Self-Regulation in Children Attending Preschool Institutions That Implement Different Educational Approaches

Year 2023, , 29 - 52, 10.10.2023

Müşerref Turgut , Aylin Sop

https://doi.org/10.52597/buje.1142941

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a rise in preschools adopting alternative educational approaches due to increased interest. Researchers have focused on how these approaches affect children's development. This study compares self-regulation in Montessori Preschool and preschools implementing the Ministry of National Education curriculum using a casual comparative research model. The sample includes 140 children aged 48-72 months from Montessori, private, and state preschools. Data was collected with a Personal Information Form and Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment measuring attention, emotion, and behaviour regulation. Montessori students exhibited higher self-regulation and positive emotion regulation. Six-year-olds scored higher in attention/impulse control. Young parents' children had higher self-regulation levels. Overall, self-regulation in the study group was high. The study discusses these findings in the context of existing literature and offers practical recommendations for future research.

Keywords

Preschool period, self-regulation, Montessori school, state school

Farklı Eğitim Yaklaşımı Uygulayan Okul Öncesi Eğitim Kurumlarına Devam Eden Çocuklarda Öz-Düzenleme

Abstract

Son yıllarda artan ilgi nedeniyle alternatif eğitim yaklaşımlarını benimseyen anaokullarının sayısında bir artış yaşanmıştır. Araştırmacılar, bu yaklaşımların çocukların gelişimini nasıl etkilediğine odaklanmışlardır. Bu çalışma, nedensel karşılaştırmalı araştırma modelini kullanarak Montessori Anaokulu ile Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı müfredatını uygulayan anaokullarındaki öz-düzenlemeyi karşılaştırmaktadır. Örneklem, Montessori, özel ve devlet anaokullarından oluşan 48-72 ay arası 140 çocuğu içermektedir. Veriler, Kişisel Bilgi Formu ve Anaokulu Öz Düzenleme Değerlendirmesi ile toplanmış ve dikkat, duygu ve davranış düzenlemeyi ölçmektedir. Montessori öğrencileri daha yüksek öz-düzenleme ve olumlu duygu düzenlemesi sergilemiştir. Altı yaşındaki çocuklar dikkat/dürtü kontrolünde daha yüksek puan almıştır. Genç ebeveynlerin çocukları daha yüksek öz-düzenleme seviyelerine sahiptir. Genel olarak, çalışma grubundaki çocukların öz-düzenlemesi yüksektir. Çalışma, bu bulguları mevcut literatür bağlamında tartışmakta ve gelecekteki araştırmalar için pratik öneriler sunmaktadır.

Keywords

Okul öncesi dönem, öz-düzenleme, Montessori okulu, devlet okulu

References

• Alarcón-Rubio, D., Sánchez-Medina, J. A., & Prieto-García, J. R. (2014). Executive function and verbal self-regulation in childhood: Developmental linkages between partially internalized private speech and cognitive flexibility. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(2), 95-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.11.002
• Alejandro, J. P., Leslie, A. M., Manley, B. C., Rivas, A. F., Wiltermood, D. M., & Bainum, C. K. (2016). Preschool attendance as a predictor of self-regulation in kindergarteners. Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research, 21(4), 222–229. https://doi.org/10.24839/2164-8204.JN21.4.222
• Aljabreen, H. (2017). A comparative multi-case study of teacher roles in U.S. Montessori preschool and Saudi public preschool [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Kent State University.
• Aljabreen, H. (2020). Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio Emilia: A comparative analysis of alternative models of early childhood education. International Journal of Early Childhood, 52(3), 337-353. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-020-00277-1
• Ansari, A., Pianta, R. C., Whittaker, J. V., Vitiello, V. E., & Ruzek, E. A. (2020). Persistence and convergence: The end of kindergarten outcomes of pre-K graduates and their nonattending peers. Developmental Psychology, 56(11), 2027–2039. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001115
• Aral, N., Yıldız-Bıçakçı, M., Yurteri-Tiryaki, A., Fındık, E., Çetin, S. Beker, E., & Özdoğan-Özbal, E. (2019). Investigation of the effect of Montessori education on self-regulation skills of preschool children. Ankara University Scientific Research Projects. Ankara University.
• Astarlar, F. (2019). A follow-up study of self-regulatory skills of 4-6-year-old children attending preschool education [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Pamukkale University.
• Bayındır, D. (2016). Development of the self-regulation skills scale for 48-72 months old children and the investigation of the relationship between the level of self-regulation skills of preschoolers and attachment security, maternal parenting behaviours and maternal psychological well-being [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Marmara University.
• Berger, A. (2011). Self-regulation: Brain, cognition, and development. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/12327-000
• Berhenke, A. L. (2013). Motivation, self-regulation, and learning in preschool [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. The University of Michigan.
• Blair, C. (2002). School readiness: Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of children’s functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57(2), 111–127. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.57.2.111
• Blair, C. (2010). Stress and the development of self‐regulation in context. Child Development Perspectives, 4(3), 181–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00145.x
• Blair, C., & Diamond, A. (2008). Biological processes in prevention and intervention: The promotion of self-regulation as a means of preventing school failure. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 899–911. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579408000436
• Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2007). Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education (2nd ed.). Merrill/Prentice Hall.
• Bowne, J. B., Magnuson, K. A., Schindler, H. S., Duncan, G. J., & Yoshikawa, H. (2017). A meta-analysis of class sizes and ratios in early childhood education programs: are thresholds of quality associated with greater impacts on cognitive, achievement, and socioemotional outcomes? Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 39(3), 407–428. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373716689489
• Breiman, R., & Coe, B. (2016). Why sixth-graders should be in a Montessori upper elementary program. Montessori Life, 28(2), 46-49.
• Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E, Karadeniz, Ş. & Demirel, F. (2018). Scientific research methods. Pegem Publishing.
• Castellanos, A. G. (2002). A comparison of traditional vs. Montessori education in relation to children’s self-esteem, self-efficacy, and prosocial behaviour. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Carlos Albizu University.
• Çiltaş, A. (2011). A study on the importance of self-regulation teaching in education. Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Social Sciences Institute, 3(5), 1-11.
• D’Apolito, A. F. (2016). Implementation of self-regulation and conflict resolution strategies through conscious discipline in an early childhood classroom. An Action Research Report. The St. Catherine University. https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/154
• Denervaud S, Knebel J-F, Hagmann P, & Gentaz E. (2019) Beyond executive functions, creativity skills benefit academic outcomes: Insights from Montessori education. PLoS ONE, 14(11), e0225319. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225319
• Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(3), 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0504-2
• Edwards, T. (2003). Liquid Fuels and Propellants for Aerospace Propulsion: 1903–2003. Journal of Propulsion and Power, 19(6), 1089-1107. https://doi.org/10.2514/2.6946
• Efe, M. & Ulutas, I. (2022). Beyond teaching: Montessori education initiatives of public preschool teachers in Turkey. Educational Research for Policy and Practice. 21(3), 375-388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-022-09310-7
• Eisenberg, N. (2012). Temperamental effortful control (Self-regulation). In Tremblay R. E., Boivin, M., Peters, R. DeV. (Eds.) Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development. https://www.child-encyclopedia.com/temperament/according-experts/temperamental-effortful-control-self-regulation.
• Eke, K. (2017). Examining the relationship between preschool children’s self-regulation skills and parental attitudes. International Congress of Eurasian Social Sciences, 8(8), 273-287.
• Erkan, S., & Kırca, A. (2010). Examination of the effect of pre-school education on the school readiness of primary school first grade students. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 38(38), 94-106.
• Erkan, S. & Sop, A. (2018). Analysing the relationship between parenting styles, behavioural problems and school readiness through the mediating role of self-regulation. Education and Science, 43(196), 27-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.15390/EB.2018.7474
• Ertürk, G. H. (2013). The examination of the relationship between teacher child interactions and children’s self-regulation skills [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Hacettepe University.
• Ertürk-Kara, H. G. & Gönen, M. (2015). Examination of children’s self-regulation skill in terms of different variables. Journal of Theory and Practice in Education, 11(4), 1224-1239.
• Ertürk-Kara, H. G., Güler-Yıldız, T., & Fındık, E. (2018). Self-regulation in early childhood: monitoring, evaluation and support methods. Anı Publishing.
• Ervin, B., Wash, P. D., & Mecca, M. E. (2010). A 3-year study of self-regulation in Montessori and non-Montessori classrooms. Montessori Life, 22(2), 22.
• Fındık-Tanrıbuyurdu, E. (2012). Validity and reliability study of preschool self-regulation assessment [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Hacettepe University.
• Fındık-Tanrıbuyurdu, E. F. & Güler-Yıldız, T. (2014). Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (PSRA): Adaptation Study for Turkey. Education and Science, 39(176), 317-328. http://doi.org/10.15390/EB.2014.3647
• Friedman-Krauss, A. H., Barnett, W. S., Garver, K. A., Hodges, K. S., Weisenfeld, G. G., & DiCrecchio, N. (2019). The State of Preschool 2018: State Preschool Yearbook. National Institute for Early Education Research. https://nieer.org/state-preschool-yearbooks/2018-2
• Gayret, H., & Çiçekler-Yıldız, C. (2021). Analysing of the relationship between the motivation levels and creativity of children between 60-72 months attending preschool education institution. Journal of History School, 55, 3937-3959. http://doi.org/10.29228/Joh.51819
• Graziano, P. A., Reavis, R., Keane S, & Calkins, S. (2007). The role of emotion regulation in children’s early academic success. Journal of School Psychology, 45(1), 3–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2006.09.002
• Green, S. B. & Salkind, N. J. (2012). Using SPSS for windows and Macintosh: Analysing and understanding data. Pearson/Prentice Hall.
• Gündoğdu, K. (2021). Examination of children’s self-regulation skills and perspectives on different cultures in Montessori and MoNE preschool curriculum [Unpublished master’s thesis]. İstanbul Sabahattin Zaim University.
• Güral, M. (2015). A child’s freedom in Montessori education approach. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 37(1), 447-457. http:// doi.org/10.9761/JASSS2937
• Holmes, C. C. (2018). Introduction of Montessori education to a remote indigenous early childhood program: A study of the ways in which aboriginal students respond. Journal of Montessori Research, 4(2), 33-60. https://doi.org/10.17161/jomr.v4i2.6715
• Howard, S. J., Vasseleu, E., Neilsen-Hewett, C., & Cliff, K. (2018). Evaluation of the Preschool Situational Self-Regulation Toolkit (PRSIST) Program for Supporting children’s early self-regulation development: Study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial. Trials, 19(1), 64. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-018-2455-4
• İman, D. E., Danişman, Ş., Demircan, A. Z., & Yaya, D. (2017). The effect of the Montessori education method on preschool children’s social competence–behaviour and emotion regulation skills. Early Child Development and Care, 189(9), 1494-1508. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2017.1392943
• Jahromi, L. B., & Stifter, C. A. (2008). Individual Differences in Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation and Theory of Mind. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 54(1), 125–150. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23096082
• Kargı, E. (2011). Why preschool education. Education Overview, 20(7), 5-7. http://hdl.handle.net/11129/2566
• Kayılı, G. (2015). The effect of Montessori method supported by social skills training program on kindergarten children’s skills of understanding feelings and social problem solving [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Selçuk University.
• Kıyaker, S. (2017). Study on the effects of educational drama program on the self-regulation skills in 62-72 month old children [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Okan University.
• Kurt, H. Ş. (2020). The effect of teachers and preschool education in children’s self-regulation development [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Çukurova University.
• Kuşçu, Ö., Bozdaş, Y., & Yıldırım Doğru, S. S. (2014). Evaluation of the effect of Montessori education in taking responsibility, waiting for turns, and skills on completion of started tasks. Journal of Values Education, 12(27), 307-322. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ded/issue/29172/312401
• Lillard A. S. (2012). Preschool children’s development in classic Montessori, supplemented Montessori, and conventional programs. Journal of School Psychology, 50(3), 379–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2012.01.001
• Lopata, C., Wallace, N. V., & Finn, K. V. (2005). Comparison of academic achievement between Montessori and traditional education programs. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 20(1), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/02568540509594546
• Manner, J. C. (2007). Montessori vs. traditional education in the public sector: Seeking appropriate comparisons of academic achievement. Forum on Public Policy Online, 2, 1-23.
• Mashburn, A. J., Pianta, R. C., Hamre, B. K., Downer, J. T., Barbarin, O. A., Bryant, D., & Howes, C. (2008). Measures of classroom quality in prekindergarten and children’s development of academic, language, and social skills. Child Development, 79(3), 732–749. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01154.x
• McClelland, M. M., & Cameron, C. E. (2012). Self‐regulation in early childhood: Improving conceptual clarity and developing ecologically valid measures. Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 136-142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00191.x
• McClelland, M. M., & Tominey, S. L. (2014). The development of self-regulation and executive function in young children. Zero to Three, 35(2), 2–8.
• Mercan, M. (2019). The relationship between self-regulation skills and academic self-esteem and interpersonal problem-solving skills of 5-6 year-old children attending preschool education institutions [Unpublished master thesis]. Gazi University.
• Mercan, M. & Özbey, S. (2020). The relationship between interpersonal problem solving skills and academic self-esteem of 5-6 year-old children attending pre-school education institutions. International Journal of Contemporary Educational Studies (IntJCES), 6(2), 473-494.
• Miech, R., Essex, M. J., & Goldsmith, H. H. (2001). Socioeconomic status and the adjustment to school: The role of self-regulation during early childhood. Sociology of Education, 74(2), 102-120. https://doi.org/10.2307/2673165
• Montroy, J. J. (2014). The development of behavioural self-regulation across preschool and its association with academic achievement [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Michigan State University.
• Montroy, J. J., Bowles, R. P., Skibbe, L. E., McClelland, M. M., & Morrison, F. J. (2016). The development of self-regulation across early childhood. Developmental Psychology, 52(11), 1744–1762. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000159
• Oktay, A. (1990). Early childhood education in Turkey. Marmara University Atatürk Education Faculty Journal of Educational Sciences, 2, 151-160.
• Özbek, E. (2021). Examination of the relationship between self-regulation skills, social competence and problem solving skills of 60- 72 months-old children [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Marmara University.
• Piehler, T. F., Distefano, R., Ausherbauer, K., Bloomquist, M. L., Almy, B., & August, G. J. (2020). Self-regulatory profiles and conduct problems in youth referred to juvenile diversion. Journal of The Society for Research on Adolescence, 30(2), 372–388. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12530
• Portilla, X. A., Ballard, P. J., Adler, N. E., Boyce, W. T., & Obradović, J. (2014). An integrative view of school functioning: Transactions between self-regulation, school engagement, and teacher-child relationship quality. Child Development, 85(5), 1915–1931. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12259
• Raffaelli, M., Crockett, L. J., & Shen, Y. L. (2005). Developmental stability and change in self-regulation from childhood to adolescence. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 166(1), 54-76. https://doi.org/10.3200/GNTP.166.1.54-76
• Rathunde, K. (2001). Montessori education and optimal experience: A framework for new research. NAMTA Journal, 26(1), 11-44.
• Raver C. C. (2004). Placing emotional self-regulation in socio-cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Child Development, 75(2), 346–353. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00676.x
• Raver, C. C., Jones, S. M., Li-Grining, C. P., Metzger, M., Champion, K. M., & Sardin, L. (2008). Improving preschool classroom processes: Preliminary findings from a randomized trial implemented in Head Start settings. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(1), 10-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.09.001
• 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 behaviours in the kindergarten classroom. Developmental Psychology, 45(4), 958–972. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015861
• Şahin, D. M. (2021). Causal comparison studies. In S. Şen & İ. Yıldırım (Eds). Research methods in education. (pp.137-154). Nobel Publishing.
• Şamlı, H. Ö. (2019). The examination of the relationship between preschool children’s self-regulation skills and school readiness levels [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Gazi University.
• Schweinhart, L. J., Montie, J., Xiang, Z., Barnett, W. S., Belfield, C. R., & Nores, M. (2005). Lifetime effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool study through age 40. (pp. 194-215). High/Scope Press.
• Shiu, S. P., Wang, S. H., & Chen, Y. J. (2018). The effects of a small scale intervention to develop self-regulation in kindergarten children. Early Child Development and Care, 184(4), 487-499. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2018.1471474
• Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academy Press.
• Smith-Donald, R., Raver, C. C., Hayes, T., & Richardson, B. (2007). Preliminary construct and concurrent validity of the Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (PSRA) for field-based research. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22(2), 173–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2007.01.002
• Tabachnick, B. G. & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Pearson Allyn & Bacon.
• Thayer-Bacon, B. (2011). Maria Montessori: Education for peace. Factis Pax, 5(3), 307-319.
• Tiryaki, A. Y., Fındık, E., Çetin-Sultanoğlu, S., Beker, E., Biçakçi, M. Y., Aral, N., & Özdoğan-Özbal, E. (2021). A study on the effect of Montessori education on self-regulation skills in preschoolers. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1219-1229. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2021.1928107
• Toran, M., & Temel, Z. F. (2014). Examining the effects of the Montessori approach on children’s concept acquisition. Elementary Education Online, 13(1), 223-234.
• Üstündağ, K. (2019). The research of the Montessori method’s effects to pre-school term children’s scientific process skills [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Necmettin Erbakan University.
• Vasseleu, E., Neilsen-Hewett, C., Ehrich, J., Cliff, K., & Howard, S. J. (2021). Educator beliefs around supporting early self-regulation: development and evaluation of the self-regulation knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy scale. Frontiers in Education, 6, 621320. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.621320
• Vitiello, V. E., Nguyen, T., Ruzek, E., Pianta, R. C., & Whittaker, J. V. (2022). Differences between Pre-K and Kindergarten classroom experiences: do they predict children’s social-emotional skills and self-regulation across the transition to kindergarten? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 287-299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.11.009
• Williams, N., & Keith, R. (2000). Democracy and Montessori education. Peace Review, 12(2), 217-222. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402650050057861
• Xie, S., & Li, H. (2022). Self-regulation mediates the relations between family factors and preschool readiness. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 59, 32-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.10.005
• Yaşar, M. C., & Aral, N. (2010). The effects of early childhood education on creative thinking skills. Journal of Theoretical Educational Science, 3(2), 201-209.
• Yılmaz, H. (2020). Development of preschool emotion regulation scale and predictability of mothers’ emotion regulation difficulties on children’s emotion regulation skills [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Marmara University.
• Yurteri-Tiryaki, A. Y., Fındık, E., Çetin-Sultanoğlu, S., Beker, E., Biçakçi, M. Y., Aral, N., & Özdoğan-Özbal, E. (2021). A study on the effect of Montessori education on self-regulation skills in preschoolers. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1219-1229. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2021.1928107
• Zauza, G., León, C. B. R., Roama-Alves, R. J., Seabra, A. G., & Dias, N. M. (2022). Promotion of self-regulation in preschool children: Effects and perceptions of teachers. Trends in Psychology, 30, 73-96. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00102-1
• Zeytinoglu, S., Calkins, S. D., Swingler, M. M., & Leerkes, E. M. (2017). Pathways from maternal effortful control to child self-regulation: The role of maternal emotional support. Journal of Family Psychology, 31(2), 170–180. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000271
• Zimmerman, B. J. (1990). Self-regulated learning and academic achievement: An overview. Educational Psychologist, 25(1), 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2501_2
• Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. Theory into Practice, 41(2), 64-70. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4102_2