Jerm program: an intervention to separation Anxiety among kindergarten pupils in Southern Philippines

Gonzales, Jessa Lou Subaldo

Abstract

Separation anxiety is very common and normal fear of being separated from parents. Anxieties are part of a child’s developmental milestone. When a child goes to school for the first time, mixed emotions are present. It might be exciting but fear is normal too. This study aimed to identify the separation anxiety level of Kindergarten Pupils of Sultan Kudarat, Philippines as well as the symptoms of separation anxiety in terms of cognitive, psychophysiological and behavioural conditions among kindergartens. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to study the effectiveness of the JERM Program. Respondents were classified as controlled and experimental groups. Data showed that a number of kindergartens have separation anxiety in both the experimental and controlled group in pre assessment. After the pre survey, the researcher employed the JERM program in the experimental group meanwhile the controlled group did not have any intervention to assess the effectiveness of the program employed. After the intervention both groups underwent a post survey. The researcher identified the improvement of the experimental group compared to the controlled group. The result has proven that the JERM program among kindergarten pupils has a potential in improving their cognitive, psychophysiological and behavioural aspects however the success of the program depends on how the parents and teachers are trained to employ it.

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