AN ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN'S BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIAL SKILLS AND TEACHER CHILD RELATIONSHIPS

ÇOCUKLARIN DAVRANIŞ SORUNLARININ SOSYAL BECERİLERİ VE ÖĞRETMENLERİYLE KURDUKLARI İLİŞKİ BAĞLAMINDA İNCELENMESİ

Abstract

Aim of this study is to examine the factors that affect children’s behavioral problems and present the relationships between children’s behavioral problems, social skills and teacher child relationship. Relational screening model was preferred for this study. Study group consisted of 53, 36-48 months of age children who studied at early childhood education centers in Kayseri in 2015-2016 education year. Convenient sampling method was preferred to choose the participants. Personal Information Form, Student Teacher Relationship Scale, Preschool Behavior Questionnaire and Preschool Social Skills Assessment Scale were used to collect the data. Descriptive analyses, t test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analyses and standard multiple linear regression analyses were preferred to analyses the data. Results of the study showed that children had low behavioral problems. Boys had more behavioral problems regarding being inattentive-hyperactive than girls had. Children’s whose mothers and fathers had low education level, had more behavior problems regarding aggressiveness. Number of siblings, family income and teachers experience had no significant effect on children’s behavioral problems. It was seen that behavioral problems, social skills and teacher child relationships have a relationship significantly. It was presented that conflict between teacher and children and social skills have together a predictor of children’s behavioral problems The purpose of the study is to determine the factors affecting the children's behavioral problems and to reveal the connection between these problems and the teacher-child relationship and social skills. It employed the relational screening model. The study group consisted of 53 children aged 36-48 months attending a pre-school institution in the city of Kayseri in 2015-2016 school year. In the selection of the study group, the convenience sampling method was used. In order to elicit the children’s demographic information, the Personal Information Form developed by the researchers; to elicit their relationship with their teachers, the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale; to determine their behavioral problems, the Pre-school Behavioral Questionnaire; to evaluate their social skills, the Pre-school Social Skills Assessment Scale were employed in the study. It was found that the children’s scores obtained for their behavioral problems are considerably low. It is believed that the reason for the low level of behavioral problems among the children is their small age. The findings also revealed that the boys’ behavioral problems related to being hyperactive and inattentive are more than those of girls. This might be because the different attitudes taken in our culture towards the upbringing of boys and girls in that negative behaviors of boys are tolerated more and girls are encouraged to be quieter. When the findings related to the effect of the mother and father’s education status on children’s behavioral problems were examined, it was found that with decreasing level of education, behavioral problems related to aggressiveness increase. This might be because parents with high level of education behave more consciously about the development and education of their children and keep them away from violent games, TV programs, toys etc. Findings related to the effect of the number of siblings, family income and professional experience of the teacher on the behavioral problems of children revealed no significant effect. Research has shown that behavioral problems of the eldest child are more than those of the youngest child. This might be because with the participation of new children to the family, first children might feel lack of interest and jealous of their younger siblings. When the state of the teachers’ participating in social skills development and problematic behavior prevention trainings was examined, it was found that high majority of them did not participate. In the current study, it was found that there is a significant correlation between behavioral problems and teacherstudent relationship. In this connection, it was revealed that with increasing level of conflict between children and their teachers, the children’s behavioral problems related to aggressiveness and hyperactivity-inattentiveness also increase. This might be because of the age group of the participating children of the current study as it is reported in the literature that the period of 36-48 months is the period in which “obstinacy” behavior is most frequently exhibited by children. Strong correlations were found between the children’s behavioral problems and social skills. For instance; when the children’s initial skills (greeting, introducing oneself, thanking etc.) increase, their behavioral problems related to being anxious-weepy and behavioral problems total score decrease. It was also determined that with the children’s increasing friendship skills, their behavioral problems related to being aggressive and hyperactive and behavioral problems total score decrease. Moreover, it was found that with increasing academic support skills, their behavioral problem total score decreases. When the children’s emotion control skills increase, their behavioral problems related to being aggressive and hyperactive-inattentive and behavioral problems total score decrease. As a result of the research, it was found that the social skills and the conflict sub-dimension of teacher-child relationship together are an important predictor of behavioral problems. This finding is thought to offer guidance in the elimination of children’s behavioral problems in that this finding can be seen as a proof that when adults establish positive and trust-based relationships with children avoiding conflicts and struggles with them and provide opportunities for children to develop their social skills, children’s behavioral problems will decrease. Detection of the factors affecting behavioral problems is believed to be importa

Özet

Bu araştırmada, çocukların davranış sorunlarına etki eden faktörlerin belirlenmesi ve ilişkili olduğu düşünülen öğretmen çocuk ilişkisi ve sosyal beceriler ile aralarındaki bağın ortaya konması amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada ilişkisel tarama modeli kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın çalışma grubunu Kayseri ilinde 2015-2016 eğitim öğretim yılında okul öncesi eğitim kurumuna devam eden 36-48 aylık 53 çocuk oluşturmaktadır. Çalışma grubunun belirlenmesinde kolay ulaşılabilir örnekleme yöntemi kullanılmıştır. Veriler, Kişisel Bilgi Formu, Öğrenci Öğretmen İlişki Ölçeği, Okul Öncesi Davranış Sorunları Tarama Ölçeği ve Okul Öncesi Sosyal Beceri Değerlendirme Ölçeği kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Veriler üzerinde betimsel analiz, t testi, tek yönlü varyans analizi, pearson korelasyon analizi ve standart çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda, çalışma grubunda yer alan çocukların davranış sorunlarına ilişkin puanlarının oldukça düşük olduğu görülmüştür. Erkek çocukların aşırı hareketli ve dikkatsiz olmaya ilişkin davranış sorunlarının kız çocuklara kıyasla daha fazla olduğu belirlenmiştir. Anne ve baba öğrenim durumu düştükçe çocuklarda kavgacı saldırgan olmaya ilişkin davranış sorunlarının arttığı görülmüştür. Kardeş sayısı, aile geliri ve öğretmenin mesleki deneyiminin çocukların davranış sorunları üzerindeki etkisine ilişkin bulgular, anlamlı bir etkinin söz konusu olmadığını göstermiştir. Davranış sorunları ile öğretmen çocuk arasındaki ilişki arasında ve davranış sorunları ile sosyal beceriler arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Sosyal beceriler ve öğretmen çocuk ilişkisi alt boyutlarından çatışmanın birlikte davranış sorunlarının anlamlı bir yordayıcısı olduğu ortaya konmuştur