Early childhood behavioural problems in Turkey: teachers’ views, challenges and coping strategies

Educación infantil y calidad docente

“…Participant teachers in Papadopoulou et al (2014) work to provide children with optimal conditions for group work, integrate children as members of a group of peers, and encourage children to listen and follow rules-skills that would contribute to easier classroom behavioral management and a smoother teaching-learning process. Yumuş and Bayhan (2017) find ECEC teachers ages 46 or older to be the participant group most successful in coping with children's behavior problems. Zachrisen (2016) found that group interactions provide the ideal conditions for children to get a more authentic sense of what behaving democratically entails.…”

“…As to setting the tone of the classroom as a social environment, teachers reported using positive reinforcement or supporting desired prosocial behaviors. Although such strategies are recommended as effective in most intervention programs, Yumuş and Bayhan (2017) find that most teachers in their study did not rely on opportunities that emerge during daily activities or provide children with ongoing support to incorporate appropriate behavior patterns into their repertoire. In the study by Ng and Bull (2018), it was observed that small groups, compared to large group activities, favored socialemotional learning, as well as outdoor play sessions and structured teaching-learning moments, compared to those moments when children were in centers, at lunch time, or transitioning from one activity to another.…”

Training and coaching early childhood teachers to foster social, emotional, and behavioral competence of children in Turkey.

“…Taner-Derman and Başal (2013), for instance, examining the problem behavior of 1,112 children aged 5–6, found that 60.6% have at least one or more behavior problems. One reason may be the lack of information for Turkish preschool teachers on proactively managing challenging behavior (Yumuş & Bayhan, 2017). Uysal et al (2010) reported that preschool teachers in Turkey often adopt a reactive model toward challenging behavior.…”

“…Further, teachers who have children with challenging behavior in their classrooms express their feelings as “helpless” and “exhausted” (Yağan-Güder et al, 2018). To this end, Turkish early childhood teachers need effective professional development (PD) programs to support children’s SEBC, manage challenging behaviors effectively, and create a positive classroom climate (Rakap et al, 2018; Yumuş & Bayhan, 2017). However, because Turkey is a LMIC, preschool teachers in Turkey have limited PD opportunities to gain knowledge and necessary skills (Gülşen & Yörük, 2021).…”

Preschool teachers’ preparation programs in Turkey: A multi-level analysis of variables on classroom management models

“…Education is a continuous process, and therefore, behavioral and developmental problems should be resolved at an early age for high academic performance (Gettinger & Fischer, 2014). Diagnosing undesired behaviors at an early age helps children turn them into desired ones in the future (Sun, 2015;Yumuş & Bayhan, 2017). Instructors are vigilant about undesired behavior in educational settings because it affects classroom management (Emmer & Stough, 2001).…”