Mozaik ve Proje Yaklaşımlarına Dayalı Eğitimin Çocukların Katılım Düzeylerine Etkisi

Abstract

This study was conducted to explore the effects of mosaic and project-based instruction on children’s involvement levels. Another aim of the study was to determine preschool teachers’ and children’s views about the involvement processes at school. The study adopted the sequential explanatory design of mixed research. The quantitative stage of the study utilized the pretest-posttest-retention test control group experimental design. The qualitative stage was based on case study. The study population in the quantitative stage included the five-year-old children attending independent kindergartens affiliated with the Ministry of Education in Afyonkarahisar during the 2016-2017 school year. The sample group comprised a total of 74 children, 24 of them assigned to experimental group 1, 26 to experimental group 2, and 24 to the control group. In the qualitative stage, the study group comprised a total of 50 children in experimental groups 1 and 2, and their respective preschool teachers. Data were collected with a ”General Information Form”, the “Leuven Involvement Scale for Young Children” to assess children’s involvement levels, a “Children’s Interview Form” to identify children’s views about the involvement processes at school, and a “Teacher Interview Form” to identify teacher’s views about involvement processes. Experimental 1 children followed project-based instruction 3 days weekly, for approximately 4 hours each day, for a total of 10 weeks. Experimental 2 children, on the other hand, followed mosaic-based instruction 3 days weekly, for approximately 4 hours each day, for a total of 10 weeks. The quantitative data were analyzed by using the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis-H tests while the qualitative data were analyzed with the content analysis technique. The results showed that project- and mosaic-based instruction created a significant difference in the involvement levels of Experimental 1 and 2 children, respectively (p<0.05). It was also found that experimental children were aware of teacher authority throughout the decision-making processes at school, and their inclusion in these processes were limited. Furthermore, the experimental teachers believed that project- and mosaic-based instruction created a difference in children’s involvement levels and attention spans.

Keywords: Involvement, preschool education, mosaic approach, project approach