Child psychology in Behiç Ak's children's novels

This thesis aims to examine the representation of child psychology in Behiç Ak's children's novels. Behiç Ak is one of the prominent figures in Turkish children's literature, and his works successfully reflect the emotional, cognitive, social, and psychological development of child characters. However, a review of the existing literature reveals that there is no detailed academic study focusing on the psychological aspects of Behiç Ak's works. This research seeks to fill this gap and analyze Behiç Ak's works from the perspective of child psychology. The thesis first presents a theoretical framework on the concept of "child" and child development. The cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions of children's developmental processes are elaborated, and the relationship between child psychology and children's literature is clarified. Following this, the characters in Behiç Ak's children's novels are analyzed to explore how these developmental processes align with the psychological growth of the characters. This thesis emphasizes the influence of children's literature on children's psychological development and highlights the importance of Behiç Ak's children's novels in terms of child psychology. This research aims to contribute to the fields of both children's literature and child psychology. The study evaluates Behiç Ak's children's novels through an analysis of the psychological structures, social interactions, and ways in which the child characters cope with societal issues. The theoretical approaches used in the research are based on general psychological theories that address children's cognitive and emotional development. The findings indicate that Behiç Ak's children's novels positively contribute to children's psychological development and can serve as a guide for them.