An analysis of Agageldi Allanazarov's povest "Şol Bir Gezek Uçan İt" according to the principle of child-centeredness

In this master's thesis, the povest Şol Bir Gezek Uçan İt, included in Çölüň Deňiz Günleri by Agageldi Allanazarov—one of the prominent authors of contemporary Turkmen children's literature—is examined within the framework of the principle of child-centeredness. The study adopts a holistic approach to evaluate the povest's suitability for the cognitive, affective, and cultural development of child readers, focusing on its subject matter, characters, language and narrative style, and conveyed messages. The research is conducted using qualitative research methods, employing text analysis, descriptive analysis, and document analysis techniques. Both the original Turkmen text of the work and the Türkiye Turkish translation prepared by the researcher are analyzed comparatively. The thesis first establishes the theoretical framework of the concept of child-centeredness and subsequently analyzes the povest in accordance with these four criteria. The findings reveal that, through the life journey of the central character Möngözlüce, themes such as the search for belonging, love, loyalty, responsibility, freedom, and individuation are presented within a narrative structure that enables child readers to establish identification. Human–animal relationships are addressed without idealization, instead being conveyed through fundamental life experiences such as trust, disappointment, and making choices. In terms of language and narration, it is determined that Allanazarov adopts a plain, fluent, and suggestive style, combining elements of oral culture with modern narrative techniques and achieving value transmission without resorting to a didactic discourse. In conclusion, "Şol Bir Gezek Uçan İt" constitutes a strong example with respect to the principle of child-centeredness. By revealing the pedagogical and literary value of the work, this study contributes to research in the field of children's literature, particularly to studies on Turkmen children's literature. Keywords: Agageldi Allanazarov, Turkmen Children's Literature, Child-Centeredness, Values Education