Examination of the Ministry of National Education (MEB) 2013 Preschool Education Program in the context of sexual education according to achievements/indicators and teachers' opinions

Early childhood education is very important for development. Sexual education in early childhood contributes to children's self-discovery and expression, healthy self-perception and identity development, empathy and positive social relationships. Sexual education plays an important role in raising individuals who respect society, have high awareness, respect human rights, and can protect others and themselves. It is noteworthy that the MEB (2013) Preschool Education Program, which is used as a guide in preschool period today, does not include the area of sexual development. In this study, it was aimed to investigate how preschool education teachers evaluate sexual education in preschool period, the suitability of the Ministry of National Education MEB (2013) Preschool Education Program for sexual education and the status of the achievement-indicators covering sexual education based on teacher opinions. In line with these aims, the research was conducted with the case study design, one of the qualitative research methods. In the study, interviews were conducted with 15 teachers working in preschool education institutions in Manisa province. A semi-structured interview form was used during the interviews. In the study, it was found that the achievement-indicators in the cognitive domain, social-emotional domain and self-care domains in the MEB 2013 preschool education program, which is a guide for preschool education teachers, are appropriate for sexual education, and the achievement-indicators in the motor domain are appropriate for sexual education. Keywords: Early Child, Education, Education Program, Pre-school Education, Sexual Development, Sexual Education.