M.A. Theses
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Item Examining Turkish preschool teachers’ knowledge and beliefs in relation to early literacy(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in Social Sciences, 2023., 2022) Sarrafoğlu Çalışkan, Şeymanur.; Erdiller-Yatmaz, Zeynep Berna.This study aims to examine the knowledge and beliefs of preschool teachers working in Istanbul about early literacy in the 2022- 2023 academic year. In this study, correlational research method was used to determine preschool teachers' knowledge level and beliefs about early literacy. "Preschool Teachers' Beliefs on Early Literacy Scale" developed by Sandvik, Van Daal and Ade`r (2014) and adapted into Turkish by Sezgin, Ulus and Aksoy (2018) and "Early Literacy Knowledge Test" developed by Laçin (2022) were used to collect the data. 212 pre-school teachers working in public and private preschools and kindergartens affiliated to the Ministry of National Education (MEB) in Istanbul in the 2022-2023 academic year participated in this study. The results of the study indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between preschool teachers’ early literacy knowledge level based on education status, taking any early literacy course at university, institution of employment and taking phonological awareness training. Also, the results indicate that there is a statistically significant difference between preschool teachers’ early literacy beliefs based on institution of employment, working age group, feeling sufficient about early literacy, being satisfied as a preschool teacher and taking listening comprehension training. Finally, it is found that preschool teachers’ early literacy knowledge level predicts their early literacy beliefs in hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Based on the results of the study, recommendations for future research and practical implications were presented.Item Investigation of families’ leisure activities and use of green space during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Ataş, Beyhan.; Göl-Güven, Mine.This study aims to explore families’ leisure activities, use of urban green space (UGS) during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, outdoor recreation constraints, and the relationship between their demographic characteristics and their leisure activity participation and use of UGS. A total of 406 parents with children aged 0-8 years participated in the study. The study used the survey to collect the data needed to answer the research questions. The data collecting tools were the Family Leisure Activity Profile Scale, Outdoor Recreation Constraints Scale, and Use of Urban Green Space During COVID-19 Pandemic Restrictions Scale. Analysis of the parents’ reports showed that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the activities that take place outside the home environment. There was a weak positive correlation relationship between participation in leisure activities and education level and the other parent’s education level but no significant relationship between participation in leisure activities and family income level. Concerning use of USG, the study found that most of the participants claimed that although they visited green areas during the restrictions, they generally had insufficient access to UGS. There was a significant positive relationship between frequency of UGS visits and education level, other parent’s education level, and income level. Also, a significant negative correlation was found between frequency of visits and distance. The results of this study are important for identifying and providing support services in both family and cultural contexts as they provide a framework for families’ leisure activities and green space access and use.Item The relationship between parenting styles of mothers and emotion regulation skills of children(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) İşbitiren, Leman.; Göl-Güven, Mine.The aim of the current study was to explore the relationship between mothers' parenting styles and the emotion regulation skills of preschool children in Turkish cultural context. It was assumed that parenting styles of mothers are related to emotional regulation skills of their children. In this quantitative research, the sample was composed of 408 mothers whose children attend one of various preschool programs. For the purposes of data collection, the mothers were invited to participate in the study via various educational sites and social media accounts. The mothers of 193 girls and 215 boys filled out the forms containing demographic information and two scales. First of all, mothers completed the demographic information forms that asked them about age, education levels, working status, and family income, alongside their children’s age, gender, and how long they were in preschool. The Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) (Altan, 2006; Shields & Cichetti,1997) and Parenting Styles Scale (PAS) (Demir & Şendil, 2008) were completed by the mothers. The emotion regulation skills were investigated using two subscales (i.e., emotion regulation and lability/negativity). Their parenting styles were examined using four subscales (i.e., democratic, authoritarian, overprotective, and permissive). In the bivariate correlation analysis, a significant relationship was found between parent’s democratic style and children’s emotion regulation. In addition to that, authoritarian, permissive, and overprotective parenting was significantly and positively linked to lability/negativity. In the hierarchical multiple regression analysis, democratic style predicted children’s emotion regulation, whereas their authoritarian style predicted their children’s lability/negativity.Item Investigation of mothers' play beliefs in the relationship between mothers’ life satisfaction and children’s wellbeing(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Şahin, Gülen.; Göl-Güven, Mine.This study aimed to investigate the relationships between mothers’ life satisfaction, mothers’ play beliefs, and children’s wellbeing. Also, it is aimed to examine the relations among demographic factors and mothers’ life satisfaction, mothers’ play beliefs, and child wellbeing. Three hundred and ninety-one mothers whose children are 4 to 6 years old participated in this study and filled out an online form. The form includes the demographic information form, Contentment with Life Assessment Scale (CLAS), the Parent Play Beliefs Scale (PPBS), and Social-Emotional Well Being and Resilience Scale (PERIK). The data analysis was run with regard to mothers’ life satisfaction by investigating its direct and indirect roles. This study indicated that children's wellbeing and mothers’ play beliefs are predicted by mothers' life satisfaction. Also, children's wellbeing is predicted by mothers’ play beliefs. Mediation analyses revealed that mothers’ play beliefs partially mediated the relationship between mothers' life satisfaction and children's wellbeing. This study will provide information on the importance of mothers’ life satisfaction and its connection with children’s wellbeing and mothers’ play beliefs which will inform the practice and policy in the field of early childhood studies.Item The moderating role of parenting on the relationship between parental media mediation and parent-child conflict(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Özbey, Elif Zeynep.; Metindoğan, Ayşegül.The aim of this study was to examine the moderating role of parenting in the relationship between parental media mediation strategies and parent-child conflict. 136 Participants consisted of parents with a child between 44-75 months of age (M=58.64 months, SD= 8.364 months). The data were collected through the Parent Media Mediation Scale, The Turkish Form of the Child Rearing Questionnaire, and the Child-Parent Relationship Scale. First, a moderation analysis model was created to understand the relationship between parenting (parental warmth/ obedience demanding behavior), parental media mediation strategies (active mediation/ restrictive mediation) and parent-child conflict as a dependent variable. The results showed a negative relationship between active media mediation and parent-child conflict, while a negative relationship was found between restrictive media mediation and parent-child conflict. The moderation analysis did not find the moderating role of parenting in media mediation and parent-child conflict. Moreover, the screen time children spend for social media use and playing games on weekdays and weekends has a negative significant relationship with parental media mediation, while it has a significant positive relationship with parent-child conflict. The findings highlight the importance of parent-child conflict in the context of parent media mediation and parenting attitudes and the parent-child relationship. The research on the regulation strategies adopted by parents in their children's media use in early childhood and the role of parenting in the parent-child conflict relationship is limited. Thus, despite its limitations, it is feasible to say that findings of the present study well to the field.Item “Our life has changed so much” :|researching COVID-19 phenomenon with first grade children(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Dereli Özengen, Elif Kevser.; Erdiller-Yatmaz, Zeynep Berna.This study attempts to investigate children's experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also aimed to be an intermediary for children to underline their competencies and make their voices heard with minimal adult interference by using the research with children method. Fourteen first-grade students in a private primary school in Istanbul, Turkey directed the study by working as co-researchers. The study is designed as a phenomenological case study. Since phenomenology studies aim to convey the experiences of individuals through their perspectives, the data consists of children's drawings, photographs, and individual and group interviews. The data is analyzed through thematic content analysis. As a result of the research, various findings are obtained about what children know about the COVID-19 phenomenon, the impact of the pandemic on their own and others' lives, their online and face-to-face education experiences, the factors that increase their resilience while staying at home, and their expectations from the authorities.Item Exploring early childhood teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge and experiences of technology integrated teaching(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Gündeş Orman, Büşra.; Erdemir, Ersoy.The purpose of this mixed-method study is to investigate early childhood education (ECE) teachers’ working with children of ages 3 to 6 years technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) and their technology integration in ECE institutions. The first phase, teacher information form, TPACK-Practical Scale and Technology Integration Scale, was used. Interviews focusing on technology integrated teaching experience and TPACK are held in the second phase to explain and deepen the initial quantitative data set. The scales are analyzed to determine teachers’ knowledge levels regarding TPACK and how it relates to their technology integration scores. Thematic analysis is used for interviews. This study revealed the perceived TPACK of in-service ECE teachers, their technology-integrated teaching experiences, and how they relate to their TPACK. The results showed that teachers have a medium to a high level of TPACK. In addition, there is a positive relationship between ECE teachers' technological knowledge and technology integration, and TPACK predicts technology integration at a certain level. In the thematic analyzes, teachers' evaluations that they see technology as a necessity for children's lives and that they blend content, pedagogy and technology knowledge come to the fore. In addition, ECE teachers evaluated TPACK in terms of students, objectives, curriculum, challenges and opportunities, advantages, and disadvantages. At the practical implications level, this study’s result suggests that in-service training based on the ECE teachers' needs will help them catch up with the changing technological developments.Item Using mindfulness to support children's social and emotional learning in a kindergarten :|a teacher’s perspective(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2021., 2021.) Doğan, Hatice.; Göl-Güven, Mine.This study aims to understand how mindfulness practices are used in a kindergarten classroom as a tool to develop Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies of children from the teacher’s point of view. Specifically, it is aimed to understand the teacher’s perspective on how mindfulness is helpful for children to develop SEL skills, academic skills, and the classroom climate. The study is conducted as an exploratory single case study in a private school’s kindergarten classroom in Istanbul. Twelve children who are 5 to 6 years old and their teacher took part in the research. In class observations, semi-structured interviews with the teacher, lesson plans and children’s artifacts are used as the data set. The data is analyzed through thematic content analysis. The analysis generated three themes: mindfulness for the teacher, mindfulness for children (SEL) and inhibitory control skills. During the analysis of the data, it continuously surfaced up that the teacher conceptualized mindfulness practices by connecting the benefits not with academic skills but specially to inhibitory control. The results show that the teacher believes that mindfulness is good for herself and for children with regard to their SEL skills, inhibitory control skills as well as the classroom climate. Being one of the first qualitative studies conducted in Turkey about the use of mindfulness to support SEL programs in a kindergarten, the study implies the importance of teacher’s motivation of using mindfulness programs and how it is a valuable tool for fostering SEL. It is suggested that more research need to be conducted to better understand how these two phenomena work together in different programs for teachers and children from various demographic backgrounds in qualitative and quantitative methodologies.Item The relationship among mother’s parental attitude, child temperament and mother-child play behaviors(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Bayındır, Feyza Yeliz.; Göl-Güven, Mine.The aim of the study was to examine the relationship among mothers' parental attitudes, children's temperament, and mother-child play behaviors. To observe the relationship between child temperament and mother's parental attitude in mother child play, an online invitation was made to the mothers who have children between ages 3 and 6. After reaching 840 mothers and children, the mothers filled in an online questionnaire including items of the two scales: Parental Attitude Scale (Demir & Şendil, 2008) and Short Temperament Scale for Children-Parent Form (Yağmurlu & Sanson, 2009). Upon completion, the results of the scales were analyzed, and six pairs were formed by computing the mother's parental attitude (i.e., authoritative, authoritarian, and overprotective) and the children's temperaments (i.e., difficult and easy) scores. After forming the pairs, selected toys were sent to the pairs, and mother-child play observations were made by making a video-call in Zoom ©. Play observations were encoded and converted into numerical data by using a play cycle coding table (Gol-Guven, 2006; King &Newstead, 2020). Each play cycle was analyzed by identifying play roles, play frames, and annihilation of play. As a result, statistically significant relationships were found between parental attitudes and child temperaments. These findings were discussed in relation to the play roles and play frames of each mother-child pair.Item Understanding play from children’s perspectives :|a phenomenological study(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2020., 2020.) Sapmaz, Hatice.; Göl-Güven, Mine.This study examined children’s understanding of their play experiences. The participants were eight children aged five to six, all from a laboratory preschool of a university in Istanbul. Designed as a phenomenological study, the goal was to understand how children defined play. To enable children’s participation and decrease the gap between the children and researcher, this study employed several creative tools inspired by the Mosaic Approach, namely, conversations stimulated by a) the researcher’s observations of children, b) informal chit-chats with children, c) children’s drawings, and d) child-led school tours. The study contributes to the gap in children’s play studies that is dominated by adults’ understandings and meanings. An iterative data analysis showed that children’s conceptualizations of play can be examined across four dimensions: motivations for play, feelings in play, imagination while playing, and resources for play. The findings show that play is a pleasant experience that is nevertheless subject to unpleasant emotions, and that children are aware of their motivations for play. While adults are used as a resource for play, children rarely mentioned them as playmates. Whether they call it play or non-play, children need space, materials, security, and friends to exert their agencies and powers, and to fulfill their motivations for play individually and collectively. Use of the given methodology and tools of the study can help adults not only understand children’s play but also inform them about their roles and place in child’s play.Item The mediating role of self-regulation on the relationship between parenting styles and problem behaviors among preschoolers(Thesis (M.A.) - Bogazici University. Institute for Graduate Studies in the Social Sciences, 2022., 2022.) Çeliker Cengiz, Kevser.; Metindoğan, Ayşegül.This study aims to determine the mediating role of self-regulation in the relationship between parenting styles and problem behaviors among preschoolers. To do this, the direct relationships between the mediating variable (self-regulation), the predicting variable (parenting styles) and the outcome variable (problem behaviors) were established first using the SPSS 21 program, and finally, the mediation model was tested using the PROCESS macro software (Hayes, 2012). Nine hundred ninety-four mothers of preschoolers aged between 36 and 77 months (M=60.42, SD=12.6) participated in this study. Demographic Information Form, Parenting styles scale (Demir & Şendil, 2008), Turkish form of Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (Lafreinere and Dumas, 1996) that is translated by Çorapçı et al. (2010), Self-Regulation Skills Scale for Children Aged 4-6 Years (Erol & İvrendi, 2018), Emotion regulation subscale from the Turkish adaptation of the Emotion Regulation Scale (Shields and Cicchetti, 1997) translated by Batum and Yağmurlu (2007), and being overactive and careless subscale of The Preschool Behavior Problems Screening Scale (Kanlıkılıçer, 2005) were used in the online forms. This study found that self-regulation played a partial mediating role in the relationship between authoritarian parenting styles and problem behaviors and a fully mediating role in the relationship between authoritative parenting style and problem behaviors among preschoolers.