Enhancing children’s interest in learning through loose parts media

Abstract

To deal with early childhood’s interest in learning as a psychological aspect of a person, early childhood education (ECE) teachers should employ varied media. Learning interest is related to enthusiasm and willingness to participate in learning activities. Kuntum Mekar is an ECE unit that became a subject in this study. Their vision is to create a generation of intelligent, creative, and independent individuals; however, they face challenges in children's interest in learning activities. So, the aim of this study was to enhance the learning interest through loose parts media to increase the opportunity for stimulating all of the children's developmental aspects. This research involved 10 children aged 5–6 years and was conducted using the classroom action research (CAR) method. Two cycles are employed, including four steps: planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, and documentation. The achievement of indicators for the development of children's interest in learning through loose parts media has been successful, as expected, with a 90% achievement indicator of class. The priority of increasing children's interest in learning is essentially developing the ability of all aspects that exist in the child optimally, and loose parts media have been proven to do that. Therefore, loose parts media are recommended for early childhood teachers for enhancing children’s interest in learning.