Preschool Movement Education in Turkey: Perceptions of Preschool Administrators and Parents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of preschool administrators and parents about preschool movement education and movement practices in preschools. Participants were 8 preschool administrators and 21 parents from 8 randomly selected private preschools in one of the municipalities in Ankara, Turkey. Semi-structured interviews, field visits, and observations were conducted, and written documents were collected. The findings indicate that preschool administrators and parents have limited content knowledge in movement education. Movement education practices were not aligned with physical-education goals for these schools. Children’s participation in organized sport activities is valued more as an extracurricular activity by administrators and parents. Limited indoor/outdoor spaces for movement activities seem to be among the limiting factors for movement education practices. To conclude, there is an immediate need to improve preschool administrators’ and parents’ knowledge of movement education and to enhance preschool facilities to ensure quality movement education.