The Analysis of Developing a Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) For Preschool Based on Traditional Malay Children’s Songs: A Preliminary Study

This article presents a preliminary study aimed at analyzing the development of a Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) for preschoolers based on traditional Malay children's songs. The focus of this research is to explore and assess the potential of utilizing traditional Malay children's songs to enhance creative imagination in preschool-aged children. The study is structured around three key aspects: examining the existing knowledge of preschoolers in the enhancement of creative imagination through traditional Malay children's songs, analyzing the requirements for module development, and evaluating the content and activities encompassed within the proposed module. A quantitative research approach was employed, involving the distribution of questionnaires to 33 preschool teachers. The study's findings indicate a consensus among preschool teachers on the necessity of developing a module, emphasizing the three identified aspects. In conclusion, this article underscores the importance of creating a preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) grounded in traditional Malay children's songs. The intended outcome is to fortify the pillars and content standards stipulated in the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (NPSC), particularly in the realms of physical and aesthetic development.


Introduction
The impact of globalization on the world of education has necessitated the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE) to undergo transformation in education through the Malaysia Education Development Plan 2013-2025.This transformation is carried out in line with the increasing context of international education standards.This aligns with the nation's growing aspirations to prepare the younger generation for the demands of the 21st century, as well as the rising expectations of parents and society regarding the country's education system.Within this context, the plan emphasizes six key attributes essential for every student to be competitive on a global scale.These include leadership skills, bilingual proficiency, critical thinking skills, knowledge, ethics and spirituality, and national identity, in alignment with the National Education Philosophy.Consequently, starting from the year 2014, MOE has also introduced 21st-century learning, with a particular emphasis on creative thinking alongside communication, critical thinking, and collaboration.From the characteristics of this plan and 21st-century learning, it is evident that there is a notable emphasis on fostering critical and creative thinking among children.
The early stage of childhood is a crucial period in the developmental process of all children.It is during this stage that children transition from the family environment to the social world.Children also establish themselves quite easily and successfully as members of their peer groups.Currently, they also face challenges that are often unlike anything they have encountered before.
Children are considered an asset to any nation.They are viewed as a crucial asset as they represent the future leaders of a country.Therefore, children not only need to be intelligent but also need to have good development and skills through a holistic growth process.The education that children undergo is a critical period to foster the necessary development, including creativity, and to support creative thinking, which will have an impact on the creative potential and other developments of children (Ata-Akturk & Sevimli-Celik, 2020).
According to Mohamed et al (2020), there is a shift from traditional learning to studentcentered learning in the educational system.21st Century Learning (PAK-21) prioritizes the quality and development of students through learning.The goal to address issues related to reading, writing, and arithmetic (3M) and to narrow the education gap is embedded in the Third and Fourth Core of the Education Development Master Plan (PIPP) 2013-2025.The Ministry of Education Malaysia has devised several plans to ensure that all first, second, and third-grade students master basic skills, namely reading, writing, and arithmetic (3M).
In the study conducted by Sabin and Pang (2019) titled "Early Preschool Reading Module Using Song Based on Cognitive Psycholinguistic Theory and Application of Learning Through Play," it is stated that the implementation of enjoyable teaching methods involves the use of singing and songs.The researchers emphasize the enjoyment aspect experienced by children while learning in school.Thus, using songs, children can expedite their reading abilities due to the repetitive structure of songs, making it easy for them to remember.
Through singing, children can remember things more quickly than if they were just reading.Children inherently possess strong memory capabilities.Therefore, consistent practice is necessary to aid them in language learning.Singing is considered one of the best ways to enhance children's interest in learning, as highlighted by (Aziz and Masnan, 2022).

Problem Statement
Based on the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (KSPK) review of 2017, the cultivation of imagination and creativity are two elements that are often interconnected and correlated.In the KSPK, creative thinking skills are defined as the ability to produce or create something new and valuable using original imagination.The Cross-Curricular Element (EMK) in the KSPK also discusses the connection between imagination and creativity.Creativity is considered an individual's ability to use imagination to gather, digest, and generate ideas or create something new.
According to Ariffin (2018), the success of fostering creativity in schools is based on teachers' belief in the concept of creativity itself and their teaching practices in the classroom.However, pressures from certain interested parties have led teachers to focus more on rote learning of letters and numbers (Astriya & Kuntoro, 2015).This trend has resulted in a decline in creativity at the early childhood level.This situation is concerning because the development of children's creativity begins at an early age (Kim, 2011).Alkhudhair (2014) states that current research and theories on creativity often focus on primary school children rather than preschool children.Therefore, there is a need to explore and study creativity in early childhood education, especially for children aged 0 to six years.Thus, based on the explanations and discussions above, it is time to conduct a study to produce a module that can serve as a guide for preschool teachers to ensure the development of children's imagination and subsequently creativity can be enhanced more clearly, systematically, and planned.
The cultivation of a creative and innovative culture among preschool children largely depends on the teaching practices of educators in creative education, such as task autonomy, feedback assessment, and recognition (Chein & Hui, 2010).Thus, fostering creativity among children demands sincerity and high commitment from teachers.However, studies indicate that some teachers prefer students who exhibit non-creative traits such as obedience and unquestioning acceptance, even resorting to imposing penalties on children to control classroom discipline (Ali & Madon, 2014).Jingbo and Elicker (2005) stated that teachers provide negative responses in 80 percent of observed incidents when children express their own ideas.In addition, Al Thani (2010) has mentioned that preschool teachers often fail to incorporate creative thinking skills into their teaching.Weaknesses in teaching practices can influence the social, cognitive, and creative development of children, ultimately impacting their readiness for school (Roopnarine & Johnson, 2009).Dababneh, Ihmeideh and Al-Omari (2010) emphasize that empirical studies specifically related to creativity in preschool children are lacking and often overlooked.Therefore, the researchers take the initiative to study the relationship between teaching practices and the imaginative creativity of preschool children to contribute to the literature and fill the existing gap, namely the scarcity of empirical studies on the creativity of preschool children as a study sample.Furthermore, it is hoped that this study will contribute to the improvement of the quality of preschool teacher pedagogy and, consequently, stimulate the development of children's creativity.
Zoltan Kodaly, a music educator from Hungary, suggested the use of folk music when teaching children in schools because such music is considered the mother tongue of children's music (Choksy, 1988).Folk music can evoke a sense of belonging to the singer and listener, connecting them to something greater than themselves, such as family and community (Weidknecht, 2011).Since folk music often revolves around environmental themes like sounds of animals around them, it can aid in the overall development of children more easily.Folk music also helps children quickly memorize, absorb, and respond in their own creative ways.

Objective
This study aims to conduct a preliminary investigation on the analysis of the needs for the development of a module for enhancing creative imagination (PIK) in preschool, based on traditional Malay children's songs.

Methodology
This study comprises three main phases: the Needs Analysis Phase, the Design and Development Phase, and the Implementation and Evaluation Phase.The research framework is based on the Design and Developmental Research (DDR) or module development pioneered by (Richey & Klein, 2014).The DDR framework is utilized by the researcher as the foundational framework to develop a creative imagination enhancement module (PIK) for preschool based on traditional Malay children's songs.The models used in this study include the Cecil creativity model, the Kolb learning model, and the model of activities using traditional Malay children's songs for enhancing preschool creative imagination.
The preliminary study for the Needs Analysis Phase is carried out to identify problems, obtain information about module details and specifications from teachers.Therefore, before developing the module, a preliminary needs analysis study is conducted to understand the likelihood of problems occurring and to solve problems within a more specific scope.The findings and suggestions from these preliminary needs analysis study is used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire instrument used in the study and to identify the extent to which the questionnaire items can be understood and correctly interpreted by the study sample before being used in the actual study.
The questionnaire instrument is adapted from another researcher (Ariffin, 2018).The instrument in this phase is a set of questionnaires specifically designed to answer the research questions posed.The questionnaire is divided into four sections: Section A (demographics), Section B (module construction needs), Section C (module content needs), and Section D (use of traditional Malay children's songs).The study respondents consist of 33 preschool teachers selected through purposive sampling based on criteria, namely teachers who implement the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (KSPK) at their schools.This study was conducted in the Hulu Selangor District, Selangor State, and respondents were provided with the questionnaire through the Google Form application (Adelia et al., 2021).
The findings of this section will determine whether traditional Malay children's songs are suitable for use in the construction of this model.This section contains seven related statements and requires teachers to indicate their level of agreement with these statements.

Research Findings
Through the implementation of the preliminary needs analysis study, several significant elements were identified through the distribution of questionnaires to preschool teachers.Data for this questionnaire instrument were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26.0.Readings of the minimum score per questionnaire item were analyzed based on Fernandes (2017) as shown in Table 1.
Table 1.1 Cronbach's Alpha Values for the Needs Analysis Phase Figure 1.1 illustrates the distribution respondents who completed the questionnaire based on gender.In the female category, the number of respondents who completed the questionnaire is 97.1%, while in the male category, the number of respondents who completed the questionnaire is 2.9%.After obtaining the data, an analysis was conducted to determine the Cronbach's alpha value.The recorded Cronbach's alpha value is 0.972, as shown in Table 3.5.This indicates that the questionnaire is suitable for administration to obtain genuine data from the respondents.

Discussion
Overall, this pilot study was conducted to assess the reliability of the research for the development of a teaching module to enhance the understanding and acceptance attitudes of preschool students towards balanced nutrition.Based on the results of the pilot study, the reliability of the questionnaire items is at a high and very high level.Thus, the questionnaire items can be understood and interpreted by preschool teachers in terms of language clarity and question format.In general, preschool teachers are positive and agree with the need for module development in implementing nutrition-related teaching and learning.The need for a preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs.
Teachers also believe that the use of traditional Malay children's songs taught in preschool classrooms helps students tend to enhance creative imagination through focused activities.
The role of teachers in implementing learning related to traditional Malay children's songs for preschoolers is crucial.The developed module needs to consider the problems faced by teachers and existing needs so that the produced module can meet the teachers' requirements.However, the desire to achieve goals for behavior change and other educational goals requires skills from teachers.Therefore, teachers need to master the curriculum and have knowledge in teaching education (Contento et al., 1995) To ensure effective teaching, teachers must achieve a high level of understanding using various effective teaching techniques to ensure that children receive accurate and easily understood information (Mahmudiono et al., 2022).Lack of information to assess student performance and a shortage of teaching aids need to be overcome to have an impact on the effective implementation of the curriculum.The use of learning modules as a teaching aid can help teachers deliver learning by applying play-based learning methods.
Hence, in the context of this study, the construction of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs is seen as one of the increasingly popular and enjoyable teaching and learning methods.The usability of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs as a teaching and learning medium has been widely applied in various fields such as Malay language learning, English language learning, and Islamic education.
Learning the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs with this sequential learning style can help teachers align with the preschool creative imagination enhancement style based on traditional Malay children's songs.Furthermore, this study also aims to observe the overall and integrated development of children in various aspects through a safe and fertile learning environment through a fun, creative, and meaningful approach.The goal is also to prepare children who are capable and ready to handle any challenges and responsibilities in elementary school later.

Implications of the Study
This study provides an overview that teachers are the primary medium to help enhance the creative imagination of preschool children.

Conclusion
The preliminary needs analysis study required the researcher to gather information about the context and situation of the study from teachers who are also the target users of the module.In this study, the researcher collected information about the existing practices of teachers and their needs so that the obtained information could assist the researcher in producing a module capable of solving the existing problems faced by teachers.The results of the preliminary needs analysis study found that the need for the development of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs is to help teachers implement teaching and learning related to balanced nutrition more effectively.
The study findings indicate that most teachers agree with the need for the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs as a teaching aid to expose preschool children to traditional Malay children's songs and enhance their imagination and creativity.Through this study, it provides an overview that teachers are the primary medium that can help enhance the creative imagination of preschool children.Therefore, teachers need guidance and references.This is consistent with the findings of the preliminary needs analysis study that will be used by the researcher as a guide to implement improvements and further design and develop the module in the next module development phase.Based on the overall findings of this study, the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs has the potential to be developed for use by preschool teachers to ensure the achievement of the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (KSPK) goals in developing the comprehensive and integrated potential of students, especially focusing on the development of children's creativity and aesthetics.

Figure 1
Figure 1.1:Total respondents who answered the questionnaire by category.

Table 1 . 2 Table of Minimum
Score of Tendency Level (Landell 1977) Distribution of Minimum Scores and Standard Deviations for the Needs Questionnaire on the Construction of the Preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module Based on Traditional Malay Children's Songs Based on the overall minimum score values stated in the table above, the overall result is Strongly Agree (SA).Respondents strongly agree with the construction of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs.
The table above shows the overall analysis of minimum scores and standard deviations for the needs of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs.
The development of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs is a guide that can be used by preschool teachers to build understanding and acceptance attitudes of preschool children towards the use of traditional Malay children's songs.This indicates that the most effective teaching method to assist teachers in delivering learning is through the provision of a comprehensive learning module containing suitable activities for preschool children.Guidance from the module allows teachers to be always prepared to continue applying teaching to preschool children.Furthermore, to achieve the goals of the National Preschool Standard Curriculum (KSPK) in developing the overall and integrated potential of children, the Ministry of Education Malaysia (KPM) as the curriculum developer is expected to make the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs as a guide for preschool teachers in implementing teaching and learning.The implications of this study also found that the development of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs still needs attention and requires more in-depth research.Future researchers are expected to use this study as a guide to conduct further research with a larger number of respondents involving a more extensive study area to determine the level of needs for the development of the preschool Creative Imagination Enhancement Module (PIK) based on traditional Malay children's songs in the preschool stage more accurately and clearly.In addition, to ensure that all children aged four to six are knowledgeable and apply traditional children's songs, it is hoped that further research on the theme of traditional children's song education will also be conducted in private preschools to produce more comprehensive research.The findings of this study are expected to be generalized to all schools under Ministry of Education and private preschools.