Comparison of social skills and problem behaviors of children attending kindergarten and forest school

This study was conducted to compare the social skills and problem behaviours of children attending forest school and independent kindergarten. In the study, a quantitative research method called relational screening model was used. The study group consisted of a total of 142 children, 67 children from two independent kindergartens and 75 children from two forest kindergartens in Izmir province in the 2022-2023 academic year. The convenience sampling model was preferred when determining the study group. Preschool and Kindergarden Behaviour Scales (PKBS-2) developed by Kenneth MERRIL (2003) and adapted into Turkish by Saide ÖZBEY and General Information Form were used as data collection tools. The data obtained were transferred to the statistical package programme, their distributions were examined and the normally distributed data were evaluated with parametric tests. According to the results of the study, children's social skills and problem behaviours did not show a significant difference according to age and mother's employment status. However, significant differences were found according to gender, parental education level, duration of school attendance, weekly frequency of going to the forest and school type. The most important finding of the study was that children attending forest school had higher social skills scores and lower problem behaviour scores. In the light of the findings, the results were correlated with the literature and relevant suggestions were developed by discussing the results. KEYWORDS: Forest Kindergarten, Social Skills, Problem Behaviours, Preschool Education