Investigating pre-school children's self-regulation skills in terms of various variables in Northern Cyprus

Hatice Cemre Daggul,Ayşe Işık Gürşimşek

doi:10.14527/pegegog.2019.016

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the self-regulation skills of kindergarten children in terms of various variables. The study was conducted in two different kindergarten institutions in Nicosia and Girne District of Cyprus; 122 children aged 48-72 months and their parents (mother or father). In order to measure the participant children’s self-regulation skills, Pre-School Self-Regulation Scale adapted to Turkish was used. Socio-demographic information of the children and the parents participating in the study were determined using the Personal Information Form, which consists of 5 optional questions prepared by the researchers. In the study, it was seen that the scores of the attention/impulse subscale and total scale score of the girls were significantly higher than the boys. No statistically significant difference according to the gender is found in the positive emotional subscale. There was no significant difference in the children's self-regulation skills scores in terms of parental education level, total income status of the family and the number of children in the family. This study, which was conducted for the first time to determine the self-regulatory skills of the children in pre-schools of North Cyprus and the variables affecting these skills, will contribute to the similar work in the future and educational arrangements for education system of North Cyprus.

Highlights

Self-regulation is perceived as an individual concept due to "self" in its content, the social and cultural environment in which the individual is in the realization and development of the selfregulation has an important place according to many definitions which define learning as a social phenomenon
The concept of self-regulation has been described by Bandura, the founder of social cognitive theory as evaluation of individual's own behavior by comparing it with her/his own criteria, and to regulate her/his behavior by reinforcing or punishing herself/himself (Senemoğlu, 2013)
Self-regulation, according to social cognitive construction, starts with observing models in social environments, and imitation or attentive behaviors become internalized over time until they become individuals's own behavioral forms

Summary

Introduction

Self-regulation is perceived as an individual concept due to "self" in its content, the social and cultural environment in which the individual is in the realization and development of the selfregulation has an important place according to many definitions which define learning as a social phenomenon. Factors such as the perspectives of the parents towards their children, their goals, anticipations, the structure of the authority in the family shape how the child perceives herself/himself as a learning individual (McCaslin & Murdock, 1991 cite in: Sakız & Yetkin Özdemir, 2014). When children enter formal education after home-based care, they enter a more structured atmosphere In such settings, the child faces demands for effective use of social competences and self-regulation skills (McClelland & Cameron, 2011). With the development of self-regulation, the child has a balance against these new expectations (Denham, Warren-Khot & Perna, 2012)

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