Effectiveness of an Interactive Media-Based Contextual Learning Model in Improving Discipline Character among Early Childhood Children at Panca Budi Kindergarten

Abstract

Discipline education in early childhood still tends to be one-way and instructional, so that children’s compliance is driven more by external pressure than by self-awareness. This study aims to describe the discipline character of children aged 5–6 years before and after the implementation of the Contextual Learning Model (Contextual Play) Based on Interactive Media, and to analyze its effectiveness. The study used a quantitative approach with a one-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental design. The subjects were all children in Group B at Panca Budi Kindergarten, Medan (N = 22; total sampling). Data were collected using a rating-scale observation sheet with five discipline indicators (punctuality, waiting for one’s turn, tidying up materials, rule compliance, and self-control; total score 5–20) and were analyzed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, the paired-samples t-test, and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test at a significance level of 0.05. The mean score increased from 8.23 (SD = 1.48) at the pretest to 17.86 (SD = 1.52) at the posttest. The data in both conditions were normally distributed (p = 0.424 and p = 0.117), and the difference test showed a highly significant difference, t(21) = 62.19; p < 0.001, which was corroborated by the Wilcoxon test (p < 0.001). All 22 children showed an increase in total score, and all five indicators improved significantly; the smallest increase occurred in the tidying-up indicator. These findings support the effectiveness of the Contextual Learning Model, although the absence of a control group limits causal inference. The results provide a basis for developing a guidebook and for replication in other early childhood education institutions.