Self-Regulation and Prosocial Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study Based on Turkish Preschool Children

Öz

Prosocial behaviour refers to voluntary actions aimed at benefiting others without expecting any reward or reciprocity. The foundations of such behaviours are typically established during the preschool years, a critical period for the development of self-regulation skills. This longitudinal study examined the relationship between self-regulation and prosocial behaviour in Turkish preschool children. Data were collected from 482 children (239 girls) at two time points. Teachers assessed children’s prosociality and self-regulation using standardized rating scales. Because the data were not normally distributed, nonparametric analyses and binary logistic regression were conducted. Results indicated significant increases in both self-regulation and prosocial behaviour from Time 1 to Time 2. Furthermore, self-regulation at Time 1 was the only significant predictor of being in the prosocial behaviour group at Time 2, whereas gender, sibling status, and parental education were not significant predictors. These findings highlight the role of early self-regulation skills in the development of prosocial behaviour and are discussed in relation to previous research.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Prosocial Behavior
• Self-Regulation
• Preschool Children
• Longitudinal Study
• Early Childhood

Öz Düzenleme ve Prososyal Davranışlar: Türk Okul Öncesi Çocukları Temelinde Boylamsal Bir Çalışma

Öz

Prososyal davranış, herhangi bir ödül ya da karşılık beklemeden başkalarına fayda sağlamayı amaçlayan gönüllü eylemleri ifade eder. Bu tür davranışların temelleri, öz düzenleme becerilerinin gelişimi açısından kritik bir dönem olan okul öncesi yıllarda atılmaktadır. Bu boylamsal desen çalışma, Türk okul öncesi çocuklarında öz düzenleme becerileri ile prososyal davranış arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemiştir. Veriler, iki farklı zamanda 482 çocuktan (239’u kız) toplanmıştır. Öğretmenler, standartlaştırılmış derecelendirme ölçekleri aracılığıyla çocukların prososyal davranışlarını ve öz düzenleme becerilerini değerlendirmiştir. Veriler normal dağılım göstermediğinden, parametrik olmayan testler ve ikili lojistik regresyon analizi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, Ölçüm 1’den (T1) Ölçüm 2’ye (T2) hem öz düzenleme hem de prososyal davranış düzeylerinde anlamlı artışlar olduğunu göstermiştir. Ayrıca, Ölçüm 1’deki öz düzenleme düzeyinin Ölçüm 2’de prososyal davranış grubunda yer almanın tek anlamlı yordayıcısı olduğu; cinsiyet, kardeş durumu ve ebeveyn eğitim düzeyinin ise anlamlı yordayıcılar olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgular, prososyal davranışın gelişiminde erken dönemdeki öz düzenleme becerilerinin önemini vurgulamakta ve önceki araştırmalarla ilişkilendirilerek tartışılmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Prososyal Davranış
• Öz Düzenleme
• Okul Öncesi Çocuklar
• Boylamsal Çalışma
• Erken Çocukluk

Kaynakça

1. Aguayo, L., Hernandez, I. G., Yasui, M., Estabrook, R., Anderson, E. L., Davis, M. M., Briggs-Gowan, M. J., Wakschlag, L. S., & Heard-Garris, N. (2021). Cultural socialization in childhood: Analysis of parent–child conversations with a direct observation measure. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(2), 138–148. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000663
2. Altay, F. B., & Güre, A. (2012). Okul öncesi kuruma (devlet-özel) devam eden çocukların sosyal yeterlik ve olumlu sosyal davranışları ile annelerinin ebeveynlik stilleri arasındaki ilişkiler. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 12(4), 2699–2718.
3. Arslan, G. (2024). Positive parenting, prosocial behavior, meaning in life, and subjective well-being in adolescents: A parallel and serial mediation analysis. Child Indicators Research, 17, 1547–1561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-024-00823-x
4. Bağcı, B. (2015). Çocuk ve yetişkin prososyallik ölçeklerinin geçerlik güvenirlik çalışması ve çocuk ile anne-baba prososyal davranışları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi (Tez No.: 394899) [Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi]. Ulusal Tez Merkezi.
5. Bağcı, B. ve Öztürk Samur, A. (2016). Çocuk ve yetişkin prososyallik ölçeklerinin geçerlik güvenirlik çalışması. Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Kırşehir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi (KEFAD), 17 (3), 59-79.
6. Baran, G. (2005). Dört-beş yaş çocuklarının sosyal davranışlarının ve aile ortamlarının incelenmesi. Çağdaş Eğitim Dergisi, 30, 9–16.
7. Battistich, V., Solomon, D., Watson, M., Solomon, J., & Schaps, E. (1989). Effects of an elementary school program to enhance prosocial behavior on children's cognitive-social problem-solving skills and strategies. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 10(2), 147–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/0193-3973(89)90002-6
8. Best, J. R., & Miller, P. H. (2010). A developmental perspective on executive function. Child Development, 81(6), 1641–1660. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01499.x

9. Beaty, J. J. (1999). Prosocial guidance for the preschool child. Prentice-Hall, Inc.
10. Bergin, C., Talley, S., & Hamer, L. (2003). Prosocial behaviors of young adolescents: A focus group study. Journal of Adolescence, 26(1), 13–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-1971(02)00112-4
11. Bierman, K. L., Mathis, E. T., & Domitrovich, C. E. (2018). Serving the needs of young children with social, emotional, and behavioral needs: A commentary. School Mental Health, 10(3), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-9265-4
12. Blair, C., & Razza, R. P. (2007). Relating effortful control, executive function, and false belief understanding to emerging math and literacy ability in kindergarten. Child Development, 78(2), 647–663. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01019.x
13. Bodrova, E., & Leong, J. D. (2007). Tools of the mind: The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
14. Bornstein, M. H. (2015). Culture, parenting, and zero-to-threes. Zero to Three, 35(4), 2–9.
15. Bower, A. A. (2012). What we do when children are good: How parents reinforce their preschool children’s prosocial behaviors, and the effectiveness of these strategies across contexts (Master’s thesis). University of Nebraska.
16. Bronson, M. B. (2000). Self-regulation in early childhood: Nature and nurture. Guilford Press.
17. Brownell, C. A., Ramani, G. B., & Zerwas, S. (2006). Becoming a social partner with peers: Cooperation and social understanding in one- and two-year-olds. Child Development, 77(4), 803–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00904.x
18. Burke, K. N., Zatto, B. R. L., & Hoglund, W. L. G. (2023). Developmental patterns of behavioural self-regulation and peer relations in early childhood. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 65, 179–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2023.06.001
19. Caruana, E. J., Roman, M., Hernández-Sánchez, J., & Solli, P. (2015). Longitudinal studies. Journal of Thoracic Disease, 7(11), E537–E540. https://doi.org/10.3978/j.issn.2072-1439.2015.10.63
20. Crafa, D. (2015). Self-regulation during early childhood across cultures, development of. In J. D. Wright (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (2nd ed., pp. 553–556). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.23168-1
21. Çokluk, Ö., Şekercioğlu, G., & Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2014). Multivariate statistics: SPSS and LISREL applications for social sciences. Pegem Akademi.
22. Çubukçu, A. (2019). 48–72 aylık çocukların prososyal davranışları ile annelerinin prososyal davranışları ve ebeveyn tutumları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi (Tez No.: 601128) [Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Uludağ Üniversitesi]. Ulusal Tez Merkezi.
23. 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
24. Denham, S. A., & Brown, C. (2010). “Plays nice with others”: Social-emotional learning and academic success. Early Education and Development, 21(5), 652–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2010.497450
25. Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annual Review of Psychology, 64, 135–168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
26. Eisenberg, N. (1992). The caring child. Harvard University Press.
27. Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., Karbon, M., Murphy, B. C., Wosinski, M., Polazzi, L., Carlo, G., & Juhnke, C. (1996). The relations of children's dispositional prosocial behavior to emotionality, regulation, and social functioning. Child Development, 67(3), 974–992. https://doi.org/10.2307/1131874
28. Eisenberg, N., Fabes, R. A., & Spinrad, T. L. (2006). Prosocial development. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (6th ed., Vol. 3, pp. 646–702). John Wiley & Sons.
29. Eisenberg, N., Spinrad, T. L., & Knafo-Noam, A. (2015). Prosocial development. In M. E. Lamb & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science: Socioemotional processes (7th ed., pp. 610–656). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118963418.childpsy315
30. Eisenberg, N., Valiente, C., & Eggum, N. D. (2010). Self-regulation and school readiness. Early Education and Development, 21(5), 681–698. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2010.497451
31. Eisenberg, N., Duckworth, A. L., Spinrad, T. L., & Valiente, C. (2014). Conscientiousness: Origins in childhood? Developmental Psychology, 50(5), 1331–1349. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030977
32. Eisenberg, N., & Fabes, R. A. (1998). Prosocial development. In W. Damon & N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 701–778). John Wiley & Sons.
33. Emre, O., Temiz, A., Tarkoçin, S., & Ulutaş, A. (2020). Öğretmen değerlendirmesine göre 60–72 aylık çocukların öz-düzenleme becerileri ile yalnızlık ve sosyal memnuniyetsizlikleri arasındaki ilişki. Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 17(45), 124–139.
34. Epstein, A. S. (2009). Me, you, us: Social-emotional learning in preschool. High/Scope Press.
35. Erol, A., & İvrendi, A. (2018). 4–6 yaş çocuklarına yönelik öz-düzenleme becerileri ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi (anne formu). Pamukkale Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 44(44), 178–195.
36. Ersan, C. (2020). Okul öncesi eğitimin etkisi. Eğiten Kitap.
37. Ersan, C. (2015). Babalara verilen dil eğitim programının çocukların alıcı dil becerilerine etkisi. Eğitim ve Bilim, 40(180), 51-71.
38. Ersan, C., Oral, T., Günlü, A., Çakmak, M. E., & Ceyhan, A. (2024). Investigation of quality of life and self-regulation skills of 4-6 years old children. Research on Education and Psychology, 8(1), 114-127
39. Fox, L., Hemmeter, M., Snyder, P., Binder, D. P., & Clarke, S. (2011). Coaching early childhood special educators to implement a comprehensive model for promoting young children’s social competence. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 31(3), 178–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121411404440
40. Genç, F. G. (2021). Annelerin prososyal davranışları ve tutumları ile okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının prososyal davranışları arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi (Tez No.: 665947) [Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Gazi Üniversitesi]. Ulusal Tez Merkezi.
41. Gencer, R., & Bartan, M. (2024). Investigation of the relationship between prosocial and play behaviors of 60–72 months-old children attending preschool education. Asian Journal of Instruction (E-AJI), 12(1), 17–32. https://doi.org/10.47215/aji.1409043
42. Glazer, J. I. (1991). Literature for young children (3rd ed.). Collier Macmillan.
43. Grazzani, I., Ornaghi, V., Agliati, A., & Brazzelli, E. (2016). How to foster toddlers' mental-state talk, emotion understanding, and prosocial behavior: A conversation-based intervention at nursery school. Infancy, 21(2), 199–227. https://doi.org/10.1111/infa.12107
44. Güngör, A. (2002). Gelişim ve öğrenme. Anı Yayıncılık.
45. Halliday, S. E., Dahinden, F. M., & Hascher, T. (2024). Prosocial behavior in early childhood across boys and girls: Associations among parent- and teacher-report and child behavior on the Dictator Game. Early Education and Development, 36(2), 410–430. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2024.2389370
46. Hastings, P. D., McShane, K. E., Parker, R., & Ladha, F. (2007). Ready to make nice: Parental socialization of young sons' and daughters' prosocial behaviors with peers. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 168(2), 177–200. https://doi.org/10.3200/GNTP.168.2.177-200
47. Howard, S. J., Vasseleu, E., Neilsen-Hewett, C., de Rosnay, M., Chan, A. Y., Johnstone, S., Mavilidi, M., Paas, F., & Melhuish, E. C. (2021). Executive function and self-regulation: Bi-directional longitudinal associations and prediction of early academic skills. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 733328. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.733328
48. Hughes, C., McHarg, G., & White, N. (2018). Sibling influences on prosocial behavior. Current Opinion in Psychology, 20, 96–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.08.015
49. Karaman, N. N., & Dinçer, Ç. (2020). Okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının prososyal davranışlarının bazı değişkenler açısından incelenmesi. Erken Çocukluk Çalışmaları Dergisi, 4(3), 639–664. https://doi.org/10.24130/eccd-jecs.1967202043236
50. Knafo, A., & Plomin, R. (2006). Prosocial behavior from early to middle childhood: Genetic and environmental influences on stability and change. Developmental Psychology, 42(5), 771–786. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.5.771
51. Kopp, C. B. (1982). Antecedents of self-regulation: A developmental perspective. Developmental Psychology, 18(2), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.18.2.199
52. Korucu, I., Ayturk, E., Finders, J. K., Schnur, G., Bailey, C. S., Tominey, S. L., & Schmitt, S. A. (2022). Self-regulation in preschool: Examining its factor structure and associations with pre-academic skills and social-emotional competence. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 717317. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.717317
53. Ladd, G. W., Birch, S. H., & Buhs, E. S. (1999). Children's social and scholastic lives in kindergarten: Related spheres of influence? Child Development, 70(6), 1373–1400. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00101 Laible, D., Carlo, G., Murphy, T., Augustine, M., & Roesch, S. (2014). Predicting children's prosocial and co‐operative behavior from their temperamental profiles: A person‐centered approach. Social Development, 23(4), 734–752. https://doi.org/10.1111/sode.1207
54. Li, Y., Li, Y., Chen, G., & Yang, J. (2024). Being an only child and children’s prosocial behaviors: Evidence from rural China and the role of parenting styles. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03078-2
55. Linnenbrink, E. A., & Pintrich, P. R. (2002). Achievement goal theory and affect: An asymmetrical bidirectional model. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 69–78. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3702_2
56. McClelland, M. M., Acock, A. C., Piccinin, A., Rhea, S. A., & Stallings, M. C. (2013). Relations between preschool attention span-persistence and age 25 educational outcomes. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28, 314–324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2012.07.008
57. McClelland, M. M., Cameron, C. E., & Dahlgren, J. (2019). The development of self-regulation in young children. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED623283.pdf adresinden 14 Nisan 2025 tarihinde erişildi.
58. Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB). (2013). Okul öncesi eğitimi programı https://mufredat.meb.gov.tr/Dosyalar/20195712275243-okuloncesi_egitimprogrami.pdf adresinden 14 Temmuz 2025 tarihinde erişildi.
59. Millî Eğitim Bakanlığı (MEB). (2024). Okul öncesi eğitimi programı. https://tegm.meb.gov.tr/dosya/okuloncesi/guncellenenokuloncesiegitimprogrami.pdf adresinden 14 Temmuz 2015 tarihinde erişildi.
60. Miller, P. A., Bernzweig, J., Eisenberg, N., & Fabes, R. A. (1991). The development and socialization of prosocial behavior. In A. R. Hinde & J. Groebel (Eds.), Cooperation and prosocial behaviour (pp. 54–77). Cambridge University Press.
61. 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
62. Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.2.247
63. Muraven, M., Baumeister, R. F., & Tice, D. M. (1999). Longitudinal improvement of self-regulation through practice: Building self-control strength through repeated exercise. The Journal of Social Psychology, 139(4), 446–457. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224549909598404
64. Ostrosky, M., & Meadan, H. (2010). Helping children play and learn together. National Association for the Education of Young Children. https://www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/downloads/PDFs/resources/pubs/ostroskyweb0110.pdf adresinden 14 Ağustos 2025 tarihinde erişildi.
65. Pallant, J. (2016). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS program (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
66. Paulus, M., Licata, M., Kristen, S., Thoermer, C., Woodward, A., & Sodian, B. (2015). Social understanding and self-regulation predict pre-schoolers’ sharing with friends and disliked peers: A longitudinal study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 39(1), 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414537923
67. Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2009). Toward a physical basis of attention and self regulation. Physics of Life Reviews, 6(2), 103–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2009.02.001
68. Pratt, M. W., Skoe, E. E., & Arnold, M. L. (2004). Care reasoning development and family socialisation patterns in later adolescence: A longitudinal analysis. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28(2), 139–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/01650250344000343
69. Rosanbalm, K. D., & Murray, D. W. (2017). Promoting self-regulation in the first five years: A practice brief. University of North Carolina. https://fpg.unc.edu/sites/fpg.unc.edu/files/resources/reports-and-policy-briefs/PromotingSelf-RegulationIntheFirstFiveYears.pdf adresinden 14 Eylül 2025 tarihinde erişildi.
70. San-Bayhan, P., & Artan, İ. (2007). Çocuk gelişimi ve eğitimi. Morpa Kültür Yayınları.
71. Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (1997). Social origins of self-regulatory competence. Educational Psychologist, 32(4), 195–208. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3204_1
72. Sebanc, A. M. (2003). The friendship features of preschool children: Links with prosocial behavior and aggression. Social Development, 12(2), 249–268. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9507.00230
73. Senemoğlu, N. (2018). Gelişim, öğrenme ve öğretim: Kuramdan uygulamaya (25. baskı). Anı Yayıncılık.
74. Shonkoff, J., & Phillips, D. (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development. National Academies Press. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25077268/ adresinden 14 Ağustos 2025 tarihinde erişildi.
75. Somer, B. (2015). 4–6 yaş resimli çocuk kitaplarının prososyal davranışlar açısından incelenmesi (Tez No.: 388233) [Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Gazi Üniversitesi]. Ulusal Tez Merkezi.
76. Solomon, D., Watson, M. S., Delucchi, K. L., Schaps, E., & Battistich, V. (1988). Enhancing children's prosocial behavior in the classroom. American Educational Research Journal, 25(4), 527–554. https://doi.org/10.2307/1163128
77. Smorti, M., & Ponti, L. (2018). How does sibling relationship affect children’s prosocial behaviors and best friend relationship quality? Journal of Family Issues, 39(8), 2413–2436. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X18755195
78. Svetlova, M., Nichols, S. R., & Brownell, C. A. (2010). Toddlers' prosocial behavior: From instrumental to empathic to altruistic helping. Child Development, 81(6), 1814–1827. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01512.x Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2015). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Pearson.
79. Tuzcuoğlu, N., Azkeskin, K. E., Küsmüs, G. İ., & Cengiz, Ö. (2019). Okul öncesi dönem çocuklarının öz düzenleme becerileri ile benlik algıları arasındaki ilişkisinin incelenmesi. IBAD Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 607–623. https://doi.org/10.21733/ibad.613920
80. 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(3). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.621320
81. Williams, K. E., & Berthelsen, D. (2017). The development of prosocial behaviour in early childhood: Contributions of early parenting and self-regulation. International Journal of Early Childhood, 49(1), 73–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-017-0185-5
82. Yağmurlu, B., Sanson, A., & Köymen, S. B. (2005). Ebeveynlerin ve çocuk mizacının olumlu sosyal davranış gelişimine etkileri: Zihin kuramının belirleyici rolü. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 20(55), 1–20.
83. Zahn-Waxler, C., Radke-Yarrow, M., Wagner, E., & Chapman, M. (1992). Development of concern for others. Developmental Psychology, 28(1), 126–136. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.28.1.126
84. Zelazo, P. D., Carlson, S. M., & Kesek, A. (2008). The development of executive function in childhood. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of developmental cognitive neuroscience (2nd ed., pp. 553–574). MIT Press.
85. 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