Praktik Kompetensi Pedagogik Guru Paud Berbasis Developmentally Appropriate Practice Dalam Pembelajaran Melalui Boneka Tangan

Objective: This study analyses how early childhood education (ECE) teachers enact pedagogical competence grounded in Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) when using hand puppets in learning. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was employed at Tunas Insan Kamil Playgroup, Serang City, Indonesia. Five purposively selected informants participated, and 23 children aged 3–4 years were observed. Data were gathered through participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, and documentation, analysed using the Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña interactive model, and validated through source and technique triangulation. Results: Pedagogical competence emerged in six interrelated practices: formulating developmentally appropriate objectives; adapting activities to children’s age, interests, focus, and abilities; sequencing activities from annual to daily plans; implementing opening, core, and closing phases flexibly; integrating hand puppets into storytelling, questioning, and role-play; and providing graded prompts and assistance. Children’s responses varied across developmental categories, which explains why teachers differentiated their support. Novelty: The study repositions hand puppets from an instructional aid to a pedagogical medium through which teachers translate the DAP principles of commonality, individuality, and context into everyday planning and interaction decisions in nonformal early childhood settings.