The Impact of The Participatory Program on Preschool Children’s Executive Function Skills in Thailand

Abstract

Introduction: This research aimed to explore the impact of the participatory program on the executive function skills of preschool children in Thailand. A set of eight module activities was developed for the integration of health promotion and prevention of COVID-19 into the preschool's curriculum in Thailand to promote basic EF skills. Methods: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design was used to test the effectiveness of the educational intervention for promoting EF skills. A purposive sample of 60 preschool children was divided into two groups, including 30 for the experimental group and 30 for the control group. Over 8 weeks, the experimental group participated in the intervention modules, and the control group participated in the standard curriculum. EF skills were assessed using the MU-EF 101 instrument, and scores were compared within and between groups using t-testing. Results: After participating in the program, there was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) in the mean scores of the post-test for all basic EF skills among the experimental group compared to their pretest scores. Moreover, the independent t-test analysis showed that this group had significantly higher mean scores on all basic EF skills than the control group (p<0.001). The core concepts of the participatory program included age-appropriate developmental tasks, play, and learning activities with integrated health care by themselves. The core concept and participatory program support the key elements of EF and relate to the local Thai culture and context. Conclusion: Participatory programs may enhance preschool children’s EF abilities. Nurses play a crucial role as responsible individuals in promoting health, actively engaging in the integration of discipline-building activities for health care within the educational framework