Learning Strategies in Early Childhood Language Development during the Covid-19 Pandemic

: This study aims to determine learning strategies in early childhood language development during the Covid-19 pandemic. The focus of the research is the learning strategies applied by teachers in developing the language of children aged 5-6 years during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research was conducted in Al-Muthamainnah Islamic Integrated Kindergarten, Jambi City. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach using data collection methods of observation, interviews, and documentation. Data analysis techniques include data reduction, data presentation, and concluding. The data reliability test was carried out by extending the participation of researchers in the field, accuracy of observations, triangulation of data, availability of references, and advisory consultations. The results showed that the learning strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic could be implemented well even though there were still some obstacles. The online learning strategy that is implemented in the Al-Muthmainnah Islamic Kindergarten in Jambi City shows a positive influence on the language development of early childhood. It can be concluded that the learning strategies implemented in Al-Muthmainnah Islamic Kindergarten in Jambi City can develop children's language skills. Theoretically, this research has implications for choosing the right learning strategy to be applied during the Covid-19 pandemic.

IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 04 April 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 614 2014). Language is the most important aspect that must be mastered in learning (Wicaksono, 2016). Good understanding and mastery of language will help a person understand whatever other people say (Lanani, 2013). Early childhood language development is a crucial thing that must be considered (Suardi, Ramadhan, & Asri, 2019). Early childhood is considered the initial stage and the main foundation in the process of introducing and applying knowledge (Isna, 2019). Therefore, a good understanding of language is also very necessary to impart knowledge and increase children's potential. The application of appropriate learning strategies in developing children's language at this age has a positive correlation (Khotijah, 2016). The Covid-19 pandemic period succeeded in causing limitations in the implementation of learning activities. This condition requires educators to be more creative in innovating and finding appropriate and applicable learning strategies to develop early childhood language during the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to Narsa (2014), a strategy is a tool, arrangement of plans, and methods used to complete a job. Meanwhile, according to Prasetya & Ahmadi, (2005), strategies in terms of learning can be interpreted as an approach in delivering material from a teacher to students in a learning environment. Learning strategies can be selected and used contextually according to the characteristics of students, school conditions and the surrounding environment, and the learning objectives to be achieved. Suhana (2014), also adds that the function of using strategy is part of the process to achieve certain goals.
Philosophically, the learning process that occurs throughout human life shows that learning activities are carried out by learners of various ages with very different learning methods and characteristics. Therefore it is necessary to review the understanding of learning from various points of view, namely learning in general and understanding in the context of early childhood. Hernawan (2018) explains that learning is a change in behavior that is formed from the experiences that have been made. Zaini (2016) identifies that the meaning of learning is divided into two, namely: learning that is carried out with a certain path so that it can develop all the potential possessed by students to become human beings who have noble character and good personality. While learning is not carried out with a certain path, the learning is only an adjustment to recognize the environment.
Strategies in terms of learning can be interpreted as an approach in delivering material from a teacher to students in a learning environment. According to Supentanginingrum (2013), learning strategies can be selected and used contextually according to the characteristics of students, school conditions, and the surrounding environment, as well as the learning objectives to be achieved. According to Fatimah & Kartikasari (2018), the learning strategy has four main components, namely: 1. The arrangement of learning activities, which is in the form of an arrangement of activities to deliver the content of the lesson to be carried out by educators (teachers) and students (students). 2. Learning methods, namely methods or ways of educators in organizing subject matter with students to achieve an effective learning atmosphere. 3. Instructional media, namely in the form of instructional tools and materials that can be used to assist and facilitate learning activities. 4. Time used in completing step by step in learning activities.
According to experts, there are several learning strategies commonly applied to early childhood. The first learning strategy is learning through play. This is as stated by Hewi & Asnawati (2020), that playing is the main activity of children to learn and explore their experiences so that children have new knowledge. Games in early childhood learning can be in the form of games that are fun and appropriate for their age (Vitianingsih, 2016). In addition to games, it can also be in the form of role-playing to foster social sensitivity in early childhood (Siska, 2011). In his research, Nurdiani (2013) said that the playing method can increase the multiple intelligence of early childhood.
The next learning strategy in early childhood is learning through storytelling. This method has been done by Yulianingsih, et al. (2020) to educate early childhood about the COVID-19 disease, with good results. Likewise, Ningsih (2013), in her research, also stated that the method of loyalty can be used to improve speaking skills in early childhood. The story learning method can also increase the sense of empathy for early childhood. This is in line with Setiantono's research (2012) that learning through stories can increase students' sense of empathy and foster mutual respect for fellow students and students and teachers.
The next learning strategy in early childhood is through singing. This is as explained by Susilawati (2014), that singing is an alternative method in early childhood learning to improve language skills. By singing, children's abilities develop relatively faster because they are supported by the physical environment. According to Suryaningsih (2016), the singing method in early childhood learning is also able to stimulate children's language development. This is also by Tiurma's (2012) suggestion that in early childhood education, singing is an effective method. In addition to increasing children's motivation to learn, it can also improve learning outcomes to be achieved. The next learning method or strategy that is considered suitable for early childhood learning is integrated learning. This is as stated by Trianto (2013) that thematic (integrated) learning is one of the learning methods that can be used in early childhood education. Suryana (2017), at the end of his research, also suggests that it is necessary to develop integrated thematic teaching materials to develop the abilities of early childhood students from the start. Thus, it is clear that integrated learning can be applied IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 04 April 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 615 to early childhood learning and has a positive impact on their development. For this reason, it is necessary to develop integrated learning methods or strategies that are adapted to the situation and conditions of the school/learning environment. According to the Permendiknas, the scope of early childhood language development, the age range of five to six years, includes first accepting language, secondly expressing language, and thirdly literacy. Khaironi (2018), said that early childhood experiences a development process in several aspects. One of the most important aspects that must be developed in early childhood is language (Khotijah, 2016). The desire of children to express, hear and understand something that children need can be categorized as language activities in children (Khotijah, 2016), (Rosalina, 2014) and (Delfita, 2009). Drawing activities and reading exercises are processes to hone language skills so that they are better (Ariyati, 2014).
Language skills possessed by children, their development can be measured and observed. The Minister of Education has issued policy number 137 of 2014 to measure the development of language skills in children, especially children aged 5-6 years. Indicators to measure the development of children's language skills are called the Child Development Achievement Level Standards (STPPA). For this reason, language development in early childhood needs to be developed in a planned and measured manner, through the use of appropriate strategies. In this COVID-19 pandemic situation, of course, teachers have different learning strategies compared to normal situations.
According to the description above, the focus of this research is to answer the following questions: 1) what are the learning strategies in early childhood language development ?, 2) what are the obstacles to implementing learning strategies in early childhood language development ?, and 3) how effective group B early childhood language development strategy during the Covid-19 pandemic?

METHOD
This research was conducted with a qualitative descriptive approach. Data collection was carried out in natural settings (natural conditions), primary data sources and data collection techniques were mainly participant observation, in-depth interview, and documentation. This research was conducted in class B or class Al-Haliim TK Islam Terpadu Al-Muthmainnah. The time needed to carry out this research is about 4 months, starting from September 2020 to completion. This is in line with the opinion of Sugiyono (2016), which states that qualitative data analysis is carried out continuously since the first data is obtained at the beginning of the research data is analyzed to formulate problems and research focus. When the research was taking place, data analysis was carried out to sharpen the focus and check the validity of the data. Furthermore, in the final phase of the research, data analysis was carried out to make conclusions. In this study, the process of collecting and analyzing data was carried out in the steps of qualitative data analysis proposed by Miles and Huberman, namely (1). data reduction, (2). data presentation (data display), and (3). Conclusion withdrawal (verification).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, the teaching and learning process at TKIT Al-Muthmainnah was running like a school in general. The school implements a face-to-face learning system with a frequency of meeting 5 times a week, from Monday to Friday. Learning activities start from 07. 30 -11.45 WIB in the TKIT Al-Muthmainnah building. Class B or so-called Al-haliim class consists of 21 students, with 8 and 13 boys, respectively. Based on the results of an interview with a teacher who acted as a homeroom teacher, he explained that teaching and learning activities before the pandemic were carried out regularly in class. Students can interact directly with their friends and teachers.

TKIT Al-Muthmainnah's Class B Learning Strategy during the Covid-19 Pandemic
TKIT Al-Muthmainnah also implements an online learning system as a solution to government policies regarding distance learning. Based on the results of the interview with Ms. Siti Halimah as the homeroom teacher of class B or Al-Haliim, online learning is carried out using several applications, such as zoom meetings, sending learning videos to class groups on the WhatsApp application, and others. The material for online learning (online) remains the same as face-to-face learning, only fewer activities. The means used by teachers and guardians to support online learning are cellphones. Online learning schedules at TKIT Al-Muthmainnah are different from face-to-face learning. According to the teacher, learning changes every week according to the needs and time of parents. This effort is also made so that students do not get bored easily, so learning is arranged in a variety of ways. An outline of the application of the online learning strategy is as follows:

a. The use of internet-based learning media.
During the pandemic, one of the learning strategies implemented by teachers to develop students' language skills was to use onlinebased learning media, in this case, zoom meetings. The use of zoom meetings will change once a week, in the following order: (1) the first week through zoom meetings, (2) the second week through sending videos of learning materials that are presented directly by the teacher to parents in the class WhatsApp group, (3) weeks the third by sending worksheets, (4) the fourth week by sending animated videos. Learning that is done through zoom meetings is usually done 2 times a day with an intensity of 3 times a week. IJSSHR, Volume 04 Issue 04 April 2021 www.ijsshr.in Page 616 The time set for the first session is 08.00 to 09.00 WIB, while the second session is 10.00 to 11.00 WIB. These two sessions make it easier for parents to choose the right time to accompany students to study, given that many parents work.

b. Guided assignment.
Students are still given the task of making their work at home according to the learning theme and presenting it in a simple short video sent by parents through the class WhatsApp group. The giving of guided assignments as has been done by the teacher, according to some research is very good for increasing the independence of students in learning. This is as stated by Santoso (2014), that giving guided independent assignments is one of the teachers' efforts in teaching students and as a means of assessing student abilities.

Obstacles in the Implementation of Online Learning at TKIT Al-Muthmainnah.
Based on the interviews conducted with the teacher, it was found that the language development of students in class B was quite good before the Covid-19 pandemic. It's just that several things become obstacles for teachers when teaching in class. The obstacles faced by implementing online learning include:

a. Collaboration between study schedules and parents' jobs
As it is known, early childhood learning always requires adult assistance. During the COVID-19 pandemic period with learning carried out online, the main companion for students to learn is parents. However, it turns out that almost as a whole, parents of students have work to do during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, working time and student learning time occur simultaneously so that parents cannot accompany their children to study optimally. With this situation, parents provide learning assistance in the afternoon or evening. As it was known at that time, both parents and students were exhausted, so learning was less than optimal. This is in line with the results of research by Citrawathi (2020) that fatigue harms student learning expectations. Thus, the research results (Apritanti, 2014) show that fatigue affects student learning outcomes.
b. The Limited number of online learning tools. The next obstacle faced by teachers is the limited number of online learning tools. It is known that not all parents of students have adequate facilities to support the implementation of online learning. The means referred to in this study are smartphones, androids, laptops, and the internet network. Therefore, there are still some students who cannot participate in online learning well. This is in line with the results of Miski's (2015) research, that facilities and infrastructure affect student learning outcomes. This is also reinforced by the results of Puspitasari's research (2016) that facilities and infrastructure greatly affect student learning achievement. It is thus clear, that the limited means of supporting online learning is a major obstacle for teachers.

c. Parents' knowledge of online learning
Online learning or learning from home means that it requires relatively more complex parental knowledge. In addition to knowledge of the learning process, it is also knowledge of the use of online learning tools. Lack of knowledge of these two things can affect student learning outcomes. In general, the knowledge of the parents of TKIT Al-Muthmainnah students is relatively good. However, due to the lack of tools needed in online learning, this is still an obstacle in itself.

d. Unstable internet network
One of the main supporting infrastructures in online learning is the internet network. In general, in Jambi city, sometimes the internet network provided by internet service providers is not stable. This has an impact on the slow flow of learning information traffic. So, it is still found that new students can fill the evidence of learning outcomes at home at night. This situation becomes an obstacle during the implementation of online learning. To see and assess students' language development by paying attention to the learning process during class and outside of class (at home). This assessment system refers to the 2013 PAUD curriculum, where teachers or educators assess an authentic approach to students (Authentic Assessment). The teacher in the classroom takes three notes at once, including (1) daily notes, which is a checklist assessment that is carried out from the start of the learning process to completion (home from school), (2) notes on student work, namely assessments that are carried out from the beginning of the process to the end of the process. The student's work is complete), (3) anecdote notes that are done every day.

The Effectiveness of Online Learning at TKIT Al-Muthmainnah
To determine the effectiveness of online learning to develop students' language skills, measurements were taken using an assessment instrument. Assessment of student language development is carried out from only one type of note-taking, namely a daily note (checklist) of student photo and video submissions or deposits. Based on observations and interviews with homeroom teachers of class B or Al-Haliim, the development of students' language during the Covid-19 pandemic showed good progress overall. This can be seen from the achievement indicator table below: Children can answer simple questions 18 3 7.
Children can express feelings and express opinions 2 18 1 8.
Children can express approval and disagreement and their reasons 1 17 3 9.
Children can retell stories that have been heard or read 3 17 1 10.
Children can recognize animal sounds and objects around them 19 2 12.
Children can imitate letters and numbers being exemplified 16 5 Information: BB = Not Yet Developed MB = Start Developing BSH = Developing according to expectations BSB = Developed Very Well Table 2 shows the indicators of achievement of overall student development. The figure in the table shows the number of children with each of the achievement variables.  Figure 1 shows the percentage assessment of students' language development during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the diagram above, it can be seen that 6% of students develop very well and 85% of students develop according to expectations and meet the indicators of achieving language development. Meanwhile, the other 9% of students are still at the stage of starting to develop. The data was obtained from the results of observations and interviews with class B or Al-Haliim TKIT Al-Muthmainnah teachers in Jambi City.
Based on observations and interviews with teachers, it is known that students' language development using online learning methods can make good progress than face-to-face learning because students are not shackled by fear when speaking in front of the camera. The absence of audiences causes students to speak more courageously. Students become accustomed to speaking regularly because they are also used to being in front of the camera. Students are considered to be more confident in uttering sentences.
As is well known, online learning at TKIT Al-Muthmainnah uses a zoom application, learning videos containing teacher exposures, animated videos, and communication through class WhatsApp groups. The use of various variations of learning media as mentioned above shows that the digital literacy skills of teachers are relatively good. The digital literacy skills of teachers have a positive impact on the abilities of students. Mardina (2017) states that digital literacy includes: digital technology, information, multimedia, visuals (images), audio. The learning media certainly leads to audio-visual learning media. The use of audio-visual learning media carried out by the teacher has a positive impact on student learning outcomes, in this case, the student's language skills. This is in line with Wijoyo's research (2018) that the use of audio-visual media can improve student learning achievement.