The views of the teacher, the parents and the counsellors about the preschool edition of the first step to success early education program in preventing the problem behaviors.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the views and suggestions of teachers, parents and counsellors about the Preschool Edition of the First Step to Success (FSS-PE) Early Education Program and about the application of this program. The study was carried out in six preschools located in the center of the city of Eskisehir in the academic year of 2011-2012. The participants of the study were 11 preschool teachers, 11 parents and six counsellors.The research data were collected via the semi-structured interview technique, which is one of qualitative data collection methods. In analyzing the interview data, descriptive analysis technique was employed; qualitative data were transformed into quantitative data and frequency calculation was done.The research results revealed that the preschool teachers faced problematic behavior in the class environment during the early childhood period and that the parents encountered with such problematic behavior at home. The teachers also reported that the students? problematic behavior negatively influenced both the students themselves and other students as well as the teacher and that accordingly, the in-class activities were hindered. The parents stated that this situation influenced them psychologically and emotionally and caused conflicts between the spouses. The teachers and the parents also emphasized that they used a number of different methods/techniques to cope with the problematic behavior and that these methods led to short-term effects, though. In this respect, the teachers reported that they needed to be provided with expert support and to be taught scientifically-valid programs for the prevention of problematic behavior. Both the teachers and the parents as well as the counsellors provided positive feedback regarding the changes observed in the behavior of students whom FSS-PE was applied to.Consequently, the teachers stated that they acquired the ability to work in a more systematic and planned manner and to make better use of time thanks to FSS-PE, while the parents reported that the program provided them with the opportunity to spend better-quality time with their children. As for the counsellors, they emphasized that the program contributed not only to the teachers but also to the parents.