A qualitative research on emotion regulation processes and language skills in kindergarten

In this study, which was designed as a single-subject case study, a 5-year-old girl with typical development was at the center. A preschool child, who was identified as the focus child in the study and whose identity was anonymized under the name Aylin, was examined in the kindergarten where she was enrolled for a kindergarten year by applying different research tools. The purpose of our study is to investigate in as much detail as possible what kind of social interaction experiences the focus child had with her environment over the course of a year, how she experienced emotion regulation processes, and what kind of progress she made in expressive language skills. In this study, young child observation according to Tavistock model, videography and semi-structured interviews were used as research tools and demographic form and HAVAS 5 language diagnostic tool were used as data collection tools. The findings of the study showed that Aylin experienced various anxiety and stressful experiences, especially during the adjustment week and the following months. The results from this study suggest that Aylin experienced various anxiety and stressful experiences, especially during the adjustment week and the following months. On the one hand, it was understood that she was trying to cope with the possible difficulties caused by the separation from her parents, and on the other hand, she made an intense effort to adapt to the new environment. However, it was observed that she had an intense desire to experience social interaction with her peers, to be part of a game or to belong to a group, to develop a wide variety of strategies to achieve her goals, and to experience feelings of togetherness and belonging in the following months. Findings from the observation protocols and video recordings revealed that Aylin played in harmony with her peers and displayed more extroverted behavior when she felt emotionally well. Our findings indicate that Aylin, the focal child, was better able to express herself verbally and showed more willingness to talk when she experienced a sense of togetherness, connectedness and belonging. Findings from semi-structured interviews with parents show that Aylin was subjected to quarantine and social isolation for at least one year as part of the preventive measures implemented during the Covid-19 process from the age of two and a half. In addition to this, it was found that Aylin had to spend her daily life at home (in a limited environment) and was deprived of peer interaction and physical activities. It was understood that the father's interaction with the focus child was limited due to his busy work life, while the mother had difficulty in allocating quality time to the child.