The Continuity Between Pre-School Curriculum and First Grade Turkish Curriculum Based on Early Writing Skills

The Continuity Between Pre-School Curriculum and First Grade Turkish Curriculum Based on Early Writing Skills

Vahide YİĞİT GENÇTEN

ÖZET
This research aims to explore the continuity of the pre-school education program and the primary school Turkish literacy program in the context of early writing skills. These skills are identified within the scope of cognitive, socio-cultural, linguistic, and psycho-motor skills, and it is critical that there is a continuity of these education programs prepared for the children not to experience transition problems between the two educational settings and to ensure that they are complementary to each other. In this way, children will adapt to school more easily through developing their academic skills, and their learning skills will also be supported. In this study, the 2013 Preschool Education Program, which guides the early years education of 36-72-month-old children, and the 2019 Turkish Language Teaching Program were examined in terms of early writing skills. The document analysis method, which is a qualitative method, was used in the research, and the analyses were completed by using the NVivo12 program. The aims of the programs, necessary qualifications, activities, achievements, materials, types of writing, learning-teaching approach, assessment and evaluation approach, classroom organization, genre, and writing skills were examined in the extent of the study. As of the results, similar and different characteristics while supporting writing skills were found, and the aspects in which they support each other, and differences were determined. Findings showed that children’s development in both settings was approached as a whole, and it was aimed to transform the writing awareness developed in the pre-school period into the writing habit in the primary school program. It has been also revealed that both programs complement each other and support the transformation of writing skills into a behavioral system; in these programs, a student-centered and process-oriented approach, and multi-dimensional assessment tools for writing were emphasized. Therefore, integrity in terms of socio-cultural, cognitive, psychomotor, and linguistics skills was ensured. The main differences can be summarised as having a play-based approach in the preschool program and a learning-oriented approach in the Turkish Lesson Curriculum, different types of activities, preschool program being more comprehensive and richer in terms of suggested resources, the diversity of classroom arrangements, and the lack of themes in the preschool program with regards to early writing skills.

ABSTRACT
This research aims to explore the continuity of the pre-school education program and the primary school Turkish literacy program in the context of early writing skills. These skills are identified within the scope of cognitive, socio-cultural, linguistic, and psycho-motor skills, and it is critical that there is a continuity of these education programs prepared for the children not to experience transition problems between the two educational settings and to ensure that they are complementary to each other. In this way, children will adapt to school more easily through developing their academic skills, and their learning skills will also be supported. In this study, the 2013 Preschool Education Program, which guides the early years education of 36-72-month-old children, and the 2019 Turkish Language Teaching Program were examined in terms of early writing skills. The document analysis method, which is a qualitative method, was used in the research, and the analyses were completed by using the NVivo12 program. The aims of the programs, necessary qualifications, activities, achievements, materials, types of writing, learning-teaching approach, assessment and evaluation approach, classroom organization, genre, and writing skills were examined in the extent of the study. As of the results, similar and different characteristics while supporting writing skills were found, and the aspects in which they support each other, and differences were determined. Findings showed that children’s development in both settings was approached as a whole, and it was aimed to transform the writing awareness developed in the pre-school period into the writing habit in the primary school program. It has been also revealed that both programs complement each other and support the transformation of writing skills into a behavioral system; in these programs, a student-centered and process-oriented approach, and multi-dimensional assessment tools for writing were emphasized. Therefore, integrity in terms of socio-cultural, cognitive, psychomotor, and linguistics skills was ensured. The main differences can be summarised as having a play-based approach in the preschool program and a learning-oriented approach in the Turkish Lesson Curriculum, different types of activities, preschool program being more comprehensive and richer in terms of suggested resources, the diversity of classroom arrangements, and the lack of themes in the preschool program with regards to early writing skills.

ANAHTAR KELİMELER: Early writing development, continuity, pre-school education, first-year primary education

KEYWORDS: Early writing development, continuity, pre-school education, first-year primary education

DOI : [PDF]