Improving Coping Skills and Promoting Social and Emotional Competence in Pre-Schoolers: A Pilot Study on COPE-R Program

Authors

• Dominique Pang University of Melbourne, Australia
• Erica Frydenberg University of Melbourne, Australia
• Rachel Liang University of Melbourne, Australia
• Jan Deans University of Melbourne, Australia
• Liying Su University of Melbourne, Australia

Keywords:

preschoolers, group intervention, social-emotional competence, coping skills

Abstract

Developing children’s ability to manage or cope with difficult situations and problems at a young age prepares them for future challenges, and enables them to experience greater success in life. Positive social interactions and self-regulation of emotions are two key competencies in helping a child cope effectively. This paper reports the change in the coping strategies that four to five years old preschool children demonstrated in challenging situations, and in behaviours that reflected their social emotional competence, after participating in a five-week teacher-led COPE-R program. The COPE-R program focuses on developing empathy and prosocial skills in young children. The outcome of the program was evaluated based on the development of social and emotional competence, measured by rating scales completed by parents and teachers. In addition, the development of coping skills was evaluated based on young children’s personal responses to six age-appropriate challenging situations through a semi-structured interview, and by rating scales completed by parents and teachers. The results of this pilot study provide support for the benefits of an early childhood program such as COPE-R, which promotes development in preschoolers’ social-emotional competence as well as their repertoire of coping strategies in challenging situations.