No abstract

Purpose: Starting Thinking Training at an early age is important. However, few studies were found regarding Thinking Training programs for pre-school children and the contributions of these programs to children's social problem-solving. In this context, the TMPT Program was developed for pre-school children and the effect of the program on 5-6 year-old children's social problem-solving skills was examined. Research Methods: The data of the study were obtained from a total of 70 children, including 32 in the experiment group and 38 in the control group.

This study was carried out within the scope of the Art of Happiness, Positive Thinking, and Subjective Well-Being Project. Within the scope of the project, 8-session pre-training was provided to teachers to inform them on the scope of positive thinking and in order to support their subjective well-being. Within the scope of positive thinking applications at schools, which formed the second stage of the project, teachers developed and applied their own projects at their schools. In the study, teachers' views on the scope of the projects they applied at schools and the project application process were analyzed. As the study design, the case study design was applied. The study group consisted of 28 voluntary teachers who received positive thinking training in the first stage of the project and were entitled to get a certificate of achievement. Within the scope of the study, teachers planned their projects and reported on the process. In addition, they kept researcher diaries regarding their applications and noted down their observations. In the research process, 28 teachers at 15 different schools developed and applied 17 different projects. The teachers' views were analyzed in the context of interviews, reports, and diaries. In the study, teachers' observations and evaluations regarding positive thinking education realized in the COVID-19 process were discussed.

Gifted children display different characteristics, attitudes and behaviours not only from their peers but also from one another. Gifted children should not mean a single type of children with similar characteristics. On the contrary, these children display different characteristics not only from other children but also from other gifted peers. For the teachers of young children it is very difficult to find an activity that is suitable and contributes to the development of these children. In this circumstance, Turkish marbling might be helpful for the teachers. Although Turkish marbling (Ebru) is mentioned as a difficult art in various resources, it can be applied to children by using ready-to-use dyes and ready-to-use gum tragacanth. After all, marbling can be turned into an enjoyable activity by giving the children the opportunity to discover different characteristics of marbling and by not forcing them applying the marbling by using traditional techniques perfectly. Marbling activities done with children show that, pre-school and primary school children find it enjoyable and like to participate in these activities. Such characteristics of marbling as (a) giving opportunities for originality, (b) teaching patience, (c) experimenting, (d) allowing works in different in different ability levels, (e) relaxing and anxiety recovery, (f) suitability for different age groups, (g) giving chance for personal progression suits the needs of gifted children thus making it very advantageous for these children. Therefore, it is thought that marbling might make important contributions for the development of gifted children.

This study was conducted as part of the project Art of Happiness: Positive Thinking in Preschool and Subjective Well-Being Project, a preventive psycho-educational project. The research was planned as an action study, structured with four interrelated studies. The first study was conducted qualitatively with 15 teachers. First, the data regarding the expectations and requirements of teachers were obtained, the evaluation process was conducted, and positive thinking training was tailored for teachers. In the second study, the teacher training process, having been designed in line with the first study was implemented and tested. The study was conducted with a sample group comprising 50 experimental and 50 control groups, while a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group was employed. The third study refers to the planning and designing of the education intended for children in schools for positive thinking and well-being practices. In this context, a focus group discussion was held through the involvement of eight teachers. In the fourth study, the implementation process in schools was evaluated. This study included 80 children aged 5, 40 of whom were in the experimental group and 40 in the control group. The effect of positive thinking education delivered to children was evaluated through the pretest-posttest control group design. Also, the process evaluations of the teachers who educated the children in the experimental group were obtained through interviews. Educational programs for teachers and children were developed and implemented within the scope of the study, and significant findings were obtained for both preschool teachers and children. Besides positive thinking training, research findings indicated that planning the process through the active participation of teachers and their embracing the project contributed significantly to the meaningful learning outcomes.