Examining the Effects of the Aistear Early Childhood Curriculum on Five-Year-Olds’ Self-Concept and the Quality of Teacher–Child Relationships
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62416/ijwb-73Keywords:
Pre-school Education, Aistear, Self-Perception, Teacher-ChildAbstract
Abstract
The study was planned to examine the effect of “Aistear Education Program” on self-perception and teacher-child relationship of five-year-old children. Pretest-posttest, retention test and experimental model with control group were used in the quantitative dimension of the study, and case study model was used in the qualitative dimension. The study group consists of 60 children aged 5 and older who attend official kindergartens affiliated to the Trabzon Provincial Directorate of National Education in the 2021–2022 academic year. As a result of the pretest analyzes conducted before the program, three groups were determined, one of the groups with no significant difference between them, as the experimental group and the other two as the control group. In the study, “General Information Form” was used to obtain information about the children, “Demoulin Self-Perception Scale for Children” and “Student Teacher Relationship (STRS) Scale” were used to obtain quantitative data; “Researcher Observation Notes”, “Parent Interview Form” and “Teacher Interview Form” were used to obtain qualitative data. In the study, the Aistear program was applied to the experimental group, and the teachers' routine daily education program was applied to the control group children. As a result of the research; It was determined that the Aistear education program created a statistically significant difference in the teacher-child relationship and self-perception levels of the children in the experimental group compared to the control group. According to the qualitative analysis results, the parents and teachers of the children in the experimental group; stated that the implemented education program made a positive contribution to the children's teacher-child relationship and self-perception levels. The researcher's observations also support the quantitative findings and parent-teacher views. In addition, according to the qualitative findings of the study, it was revealed that the Aistear program also improved children's daily life, language and cognitive skills. The study contributed to the field in terms of creating an effective pre-school education program example based on learning centers in pre-school education.
References
Aydın, M. (2023). Okul öncesi eğitimde farkındalık temelli programın çocukların duygusal zekâ, benlik algısı ve yürütücü işlevlerine etkisi [Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Gazi Üniversitesi].
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (2006). The bioecological model of human development. In R. M. Lerner (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology (6th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 793–828). Wiley.
Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş., & Demirel, F. (2014). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri (18. bs.). Pegem Akademi.
Curby, T. W., Brock, L. L., & Hamre, B. K. (2013). Teachers’ emotional support consistency predicts children’s achievement gains and social skills. Early Education and Development, 24(3), 292–309. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2012.665760
Çobanoğlu, E. (2017). Öğretmenlerin özyeterlilik algıları ile öğretmen-çocuk ilişkisi arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi [Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Middle East Technical University].
Daly, M., Byers, E., & Taylor, M. (2014). Early learning in action: Tips, tools and activities to support children aged
–6. Routledge.
Demoulin, D. (2000). Self-concept development in children: Self-esteem and self-efficacy. The Edwin Mellen Press.
Fallon, J. (2015). Children’s voice and agency within Aistear: The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework [Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi, Trinity College Dublin].
Fazal, A. (2019). Aistear: A journey under construction and every voice matters.
Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in education (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
French, G. (2007). Children’s early learning and development: A research paper. National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA). https://ncca.ie/media/1112/childrens_early_learning_and_development.pdf
Gray, C., & Ryan, A. (2016). Aistear vis-à-vis the primary curriculum: The experiences of early years teachers in Ireland. International Journal of Early Years Education, 24(2), 188–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2016.1155973
Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2001). Early teacher–child relationships and the trajectory of children's school outcomes through eighth grade. Child Development, 72(2), 625–638. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00301
Harter, S. (2015). The construction of the self: Developmental and sociocultural foundations (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Hayes, N. (2007). Perspectives on the relationship between education and care in early childhood. In J. O’Brien & M. N. Joseph (Eds.), Encyclopedia of early childhood education (pp. 44–49). Routledge.
Healy, C. (2021). The role of play in developing children’s communication and social skills in early childhood settings [Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi, Marino Institute of Education].
Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., Berk, L. E., & Singer, D. G. (2009). A mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. Oxford University Press.
Howes, C., & Ritchie, S. (2002). A matter of trust: Connecting teachers and learners in the early childhood classroom. Teachers College Press.
Karasar, N. (2008). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi (18. bs.). Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.
Marsh, H. W., & Shavelson, R. J. (1985). Self-concept: Its multifaceted, hierarchical structure. Educational Psychologist, 20(3), 107–123. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2003_1
McMullen, M., et al. (2016). Teacher–child relationships and preschoolers’ outcomes. Early Education and
Development, 27(1), 36–57.
Merriam, S. B. (2013). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. Jossey-Bass.
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. (2009). Aistear: The early childhood curriculum framework. https://ncca.ie/en/early-childhood/aistear
OECD. (2015). Skills for social progress: The power of social and emotional skills. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264226159-en
Pianta, R. C. (1999). Enhancing relationships between children and teachers. American Psychological Association.
Pianta, R. C. (2001). Student–Teacher Relationship Scale. : Professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources.
Rimm-Kaufman, S. E., Curby, T. W., Grimm, K. J., Nathanson, L., & Brock, L. L. (2009). The contribution of children’s self-regulation and classroom quality to children’s adaptive behaviors in the kindergarten classroom. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 958–972. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015861
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: A eudaimonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 9(1), 13–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-006-9019-0
Sabol, T. J., & Pianta, R. C. (2012). Recent trends in research on teacher–child relationships. Attachment & Human Development, 14(3), 213–231. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2012.672262
Samur, Y. (2020). Montessori yaklaşımı temelli STEM etkinliklerinin okul öncesi dönemdeki çocukların akademik benlik saygılarına etkisi [Yayımlanmamış doktora tezi, Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi].
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5
Sheridan, S. M., Edwards, C. P., Marvin, C. A., & Knoche, L. L. (2009). Professional development in early childhood programs: Process issues and research needs. Early Education and Development, 20(3), 377–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409280802582795
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academy Press.
Şahin, F. (2014). Student–Teacher Relationship Scale’in Türkçe uyarlanması [Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Hacettepe Üniversitesi].
Tuncer, A. (2015). Okul öncesi öğretmenlerinin öğretme-öğrenme sürecinde rehberlik rollerinin incelenmesi. Eğitim ve Bilim, 40(179), 227–244. https://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2015.2825
pianta, Ş. (2006). Demoulin çocuklar için benlik algısı ölçeğinin Türkçeye uyarlanması [Yayımlanmamış yüksek lisans tezi, Maltepe Üniversitesi].
Turaşlı, F. (2014). Okul öncesi dönemde benlik algısı gelişimi ve ölçümü. Eğitim ve Bilim, 39(176), 255–264.
UNICEF. (2022). The state of the world’s children 2021: On my mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health. https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021
Verschueren, K., & Koomen, H. M. (2012). Teacher–child relationships from an attachment perspective. Attachment & Human Development, 14(3), 205–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616734.2012.672260
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Whitebread, D., Coltman, P., Jameson, H., & Lander, R. (2012). Teaching and learning in the early years (4th ed.). Routledge.
Wood, E. (2010). Developing integrated pedagogical approaches to play and learning. In P. Broadhead, J. Howard, & E. Wood (Eds.), Play and learning in the early years (pp. 9–26). Sage.
Woods, A., Mannion, G., & Garrity, S. (2022). Implementing Aistear–the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework across varied settings: Experiences of early years educators and infant primary school teachers in the Irish context. Child Care in Practice, 28(4), 671–690.
Yıldırım, A., & Şimşek, H. (2005). Sosyal bilimlerde nitel araştırma yöntemleri (5. bs.). Seçkin Yayıncılık.
Zimmerman, B. J. (2000). Self-efficacy: An essential motive to learn. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), 82–91.

Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Filiz Erata- PROF.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.