Tez Türü: Yüksek Lisans
Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Okul Öncesi Eğitimi, Türkiye
Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. Serap Sevimli Çelik
Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2020
Tezin Dili: İngilizce
Özet:
This study was conducted with three aims which are exploring early childhood teachers’ and
parents’ views regarding outdoor time and examining teachers’ outdoor time practices.
Qualitative approaches were used to deeply investigate, gain a deeper understanding, and
provide a broader perspective on the outdoor time concept during early childhood education.
The sample of this qualitative study is 12 early childhood teachers who worked in a private
kindergarten and 35 parents whose children were registered in the same kindergarten in
Çankaya, Ankara. Data sources were semi-structured interviews with teachers and parents,
observation of teachers’ outdoor practices, and document analysis of outdoor activities in the
monthly education plans. Results displayed that both teachers and parents valued outdoor
time due to the positive effects on development and learning. However, the study also found
that the views of the teachers and the parents vary according to some components like safety and
weather. Parental concerns, weather conditions, and inadequate outdoor materials were
stressed as some of the barriers to outdoor time. It was also observed that outdoor time was
mostly aimed at exploring nature, providing free play, and releasing extra energy in
children. Also, it was revealed that outdoor practices change according to components like
teachers’ outdoor education background, developmental levels of children, and parental
concerns. Based on the document analysis, it was found that the frequency of outdoor
plans changes according to age and season. Furthermore, nature-related topics were mostly
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focused, and learning materials were preferred as natural components in outdoor activity
plans.