Abstract:
The purposes of this research are as follows: 1) To study Executive Function which is necessary for the development in 4 to 6-year-old children 2) To determine criteria for distinguishing toy books’ contents which are appropriate for the development of Executive Function in 4 to 6-year-old children. The subjects were 30 children who are 4 to 6-year-old studying in alternative schools. The questionnaire was conducted to acquire two sections of information as follows: 1) Data derived from twenty specialists who have longer than three years of teaching experiences in alternative schools. The questionnaire was scored from 1-5; in accordance with the Rating Scale by Likert, to facilitate the experts’ evaluation of Executive Function which is necessary for the development in 4 to 6-year-old children. 2) Data derived from specialists, three in total, who have more than five years experiences in Children’s Literature and other relevant fields. The collection of data is conducted in the form of an interview. The opinions for the Executive Function which are necessary for the development in 4 to 6-year-old children, given by the experts are resulted as follows: 1) The most important skill for contributing Executive Function which is necessary for the development in 4 to 6-year-old children is “Emotional Control” averagely valued 4.5 and “Goal-Directed Persistence” valued 4.3, respectively. 2) The suggestions, given by the experts, about appropriate contents for the development in 4 to 6-year-old children are distinct separations of each aspect in Management Thinking Skills or Executive Function into one book. The contents which should be cultivated, in terms of “Emotional Control”, are the abilities to control and suppress one’s own anger. The protagonist should express his emotion clearly, therefore, the story could end up where the protagonist must repay as a consequence. For “Goal-Directed Persistence” aspect, the aim is to instruct the children to accomplish the given assignments. The protagonist must express his effort which is, distinctly, seen as “good actions leads to good consequences."
