The richness of our language project: Preschool teacher experiences

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to examine the experiences of preschool teachers regarding the “Richness of Our Language Project.” The case study method, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in the study. The study group consisted of 33 preschool teachers working in kindergartens and nursery schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in the 2024-2025 academic year. An appropriate sampling method was used to determine the participants. A structured interview form prepared by the researchers was used as the data collection tool in the study. The data were analyzed using the content analysis method with the MAXQDA program. The results of the study revealed that most of the teachers held project information meetings at their schools, all of them reviewed the project implementation guide, most of them involved their families in the project, but a significant portion of them did not collaborate with institutions and organizations within the scope of the project. Teachers were found to use the interactive/shared book reading activity type in the activity implementation guide more frequently within the scope of the project. The reasons for using this activity type were stated as its ease of implementation, its ability to attract children's interest, and its suitability for their age and developmental levels. Within the scope of the project, teachers used the “365 Days Storybook” and \"Start Education with Early Education: Storybooks Prepared Within the Scope of the ECE Project.\" It was also noted that they used cultural elements such as the Turkish flag, carpet weaving tools, clothing and object introductions, riddles, rhymes, fairy tales, lullabies, poems, epics, folk songs, dances, idioms, and proverbs.