The effects of elp use in preschool education on children's socio-emotional adaptation and self-concept development

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of ELP use in preschool education on children's socio-emotional adaptation and self-concept development. To answer the research questions, quantitative and qualitative analyses of the effects of the ELP use in preschool on children's socio-emotional adaptation and a self-concept development were made. This study was conducted over 12 weeks during 2011-2012 spring semester. This research is generated by two sample groups. First sample group consists of 18 children at the age of 6. Second sample group has16 children, who are 6 years old. The former is experimental group and the latter is control group. Totally, 34 children take part in sample group of the study. In the quasi-experimental design on the study, pre-test and post-test with the control and experimental groups were used. Two-Way ANOVA for Repeated Measures was used for statistical data analysis. In this study in order to define student's social-emotional adaptation and self-concept development, Self-concept Development Scale (2000), which was designed by Dr. Donald Demoulin and Social-emotional Adaptation Scale (MASDU) (2002-2003), which was designed by an expert group who were academicians at Marmara University, were administered to all students twice. Each of the classes took the same self-concept development scale and social-emotional adaptation scale as a pre-test separately before employing European Language Portfolio (ELP). The Language Portfolio, which is used in American Culture Kids, is not a validated European Language Portfolio model, yet it resembles a very young learners European Language Portfolio model validated by Council of European Language Policy Revision. The results of the study indicated that the self-concept development and social-emotional adaptation clearly claim that European Language Portfolio affects children positively Keywords: Young Learners, Self-Concept Development, Social-Emotional Adaptation, European Language portfolio, Learner-centered activities.