Programme-based experiences of preschool teachers regarding support of children's social skills

Demirci Ünal Z., Erden F.

EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE, vol.193, no.6, pp.791-809, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 193 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/03004430.2022.2161534
  • Journal Name: EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND CARE
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Psycinfo
  • Page Numbers: pp.791-809
  • Keywords: Early childhood education, social skills, educational programme, educational plan, preschool teacher, self-reported practices, INTERVENTION, EDUCATION
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Providing social skills to children through an appropriate educational programme positively affects their overall development. The aim of this study was to examine the views and experiences of 13 Turkish preschool teachers working with 5-6-year-old children regarding support of children's social skills. An interview protocol was used to gather the views and self-reported practices of teachers, as well as a document review codebook was used to analyze the content of teachers' educational plans. The teachers were found to place importance on their educational programmes and regularly include social skills activities within their plans, while considering programme-based factors like gains and indicators and materials. However, the content of teachers' plans was considerably different from their self-reported practices regarding organization of the learning environment, interval of social skills activities, family involvement, and assessment. Finally, participating teachers were found to be deficient in effective planning of educational plans for promoting children's social skills.