Social skills analysis based on OSBEP of the 'Gelecek Bizim', '365 Gün', and 'Eğitime Erken Başla' preschool book sets and the evaluation of wordless books through teacher implementations

ABSTRACT SOCIAL SKILLS ANALYSIS BASED ON OSBEP OF THE 'GELECEK BİZİM', '365 GÜN', AND 'EĞİTİME ERKEN BAŞLA' PRESCHOOL BOOK SETS AND THE EVALUATION OF WORDLESS BOOKS THROUGH TEACHER IMPLEMENTATIONS Hayranur ÇİL, Master Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Öğr. Üyesi Esra Betül KÖLEMEN Sakarya University, 2025. The preschool period plays a critical role in shaping individuals' future behaviors. This study aims to examine the presence of social skills in storybooks published for preschool children. The research was conducted using qualitative research methods, specifically document analysis and a phenomenological design. The study population consists of three storybook sets published by the Turkish Ministry of National Education: Gelecek Bizim (The Future is Ours), 365 Gün (365 Days), and Eğitime Erken Başla (Start Early for Education). A total of 94 books, selected through convenience sampling, were analyzed in terms of social skill themes. As a data collection tool, the "Teacher Guidebook for Social Skills Support Education for Preschool Children (OSBEP)", prepared within the scope of the "Social Skills Support Project in Preschool Education" supported by the TÜBİTAK 1007 Program and the Ministry of National Education (MEB), was utilized. The content of the books was analyzed based on the four fundamental social skill domains defined in this guidebook. Content analysis was used to evaluate the data. Additionally, randomly selected wordless books were read aloud in classroom settings by six preschool teachers. The social skills expressed by the teachers while reading were determined through audio recordings. This implementation aimed to support the impact of teachers' visual reading interpretations on the reflection of social skills. The purpose of this research is to examine the social skills included in storybooks for the preschool period within the framework of OSBEP (Preschool Social Skills Support Education Program). The study was carried out using qualitative research methods, namely document analysis and a phenomenological approach. The study group consists of 94 storybooks published for preschool children. The data were analyzed according to social skill themes and evaluated using frequency distribution. The findings revealed that storybooks can be an effective tool in developing children's social skills. It was determined that 25.5% of the books included "Academic Support Skills", another 25.5% included "Emotion Regulation Skills", 21.3% focused on "Initiating Skills", and 8.5% addressed "Friendship Skills". However, 19.1% of the books did not include any social skills. This indicates that while some skill areas are emphasized, friendship skills are particularly underrepresented. The results of the study highlight the importance of promoting social skills during early childhood and offer suggestions for how educational materials can be structured to support this development. Keywords: Preschool, Social Skills, Children's Literature, Early Childhood, OSBEP, Wordless Books.