Social Competence and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies--PATHS Preschool Curriculum.

AbstractIn this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS) - Preschool Curriculum on Preschool Children's Social Skills. The six years old children (N= 95) and their teachers (N=7) were included in participant group in Izmir. With a pretest-intervention-posttest design, data was collected through Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies Preschool Evaluation Kit, Kusche Emotional Inventory, Head Start Competence Scale-Teacher Version, Teaching Style Rating Scale, Classroom Atmosphere Rating Scale. The evaluation findings indicated that (i) the training effects were large for increasing concentration and attention skills F(1,93)= 6.24*, p 05) and social emotional competence (F(1,93)= 11.69*, p 05; F(1,93)= 29.23**, p 001); (ii) reducing aggression and distruptive behaviors (F(1,93)= 7.06**, p 001); (iii) no significant intervention effects could be detected on any emotion knowledge skills (F(1,84)= 10.80). However, as compared to the control group, it was found that (iv) the intervention improved the level of children's compliance, cooperation, problem solving, feeling expression (F(1,93)= 29.23**, p 001. ), and (v) the level of teachers' discipline strategies, emotional support, problem solving, and preventing misbehavior F(1,5)= 8.24*, p 05; F(1,5)= 30.42**, p 001; F(1,5)= 31.20**, p 001; F(1,5)= 35.07**, p 001). At the end of the study, it was found that PATHS-Preschool was an effective program in terms of improvement of children's social emotional competence and to lay groundwork for a comprehensive evaluation of the program as a preventive intervention for Turkish children.Key WordsSocial and Emotional Competence, Preschool Children, Preventive Intervention, Social Problem Solving.Living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, poor parental supervision and discipline, low income and poor housing affect preschool children's reaching education, and their educational (ACEV, 2005, 2009; Egitim Reformu Girisimi, 2009) Besides this, it is observed that aggressive and noncompatible behaviors between children have increased in school and society, and children cannot cope with their emotions when they await his/her turn, lose the games, cannot share materials, cannot handle their angry and disappointing feelings, then they bully and use verbal violance (Elias, Parker, Kash, Weissberg, & O'Brien, 2008; Kam, Greenberg, & Kusche, 2004; Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001). In this context, teaching how to play with peers, express their feelings, get on well when conflicts arise are important in early childhood. It is stated that conducting preventive interventions studies improving social and emotional competence skills like communicating, problem solving, understanding own and other's feelings, and putting away tendency of violence are required for reducing or preveting these risk factors in preschool (Elias et al., 2008; Kam et al., 2004; Webster-Stratton et al., 2001). It is seen that in the literature there are various programs that teach children prosocial skills such as being calm and generous, self-control, emotional regulation, sharing, cooperation, compliments, and telling the truth by using social and emotional learning (Domitrovich & Greenberg, 2000; Elias et al., 1997; Geller, 1999; Joseph & Strain, 2003; Powell, Dunlap, & Fox, 2006; Shure, 2001; Terzian & Fraser, 2005; Walker et al., 1998; Webster-Stratton, Reid, & Hammond, 2001; 2004; Vaughn, Ridley, & Levine, 1986; Wang, Haertel, & Walberg 1997; Weissberg & O'Brien, 2004). Although some preventive interventions have been also implemented in Turkey like in other countries (Anliak, 2004; Avcioglu, 2003; Dereli, 2008; Durualp & Aral, 2010; Ekinci-Vural, 2006; Durmusoglu Saltali, 2010; Polat-Unutkan, 1998; Shure; Walker et al., 1998), but additional researches are needed to conduct for proving the effectiveness of interventions (Anliak). Evaluating these program outcomes, effectiveness of evidence - based the Preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies - Preschool PATHS program program (Domitrovich, Cortes, & Greenberg, 2007) that develop children's self control, promote recognizing and expressing feelings, contribute problem solving skills (Greenberg & Kusche, 1998), reduce aggressive and distruptive behaviors by improving social and emotional competence (Domitrovich et al. …