The seven colors of Türkiye: investigation of the effectiveness of respect for cultural differences education program for preschool teachers*

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research aims to increase the cultural sensitivity of preschool children and their teachers living in different regions of Türkiye through education in respect to differences. It employed an experimental design with pre-test post-test control group including 26 teachers along with 261 children aged 48–72 months. The study was conducted in three stages. In the first stage, the preparatory step, teachers were given six-hour training regarding respect for cultural differences. After the teacher training, they received 84 h of mentoring support for six weeks during the design process of the Seven Colors of Türkiye: Respect for Differences Activities. Teachers from seven regions of Türkiye created activity bags in accordance with the established activity plans. All bags from the regions were implemented after a 7-week bag change procedure. According to the research, both teachers and students strengthened their cultural awareness and students’ respect for differences developed.