Abstract:

The pre-school period is a very important process in which the first learning occurs in human life. This period in which the first knowledge and the first skills of the different areas of life are acquired is the basis for the future life of the individual. The processes of acquiring the knowledge and skills of the children starting in the family, continues with the pre-school education institution. Pre-school educational institutions support children to their expected goals through educational programs. One of the main objectives of the Turkish National Education System is to provide children with national, spiritual and cultural values. In this study, the pre-school education programmes applied in Turkey (1994, 2002, 2006 and 2013) were studied in terms of national concepts. The pre-school years where children can learn many different concepts are also an important period in terms of the teaching of national concepts to children. While there are different definitions of national concepts, the flag, national marsh, the information about the member country, cultural events and the introduction of historical personalities stands out in the teaching of national concepts. The study was conducted with the approval of the quality research approach. In the analysis of research data, the method of content analysis was preferred. The research finds that national concepts are not included in the pre-school education programs at a sufficient level.

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