Navigating Positive Discipline in Early Childhood Classrooms: Teachers’ Challenges and Experiences

Abstract

This study explored early childhood teachers’ challenges and experiences in implementing positive discipline within a natural classroom setting. Although positive discipline is widely promoted in early childhood education, most existing studies focus on behavioral strategies or program outcomes, with limited attention to how teachers enact positive discipline as an emotionally demanding, relational practice in everyday classroom interactions, especially in Indonesian contexts. Employing a qualitative single-case study design, the research was conducted at TK Aisyah Menuran, Baki, Sukoharjo, Central Java, Indonesia. Data were gathered from four purposively selected teachers through semi-structured interviews, non-participant classroom observations, and institutional document reviews, followed by reflexive thematic analysis. The findings revealed three interconnected themes: (1) balancing emotional responsiveness with behavioral boundaries through “connection before correction,” (2) managing repeated challenging behaviors using redirection and guided situation repair rather than immediate punishment, and (3) maintaining structural rule consistency while flexibly adapting communication strategies to individual child temperaments and developmental readiness. The study demonstrates that positive discipline is experienced not as a rigid set of management techniques, but as a dynamic, relational, and emotionally demanding practice. These insights extend existing literature by conceptualizing positive discipline as an ongoing process of emotional co-regulation and relational negotiation, rather than solely a classroom management toolkit. The findings emphasize the need for professional development that enhances educators’ emotional co-regulation capacities and highlight the importance of aligning home, school behavioral expectations within an ecological framework.