Journal of Research in Peace, Gender and Development (ISSN: 2251-0036) Vol. 1(11) pp. 320-323, December 2011
Available online@ http://www.interesjournals.org/JRPGD
Copyright ©2011 International Research Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Emotional Maturity of ICDS and Non-ICDS Children: a
Comparative Study
Deepika Sharma
Department of Human Development, College of Home Science CSKHPKV Palampur
E-mail: deepika.sharma521@gmail.com
Accepted 04 November, 2011
The present investigation was undertaken to find out and compare the emotional maturity skills of
ICDS and non-ICDS children and to explore the factors affecting emotional skills of selected children.
The data were collected from two randomly selected blocks of Kangra district of H.P. A total sample
of 150 (100 ICDS and 50 non-ICDS) preschoolers in the age group of 2-6 years was randomly selected.
Standardized scale namely Emotional Maturity Scale of Children was administered to assess the
emotional skills. The collected data were tabulated, processed and analysed by employing statistical
techniques like coefficient of variation, t test, and regression analysis. The results of the study
indicated that the non-ICDS children were found significantly better than that of ICDS in the area of
emotional maturity skills. Age of the children and type of occupation of the parents showed positive
relationship with emotional maturity.
Keywords: Emotional maturity, children, ICDS.
INTRODUCTION
Emotional Maturity is a process in which the personality
is continuously striving for greater sense of emotional
health both intra psychically and intra personally. In
children, emotional development refers to the attainment
of emotional capabilities and their expansions as the child
grows. It provides children the capabilities and skills that
they need to function and survive in the society as well as
the world. It is natural to respond to everyday situations
emotionally. It is common to feel angry, sad, happy or
frightened at different times. Problems occur when
emotions are expressed inappropriately or at the wrong
times. To improve our emotional skills, we have to
increase our self awareness so as to make ourselves
emotionally matured and stable and guard ourself from
self created unwanted frustrations and problems in day to
day life.
There are many theories of emotion concerned with
various aspects of emotional responsivity, emotional
feeling and emotional expression. Some of these theories
focus on the relationship between felt emotions and
bodily states.
The emotional states of toddlers and preschoolers are
much more complex. They depend on their emerging
capacities to interpret their own personal experience and
understand what others are doing and thinking. As they
build on foundations that are established earlier, they
mature and acquire a better understanding of a range of
emotions. They also become more capable of managing
their feelings, which is one of the most challenging tasks
of early childhood. Keeping this in view the present study
was conducted in Kangra district of H.P to find out the
emotional and linguistic skills of both ICDS and non-ICDS
children and to compare the emotional maturity skills of
both ICDS and non-ICDS children and to explore the
factors affecting emotional maturity skills of selected
children.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
For the present study initially a list of Aanganwadis and
private schools was obtained from the Bhawarna and
Sulah blocks. Aanganwadis and schools were randomly
selected to constitute a sample of preschool children (100
ICDS and 50 Non-ICDS) in the age group of 2-6 years.
The dependent variable in the present study were the
Emotional Maturity and the independent variables were
age, gender, caste of respondent and educational and
Sharma 321
Table 1. Variation of ICDS respondents regarding Emotional Maturity
Mean
Male
S.D
Areas
Emotional Stability
Emotional Progression
Social Adjustment
Personality Integration
Independence
Overall
22.72
22.92
19.00
19.65
16.81
20.22
4.94
7.77
6.36
2.82
1.41
4.66
C.V
(%)
Mean
21.78
33.93
33.48
14.39
8.41
23.04
26.04
23.93
21.71
20.97
16.68
21.86
Female
S.D
9.89
7.77
12.72
12.02
9.19
10.31
C.V
(%)
38.01
32.50
58.59
57.31
55.10
47.16
Note: Figures in parentheses indicate percentages of respondents
Table 2. Variation of Non- ICDS respondents regarding Emotional Maturity
Mean
Areas
Emotional Stability
Emotional Progression
Social Adjustment
Personality Integration
Independence
Overall
29.80
26.57
24.47
24.04
19.23
24.82
Male
S.D
4.94
1.41
8.48
6.36
6.36
5.51
C.V
(%)
16.60
5.32
34.67
26.46
33.08
22.21
Mean
26.41
26.44
23.34
22.37
19.03
23.51
Female
S.D
1.41
12.72
4.94
1.41
6.36
5.37
C.V
(%)
5.35
48.13
21.20
6.32
33.43
22.85
Note: Figures in parentheses indicate percentages of respondents
occupation status of parents, type of area and family,
ordinal position and family income. Standardized scale
was used to collect data on children’s Emotional skills
namely Emotional Maturity Scale, (Singh and Bhargava,
2010). The level of Emotional Maturity was measured on
a five point scale. Assigned score values for Emotional
Maturity were given to very much, much, undecided,
probably and never as 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 respectively.
Coefficient of variance, t test and regression analysis
were used for the present study.
RESULTS
Emotional maturity is reflected through various
environmental traits like emotional stability, emotional
progression, social adjustment, personality integration
and independence, besides genetic traits. Variation in
emotional maturity parameters have been examined by
estimating the coefficient of variation. The results for the
selected male and female children of ICDS and NonICDS study area have been displayed in tables 1 to 3.
Table 1 representing the emotional maturity of ICDS
children, showed that male children were comparatively
more matured in emotional stability followed by
personality integration and independence variables,
whereas reverse was found true in female children for
emotional progression.
In case of social adjustment again male children were
found more matured than females. Overall, analysis of all
the parameters indicated that male children had more
emotional maturity as compared to female children.
Present investigation is supported by the findings of Lutz
et al. (2002).
The results pertaining to non-ICDS study area have
been displayed in table 2. A close examination of the
table indicated that female children were more matured in
emotional stability, social adjustment and in personality
integration whereas male children were more matured in
emotional progression and independence variables.
Overall as is evident from the table, it may be concluded
that mean and standard deviation values for both male
and female respondents did not differ on emotional
maturity.
The overall analysis of combined male and female
children was carried out for ICDS and non-ICDS children,
the results of which have been presented in table 3. It
may be visualized from the table that in ICDS study area
children were matured in independence and personality
integration variables whereas in non-ICDS study area
children were matured in emotional stability, social
adjustment and in emotional progression variables.
322 J. Res. Peac Gend. Dev.
Table 3. Variation of ICDS and Non- ICDS respondents regarding Emotional Maturity
Areas
Emotional Stability
Emotional
Progression
Social Adjustment
Personality
Integration
Independence
Overall
Mean
ICDS
S.D
24.22
Mean
Non-ICDS
S.D
4.94
C.V
(%)
20.43
27.86
1.41
C.V
(%)
5.07
23.38
20.22
7.77
3.53
33.26
17.48
26.43
23.72
6.36
3.53
24.07
14.90
20.25
16.76
104.8
2.82
1.41
4.10
13.96
8.43
3.91
22.90
19.13
120.04
10.60
5.65
5.51
46.31
29.56
4.59
Note: Figures in parentheses indicate percentages of respondents
Table 4. Comparison of Emotional Skills of ICDS and Non-ICDS respondents
Areas
Emotional Maturity
Mean values
ICDS
Non-ICDS
104.83
120.36
t value
3.9160*
Standard error
3.96
* Significant at 5% level
Results showed that children of ICDS study area
were more stable in emotional maturity than non-ICDS
study area.
t-value showing the area of Emotional Maturity Skills
Table 4 shows that there is a significant difference
between ICDS and non-ICDS children in the areas of
Emotional Maturity (3.91). But significant difference is
more higher in non-ICDS children in comparison to ICDS
children.
Relationship between Emotional Maturity Skills with
ecological variables
The information on this aspect was generated through
the study of coefficient of correlation of Emotional
Maturity Skills with the probable factors that can influence
them; such as, age, gender, caste, residential area,
ordinal position, education of parents, occupation of
parents, family type and income.
A reference to table 5 demonstrates that emotional
maturity that age had a posiive relationship with
emotional maturity. This shows that with age one’s
emotional maturity increases/ improves. This could be
explained on the basis of simple reason of human
personality that at younger age, if some mishaps or
unfortunate happenings take place in a family; the
children get emotional shocks quickly as compared to
adults.
Likewise, emotional maturity was influenced
negatively by caste; yet positively affected by occupation
of father and mother. Many reasons can be given in
favour of these observations such as with lower caste
children emotional maturity is more and vice versa for a
negative relationship between emotional maturity and
caste whereas growth of better mental health occurs
through better nutrition, thereby providing better
emotional maturity due to productive and profitable
occupation of both father and mother. Results of the
present study are also supported by Keithland (2000)
who revealed that family background was most
influencing factor for emotional development of child.
CONCLUSION
In ICDS study area male respondents (23.04%) had more
emotional maturity as compared to females whereas, in
non-ICDS area no difference was observed in emotional
maturity in both male and female children. Overall, results
showed that children of ICDS study area were more
stable in emotional maturity than non-ICDS study area.
Significant difference was found between ICDS and NonICDS children in the areas of emotional stability (2.79%),
emotional maturity (3.91%) and linguistic skills (9.51%).
But it is higher in non-ICDS respondents than ICDS
respondents. Ecological variables age and occupation of
father and mother had a positive significant relationship
with emotional maturity and negatively influenced by
caste.
Sharma 323
Table 5. Relationship of ecological variables with Emotional Maturity of respondents
Sr.no.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Factors
Age
Gender
Caste
Rural/Urban
Family type
Ordinal position
Education of Father
Occupation of Father
Education of Mother
Occupation of Mother
Income
Constant
Regression
coefficient
r2
34.6
102.3
121.0
112.8
107.5
121.6
107.0
95.9
103.2
95.7
105.6
.5552*
0.1069
-0.1731*
-0.0412
0.0356
-0.1473
0.0449
0.2080*
0.1135
0.2510*
.1090
.3083
0.0114
0.0300
0.0017
0.0013
0.0217
0.0020
0.0433
0.0129
0.0630
.0119
* Significant at 5% level
REFERENCES
Keithland, Campbell (2000). Assessment of social emotional
development in preschool children. Third edition Nerdham heights,
Ally and Becan, inc. US. 364-382.
Lutz MN, Fantuzzo J, McDermott P (2002). Multidimensional
assessment of emotional and behavioural adjustment problems of
low income preschool children: development and initial validation.
Early Childhood Research Quarterly 17(3) 338-355.
Singh Y, Bhargava M (2010). Emotional Maturity Scale. National
Psychological Corporation Kacheri Ghat
Agra. (Provide page
number)