UNAIR NEWS – Orphanage is a place that serves as a family substitute for disadvantaged children. So, in addition to provide the physical, psychological or social needs of foster children, the institution must also be able to build positive character and behavior.
According to Dr. Nurul Hartini, S.Psi., M. Kes., Psychologist, one of the simple learning processes that can build the quality of human resources at an orphanage early on is clean and healthy life behaviors (PHBS). These habits are expected to form positive habits in children.
“Positive habits that are instilled early on will be able to build a positive personality in children,” said the lecturer of Faculty of Psychology, UNAIR, known well as Nurul.
Besides, it is important to instill PHBS early on because there are some problems in the orphanage, such as less ideal comparison between the caregivers and the orphans, diverse characteristics and backgrounds of foster children, limited financial support and infrastructure compared to the number of foster children, and different competency interests and backgrounds of caregivers.
There are several habits that need to be taught to foster children, the habit of bathing and brushing teeth twice a day, washing hair twice a week, combing and dressing neatly to school, washing hands before eating, washing hands and feet before going to sleep, and cutting nails once a week. “In our research, an effective learning method to develop PHBS in orphanages is through a peer group approach due to the limited amount of influence,” she continued.
There are several peer groups at the orphanage based on age of development. For example, pre-school age groups, primary school age groups, and middle school age groups.
The middle school age group is a higher age group than the other foster age groups. Thus, this age group is given the responsibility to be a good example for younger age groups.
“Higher age groups must be able to give guidance to foster siblings in developing PHBS,” said Nurul.
Meanwhile, the teacher and caregivers play their role as parents who are responsible for all the foster children in the orphanage. Thus, the relationship that occurs in these institutions is a relationship between individuals as a family.
“In a family, every individual must be able to take a role so that the family can carry out the learning process correctly in accordance with their respective responsibilities and duties,” she concluded.
Author: Galuh Mega Kurnia
Editor : Khefti Al Mawalia
Reference : Nurul Hartini, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya – Indonesia. Good Characters Learning among Children Aged between Three Years and Six Years Old based on Clean and Healthy Life Behavior. Terbit pada Journal of Advance Research in Dynamical & Control Systems, Vol. 11, Special Issue-05, 2019. P. 1308-13012
Link : http://www.jardcs.org/abstract.php?id=1513
