International Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies

Evidence-Based Social-Emotional Learning Intervention Programs for Preschool Children: An Important Key to Development and Learning

Pinar Aksoy — 2024-07-05

The preschool years, spanning from birth to age six, are crucial periods for acquiring social-emotional learning (SEL) skills. An effective way to address social-emotional learning deficits is to implement evidence-based intervention programs. The purpose of this article is to review specific evidence-based social-emotional learning intervention programs for preschool children, drawing from resources such as books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and conference proceedings. In this context, five social-emotional learning intervention programs, including First Step to Success, I Can Problem Solve, Incredible Years, PATHS, and Strong Start Pre-K, documented in the social-emotional learning literature, were reviewed. Each program was evaluated based on its target group, duration, focus, delivery method, and experimental effects. The reviews found that play-based activities, puppets and stories, role-playing, and family involvement were common components of these programs. The majority of programs focused on problem-solving skills, and all had positive effects on preschoolers’ social-emotional learning skills. Based on the reviews, it was underlined that social-emotional learning intervention programs are effective when their content, process, and delivery methods are developmentally appropriate for the target group. Accordingly, it was seen that the widespread implementation of evidence-based social-emotional learning intervention programs is essential to improve the basic social-emotional learning skills of preschool children and to address their potential deficits. Continuous evaluation and refinement of social-emotional learning intervention programs, guided by feedback from educators, parents, and researchers, was also highlighted as crucial to increase their impact. By prioritizing the implementation of evidence-based social-emotional learning intervention programs with appropriate components and delivery methods, the stakeholders of education can facilitate the holistic development of preschool children and lay a strong foundation for their future social-emotional well-being.

An Investigation of the Effect of an Earthquake Psychoeducation Program on the Perception of Coping with Trauma, Psychological Resilience, and the Subjective Well-Being of High School Students

Eser Karal — 2024-07-05

Natural disasters have become one of the leading events that have seriously affected human life and shaken society, both in Turkey and in the world lately. Natural disasters that have a wide impact cause material morale losses and have a traumatic effect on individuals. Earthquakes are one of the compelling life events that cause losses and traumatic experiences due to their destructive effects. After such an event, it is important to ensure the adaptation of individuals to normal life, to cope with the traumas that may occur, to increase their psychological resilience in the face of challenging life events, and to ensure their subjective well-being with psychosocial support activities to be carried out. In this context, the aim of this study is to examine the effect of the earthquake psychoeducation program on the perception of coping with trauma, psychological resilience, and subjective well-being of high school students affected by earthquakes. The research participants consisted of students who came to Şırnak from the earthquake region and continued their high school education. In the research, a pretest-posttest single-group quasi-experimental design was used, and 11 high school students were included as participants. The Perceived Ability to Cope with Trauma Scale (PACT), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Adolescent Subjective Well Being Scale were used to collect the data. The earthquake psychoeducation program for high school students consisting of eight modules and 11 sessions was applied to the participants. The data were analyzed with the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test for the significance of the pre-test and post-test score differences. The findings obtained as a result of the research showed that the earthquake psychoeducation program was effective on the perception of coping with trauma and psychological resilience of high school students affected by the earthquake, but it was not significantly effective on their subjective well-being. Based on the research findings, comments were made, and suggestions for practice and research were developed.

The Effect of Supervision in Education on Teacher Quality and Performance

Vicdan Altınok — 2024-07-05

It can be said that supervision practices are one of the most emphasized and researched areas. The fact that the problems identified as a result of the supervision practices continue even after many years shows that the desired change and development has not been achieved. The continuing problems regarding the teaching process in the field of education constituted the starting point of this research. The aim is to determine what needs to be done to ensure that supervision practices in education contribute to teacher qualifications and performance. Thus, it is to contribute to the solution of problems in the teaching process at the desired level. İn line with this purpose, opinions were taken from schools at different levels in different provinces and from teachers in different branches in these schools. A total of 56 teachers, 8 from each province at each educational level, participated in the research from Ankara, Kırıkkale, Hatay, Istanbul, Gaziantep, Bursa and Ağrı. Phenomenology pattern, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. A semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher was used to determine what expectations the participants had in terms of contributing to their qualifications and performance while doing their jobs, in line with their opinions about their experiences regarding supervision practices in their schools. Content analysis was used in this research with a qualitative descriptive survey model. As a result of the analysis, the participants mean that inspections within the framework of the legislation should be carried out with a guidance approach and should contribute to the self-improvement of teachers. They stated that avoiding unnecessary explanations other than the purpose of the audit would positively affect their qualifications. In addition, it has been revealed that conducting the audit with open communication, away from mobbing, and having the right to evaluate the audit process or replace the auditors who have a negative attitude during the audit process will positively affect their performance.İn order for supervision practices to contribute positively to teacher performance and quality; It would be appropriate to provide up-to-date scientific information, to allow teachers to share their experiences with each other within the framework of a culture of discussion, to develop a sense of control in teachers, the supervisor to ask point do not know, giving placeto education sessions and workshops.

The Mediator Role of Depression, Stress and Anxiety in the Relationship between Childhood Trauma Experiences and Psychological Vulnerability

Selcan Yıldız — 2024-07-05

The aim of this study was to examine the mediating role of stress, anxiety and depression in the relationship between psychological vulnerability and childhood trauma experiences among university students. For this purpose, structural equation model was used in the study. A total of 465 students, including 329 (70.01%) females and 139 (29.9%) males, were selected using the random disproportionate cluster sampling method. In the study, data were collected using Psychological Vulnerability Scale, Childhood Trauma Scale, Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scale Short Form (DASS-21) with personal information form. Analyses were carried out using AMOS 20.0 and SPSS 20 programmes. The data obtained as a result of the study were tested with the structural equation model. Examining the model established between psychological vulnerability, childhood trauma experiences, stress, depression and anxiety scores, it was found that anxiety, stress and depression have a mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma experiences and psychological vulnerability.

What Preschool Children Do with Technology?

Ayşe Gökçen — 2024-07-05

The purpose of this study is to investigate the activities that children engage in with technology. In this direction, preschool children's ownership of technological devices, which devices they own and what they do with these devices were examined. This study was designed as qualitative research. The study group consisted of 34 preschool children studying during the 2023-2024 academic year. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of the study revealed that most of the children have a device at home and these devices are mostly tablets, and by smartphones. It was determined that almost all the children played digital games and the games varied. It was seen that all the children participating in the study watched cartoons, and most children watched YouTube. It was concluded that many of the children participating in the study did not watch TikTok. A thorough examination of the content they watched revealed the coexistence of appropriate and inappropriate materials. Therefore, informing parents about parental lock and similar applications that can be installed on devices, and preparing guides, books, seminars, etc. on the use of technology for parents were suggested.

Is Psychological Inflexibility a Predictor of Depression and Anxiety of Pre-Adolescents?

Aykut Kul — 2024-07-10

Research on mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, which have become prevalent
among pre-adolescents and lead to impaired functioning in family, academic, and social domains,
is critically important. One prominent theoretical approach to explaining anxiety and depression
symptoms is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and its Psychological Inflexibility
Model. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between psychological inflexibility levels in
pre-adolescents and their anxiety and depression levels. The Revised Children’s Anxiety and
Depression Scale—Child Version (RCADS) and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth
(AFQ-Y8) Child Form were used as data collection tools. Data were collected from 327 sixth-grade
students (178 male and 149 female) attending three different public schools in Gaziantep, and a
simple linear regression model was established with the obtained data. The findings indicated that
psychological inflexibility significantly predicts internalizing disorder levels (R = .716, R Square =
.513; p <.01), total anxiety levels (R = .668, R Square = .446; p <.01) and depression levels (R = .692, R
Square = .479; p <.01) of pre-adolescents. These results contribute to the literature on explaining
anxiety and depression in pre-adolescents, and future studies should investigate the relationship
between psychological inflexibility and externalizing problems such as aggression and anger.