Effectiveness of the Netherlands’ pyramid method in the Turkish context

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the Netherlands’ Pyramid method adapted to the Turkish Pre-School Education Program on language and early literacy skills of 5-year-old children. For this purpose, the Pyramid method is first adapted to the Turkish Preschool Education Program by authors after studying the method in the Netherlands for about two months. Then a study was conducted in a private preschool in Ankara, Turkey with a total of 44 children. We collected the data using the ‘Turkish version of Test of Early Language and Development’ and ‘Early Literacy Skills Assessment Tool’. Data was then analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank and Kruskal Wallis-H Tests. Results of the study show that the Pyramid method adapted to the Turkish Pre-School Education Program has positive effects on 5-year-old children's language skills and phonological awareness, print awareness, story comprehension, visual matching, and pre-writing skills. These findings are in agreement with similar studies of the Pyramid Method in different countries.