Open AccessUsing Learning Centers to Improve the Language and Academic Skills of Preschool Children
Author(s) -
Özgün Uyanık Aktulun,
Gözde İnal Kızıltepe
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
world journal of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1925-0754
pISSN - 1925-0746
DOI - 10.5430/wje.v8n6p32
Subject(s) - psychology , mathematics education , literacy , multimethodology , academic skills , academic year , research design , test (biology) , sample (material) , medical education , developmental psychology , pedagogy , medicine , paleontology , social science , chemistry , chromatography , sociology , biology
A mixed-methods research design was employed to investigate the impact of use of learning centers to supportlanguage and academic skills of children aged 61–72 months. The sample of quantitative data of the study consistedof 70 children (35 in the experimental group and 35 in the control group). In the quantitative dimension of the study,data were collected using the “Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills,” “Progress in Maths 6 Test,”and the “Control List for the Evaluation of the Print Awareness of Pre-School Children” scales. In the qualitativedimension of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the teachers of the experimental groupthrough the “Teacher Interview Form” developed by the researchers. During the implementation period, learningcenters were established and organized in such a way that the 35 children in the experimental group could use themfor about 75–90 minutes every day for eight weeks. The results obtained from the study reveal that arrangementsmade in the learning centers provide important contributions to the development of children’s language, literacy andmathematics skills.