Bullying in Preschool Period: The Power of Picture Children's Books

Öz

The preschool period is a critical period in which children’s social and emotional skills develop rapidly and their personality and behavior patterns are shaped. In this period, children learn to establish social relationships, develop empathy, and Express their feelings. However, in this process, negative interactions between children, especially peer bullying, are frequently encountered. By addressing such complex and challenging social issues, children’s Picture books help children understand the phenomenon of bullying and develop their coping skills. Through stories, children can learn strategies for coping with bullying and formulate appropriate responses to stomach situations. Within the scope of the study, seventeen children’s Picture books addressing the preschool age group and dealing with peer bullying were identified. Fourteen of these books belong to translation literature, and three of them belong to Turkish literature. The selected books were analyzed through document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. Their search findings were evaluated through a checklist in line with the literature review. The frequency of repetition of the elements in the checklist in children’s picture books was analyzed. The elements analyzed included factors such as types of bullying, characteristics of the bully and the victim, and coping strategies for bullying. The findings indicate that nearly all types of bullying—physical, verbal, and indirect—depicted in children's picture books are exhibited by both girls and boys. It has been determined that indirect bullying is more common, especially among girls, and physical bullying is more common among boys. The findings of the study show that children’s Picture books can be used as an effective educational tool for preventing and coping with peer bullying and can be an important resource for teachers and parents. In light of these findings, it is recommended that the number of illustrated children’s books specially written to raise awareness about peer bullying should be increased.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• preschool education
• children
• peer bullying

Okul Öncesi Dönemde Zorbalık: Resimli Çocuk Kitaplarının Gücü

Öz

Okul öncesi dönem, çocukların sosyal ve duygusal becerilerinin hızla geliştiği, kişilik ve davranış kalıplarının şekillendiği kritik bir süreçtir. Bu dönemde çocuklar, sosyal ilişkiler kurmayı, empati geliştirmeyi ve duygularını ifade etmeyi öğrenirler. Ancak, bu süreçte çocuklar arasında olumsuz etkileşimler, özellikle akran zorbalığı, sıkça karşılaşılan bir durum olarak karşımıza çıkmaktadır. Resimli çocuk kitapları, bu tür karmaşık ve zorlayıcı sosyal meseleleri ele alarak, çocukların zorbalık olgusunu anlamalarına ve bu tür durumlarla başa çıkma becerileri geliştirmelerine katkı sağlamaktadır. Hikayeler aracılığıyla çocuklar, zorbalıkla başa çıkma stratejilerini öğrenebilir ve bu tür durumlar karşısında uygun tepkiler geliştirebilirler. Araştırma kapsamında, okul öncesi yaş grubuna hitap eden ve akran zorbalığını konu alan toplamda on yedi resimli çocuk kitabı belirlenmiştir. Bu kitaplardan on dördü çeviri edebiyatına, üçü ise Türk edebiyatına aittir. Seçilen kitaplar, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman analizi yoluyla incelenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, alan yazın taraması doğrultusunda oluşturulan bir kontrol listesi aracılığıyla değerlendirilmiştir. Kontrol listesinde yer alan unsurların, resimli çocuk kitaplarındaki tekrarlanma sıklıkları analiz edilmiştir. İncelenen unsurlar arasında zorbalık türleri, zorba ve mağdurun özellikleri, zorbalıkla baş etme stratejileri gibi faktörler yer almıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, resimli çocuk kitaplarında zorbalık türlerinin (fiziksel, sözel, dolaylı) hemen hemen hepsinin hem kız hem de erkek çocukları tarafından uygulandığını göstermektedir. Özellikle kız çocukları tarafından dolaylı zorbalığın, erkek çocukları tarafından da fiziksel zorbalığın daha sık gerçekleştirildiği belirlenmiştir. Araştırma bulguları, resimli çocuk kitaplarının akran zorbalığını önleme ve bu tür durumlarla başa çıkma konusunda etkili bir eğitim aracı olarak kullanılabileceğini, ayrıca öğretmenler ve ebeveynler için önemli bir kaynak olabileceğini göstermektedir. Bu bulgular ışığında, akran zorbalığı konusunda farkındalık oluşturmak amacıyla özel olarak yazılmış resimli çocuk kitaplarının sayısının artırılması önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Akran zorbalığı
• okul öncesi eğitim
• resimli çocuk kitapları
• çocuk edebiyatı

Kaynakça

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