Problems Encountered in Teaching Kindergarten and Teachers' Coping Strategies

Kindergarten education plays a crucial role in shaping a child's future academic success, yet teachers often face challenges such as diverse learning styles, classroom behavior issues, curriculum constraints, and limited parental involvement. This study, conducted in the Division of Cagayan de Oro City during the 2023-2024 school year, aimed to assess the problems faced by kindergarten teachers and their coping strategies. It involved 160 teachers from various districts, using a descriptive-correlational approach and a survey instrument to gather data. Statistical tools such as descriptive analysis, Pearson's correlation, and t-tests were applied. Findings revealed that teachers struggled with managing student behavior, organizing classrooms, and engaging parents. To cope, teachers most frequently used both emotion-focused and problem-focused strategies. The study also found a significant relationship between the problems teachers faced and the coping strategies they employed, with variations based on teachers' educational backgrounds. Based on these results, it was recommended that teachers participate in professional development programs to better manage classroom challenges.