Children's behavioral problems in kindergarten: Impact of time of day and activity type

In this study the extent to which time of day (morning, midmorning, and noon) and type of activity affect children’s behavioral problems (BPs) was examined in the context of a Kuwaiti kindergarten. The sample consisted of 98 children identified by their teachers as having behavioral problems, based on teachers’ observation. Two instruments were used: the Observational Daily Card (ODC) developed by the researcher and the List of Children’s Problems at Kindergarten (LCPK; Yaseen, Ahmad, & Hamadah, 2000). Results show that aggression tends to be the major problem followed by extensive movement and stubbornness. Crying and chattiness were found to cause the least problems. In addition, midmorning was found to be the time most affecting the children’s behavioral problems. Results indicate that Kuwaiti boys showed significantly more aggressive behavior than did girls, while there were no significant differences between them in other behavioral problems.