THE ROLE OF PRESCHOOL ENTREPRENEURS IN MINIMIZING EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS AMONG PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN KELANTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.829047Keywords:
Emotional And Behavioural Difficulties, Early Childhood Management, Biopsychosocio-Environmental Framework, Preschool LeadershipAbstract
Emotional and behavioural problems (EBP) in early childhood are linked to adverse academic, social and long-term mental health outcomes. While existing research mainly focuses on child-level factors, parenting practices and classroom interventions, limited attention has been given to preschool entrepreneurs as organisational leaders who influence institutional climate, teacher practices and preventive support systems. Leadership studies in early childhood education have largely concentrated on formal administrative or Western institutional models, with insufficient exploration of culturally embedded entrepreneurial leadership in non-Western contexts. This gap limits the application of the biopsychosocio-environmental model beyond individual-level analysis to organisational leadership processes. This qualitative study examined how preschool entrepreneurs in Kelantan help minimise EBP by using the biopsychosocio-environmental model as a guiding framework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight preschool entrepreneurs and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings identified four interconnected leadership domains: i) creating nurturing learning environments, ii) providing structured emotional regulation support and empathic leadership practices, iii) strengthening organisational capacity through strategic leadership, and iv) fostering systemic multi-stakeholder collaboration. These domains interact to create a preventive organisational mechanism in which emotional security, developmental alignment and coordinated professional support collectively to reduce behavioural risks. The study extends the biopsychosocio-environmental model to the organisational leadership context of early childhood education and highlights the importance of integrating entrepreneurial leadership into policy, training and regulatory frameworks aimed at promoting children’s emotional and behavioural well-being.
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