to investigate methods of fostering specific social skills in children (Othlinghaus-Wulhorst & Hoppe, 2020).
Social skills are very necessary for children to be able to interact with others.Even the complex social skills necessary for confidence, responsiveness, and mutually beneficial interactions with others are certainly among the most important skills a child should learn (Bali, 2017).A person's social skills have profound implications on almost every facet of life both in childhood and in adulthood.Lack of social skills can lead directly to problems in interpersonal relationships or can interfere indirectly with optimal functioning at school, work, and even recreational activities and enjoying pleasure.However, based on observations and records, the training of the most basic social skills has been almost completely neglected in schools.Especially during the COVID pandemic (Martoredjo, 2013).
For more than 2 (two) years, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit almost all over the world, including Indonesia.The impact is the number of schools that are closed, limitations in social interaction, and also children's learning.When schools are closed, learning activities are entirely online.These limitations affect children's social skills.
Both parents and teachers discussed how the transition to remote learning had impacted students in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2. Participants expressed deep concerns over the negative social and emotional impacts of remote learning for students.Many teachers described how much their students missed their peers and how important social interactions are in the early primary grades (Timmons, Cooper, Bozek, & Braund, 2021).
Distance learning (online) has a Social and Emotional impact on Students, parents, and teachers.How the transition from face-to-face learning to distance learning impacts students in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2. Many children expressed deep concern over the negative social and emotional impact of distance learning on students.Many teachers describe how much their students miss their peers and how important social interaction is in kindergarten and early elementary school classes (Ford, King, Priest, & Kavanagh, 2017).
As children grow, they learn about social roles, values, and behaviors from the world around them.Parents, siblings, extended family, peers, and teachers all have a role to play in shaping a child's social skills.
Social skills are vital in enabling an individual to have and maintain positive interactions with others.Many of these skills are crucial in making and sustaining friendships.Social interactions do not always run smoothly and an individual needs to be able to implement appropriate strategies, such as conflict resolution when difficulties in interactions arise.It is also important for individuals to have 'empathy' (i.e.being able to put yourself into someone else's shoes and recognize their feelings) as it allows them to respond in an understanding and caring way to how others are feeling.
Social skills are essential in enabling individuals to have and maintain positive interactions with others.Many of these skills are essential in forging and maintaining friendships.Social interaction does not always go smoothly and an individual needs to be able to implement appropriate strategies, such as conflict resolution when difficulties in interaction arise.It is also important for individuals to have 'empathy' (i.e.being able to put themselves in someone else's shoes and recognize their feelings) as it allows them to respond in a way that understands and cares about the feelings of others.For this reason, a learning model is needed for early childhood to support the development of social skills.Because the learning model is applied to early childhood learning.Especially now in PAUD learning is carried out through limited face-to-face, so there is a tendency when face-to-face focuses on academic development only.For this reason, a learning model is needed that can support the development of children's social skills (Munawaroh, Hartati, Kuswantono, Faradiba, & Yahya, 2022).
The first study to examine the causal impact of early childhood education on the social preferences of children.We compare children who, at 3-4 years old, were randomized into either a full-time preschool, a parenting program, or a control group.We returned to the children when they reached 6-8 years of age and conducted a series of incentivized experiments to elicit their social preferences.We find that early childhood education has a strong causal impact on social preferences.Our findings highlight the importance of taking a broad perspective when designing and evaluating early childhood educational programs (Cappelen et al., 2020).
There is a causal impact on early childhood education with children's social preferences.The above research shows that early childhood education has a strong causal impact on social preferences.These findings highlight the importance of taking a broad perspective when designing and evaluating early childhood education programs.The a need to develop a learning model in early childhood that flexibly supports face-to-face and online learning according to the child's choice.So even though a child chooses online learning, various skills and knowledge still develop optimally (Hikmah, 2022).Based on the results of a survey conducted by Oternborn the Survey results revealed a high degree of engagement with digital tablets in preschools, with activities directed toward various subject-related, social, and generic skills.Programming, invention, construction and creation, problem-solving, and design emerged saliently as tablet activities in technology subject areas.Opportunities for providing meaningful learning tasks and digital adaptability were seen as pedagogical benefits of using tablets, but increasing expectations to integrate tablet activities with an accompanying lack of digital skills were expressed as limitations.Teachers' recommendations for future tablet use included defining clearer curriculum guidelines for tablet implementation and adequate training for acquiring digital competence (Otterborn, Schönborn, & Hultén, 2019).
The survey results revealed a high level of engagement with digital tablets in preschool education, with activities geared towards a range of subject-related, social, and general skills.Programming, invention, construction and creation, problem-solving, and design emerged prominently as tablet activities in the subject area of technology.
Opportunities to deliver meaningful learning assignments and digital adaptability are seen as pedagogical benefits of tablet use, but expectations of integrating tablet activities with teachers' limited digital skills are difficult to implement.On that basis, if children's social skills want to develop optimally, learning programs both offline and online must be accompanied by digital skills teachers.In addition, it requires patience from educators and parents who interact with children.
Children, who are studying in playgroups, kindergartens, and elementary schools today, are Generation Alpha, who are close to Information Technology (IT).They can access and absorb various information.In addition to school, parents also play a role in the social-emotional development of children.Therefore, a learning model that can optimize the social-emotional abilities of children is needed.The social problems of children today are quite concerning (Sihadi & Kuswantono, 2020).
Children studying in playgroups, kindergartens, and elementary schools today are Generation Alpha, which is close to Information Technology (IT).They can access and absorb various information through digital technology.Early childhood who study at this ECCE institution is the Alpha Generation where he is amid advanced information technology in its golden age.They have known the world of technology and the internet from an early age and are also known as digital natives.This makes online learning already familiar to them.However, on the other hand, the learning presented today by ECCE educators is not interesting according to their interests.This happens because of the limited ability of educators to design learning and provide digital media that interests children.So that the learning held is not by the expected goals.A solution is needed to motivate children's learning and develop children's social skills in the midst of limited online and face-to-face learning.
HyFlex learning is a potential answer to this problem.However, there has not been much research into this mode of instruction.Studies on HyFlex have looked at HyFlex from the perspective of student attendance, engagement, and performance.Miller, Riser, and Griffiths (2013) found that students in HyFlex courses enjoyed the flexibility and that the technology-enhanced student participation.They found that the students in the course overall found HyFlex to be an effective mode of instruction, but that more research was needed.However, the scope of this research is limited in comparison to online and blended learning (Howell, 2022).
HyFlex learning is a potential answer to apply to limited face-to-face learning.However, there hasn't been much research on this way of teaching, especially in early childhood.Studies on HyFlex have looked at HyFlex from the perspective of student attendance, engagement, and performance.Miller, Riser, and Griffiths (2013) found that students in HyFlex learning enjoy flexibility and that technology increases student participation.They found that students in the course as a whole found HyFlex to be an effective mode of instruction, so it needs more research, especially for current wholeness.

Research Methods
This research was conducted with an educational research and development approach (Bord and Gall, 2003).

Research Context
This research was conducted in Jakarta.This area was chosen because this area is quite strategic and reachable.The existing ECCE teachers are quite enthusiastic and have a high commitment to optimizing children's growth and development, especially in optimizing children's social and emotional.Parents in this region can also be invited to cooperate in optimizing children's growth and development so that a prototype of developing a model involving people can be done.In addition, based on a survey conducted by the author on social-emotional competence which includes social skills, problematic behavior, academic competence, recognizing and managing emotions, emotional regulation, and emotional expression in children aged 4-6 years in DKI Jakarta during 2018, it was found that the average child in DKI has sufficient results and there are still some who are still lacking, So an intervention model (learning activities) is needed that helps children train their social emotions.These activities should be integrated with learning at school and involve parents at home.

Sample
Samples were taken from children aged 4-6 years.Research subjects will fill in their data, children's data, be involved in program development and educators are given training for the application of learning models with parental involvement.Parents involved with ECCE institution programs are given direction from ECCE institutions and monitoring program implementation is carried out through filling out program implementation assessment sheets.The sample in this study was early childhood

Procedure
This research is a development research.To see the feasibility of the model, an evaluation of the model was carried out through trials.The steps of evaluation research include (1) Clarification of the reasons for conducting the evaluation; (2) Choose an evaluation model; (3) Identify the parties concerned; (4) Determination of the components to be evaluated; (5) Prepare evaluation schedules and activity schedules; (6) Data collection and analysis; (7) Reporting of evaluation results (David Strahan at al. in Sukmadinata, 2009;p.132).

Empirical Model
The empirical model used in this study was to evaluate the social-emotional learning model with parental involvement.The qualitative data obtained is then reprocessed to see the percentage value of the effectiveness of the social-emotional learning model using the following formula: P = (∑χ)/n X 100% Information: P = Effectiveness of social-emotional learning model ∑χ = Number of scores obtained by research subjects n = Maximum score (Anas Sudjono, 2003, p.318)

Description of Statistics
The description of the research data can be seen in Diagrams 1 and 2 of the figure describing statistical data on the application of social and emotional learning models with parental involvement in East Jakarta.

Results and Discussion
Based on the trial activities carried out in the field, the results of testing the teacher and parent program are interested in the program made by the author.But to be applied in schools still waiting for normal learning conditions.Based on the results of trials conducted with digital media that have been developed by the author, based on trials of activities carried out in the field, the results of testing the teacher and parent programs are interested in the program made by the author.Based on the results of trials conducted with the hyperflex learning model that the author has developed, the results can be described as follows:

Conclusion
Social skills are behaviors that encourage positive interactions with others.Teaching children social skills is one of the most complex aspects of parenting, but the benefits will be felt as children become adults.Early childhood is naturally egocentric.Even when playing or interacting with others, many children have difficulty sharing, empathizing, collaborating, and cooperating.Children develop skills to play alongside others, to play collaboratively, and to form special friendships during their early childhood years.Teaching children social skills is an important part of the early childhood learning journey.
The development of social skills in early childhood is the task of adults, especially parents and early childhood educators.So that children can grow and develop properly.The learning model developed by the author is a hyflex learning model to develop social skills.Through the application of this model, schools and parents work together to optimize children's social skills.The implementation of this learning model in schools through play activities that are specifically designed and designed to develop children's social skills.Development tools are used through Hyflex learning by utilizing face-toface play activities at school and existing digital facilities such as digital whiteboards and pallets for those who learn online.Based on the results of the experiments that the author conducted, it can be concluded that this model is feasible to be used to teach social skills.