Influences of sociocultural factors on Indonesian children's self-regulation and its effects on school readiness

This study aims to explain the influences of sociocultural factors (parent engagement and student-teacher relationship) on Indonesian children's self-regulation and its influence on school readiness. The research approach used a quantitative method with a multistage cluster sampling technique and a data collection method used multisource-multimethod. The participants of this study consisted of 179 preschool children aged 6–7 years who came from lower economic groups in Indonesia, 179 mothers as parents of participant children and 28 kindergarten teachers as teachers of participant children. Data was obtained through several instruments that were considered valid and reliable in the trial stage, namely: preschool self-regulation assessment (PSRA), elementary school readiness instrument, parental involvement scale and student-teacher relationship scale (STRS). The results of the study concluded that parental engagement and student-teacher relationships as sociocultural factors could influence the development or inhibition of children's self-regulation which will then affect children's readiness to enter elementary school. Parent engagement played an important role in shaping children's self-regulation in the Indonesian context, where cultural values emphasize respect, obedience, and social harmony. The aspects of warmth and sensitivity, autonomy support and active participation in learning also support children's self-regulation in terms of emotional control, self-control, self-autonomy, self-motivation and focus of attention. The student-teacher relationship is positively correlated with school readiness directly but has not been proven to positively influence children's self-regulation. However, the findings in this study concluded that the student-teacher relationship was still perceived as formal relations in the school context. This study concludes the key finding of culture as a factor that influences children's self-regulation. Thus, to develop children's self-regulation from pre-school age and prepare them to school readiness, we need to create positive parental engagement and close relationship between teachers and students.