Experiences gained in the early years of life have an important role in the social development of a child, as in other areas of development (Çağdaş, 1997; Çimen, 2009). The preschool period is critical in terms of the development of social skills (Çimen, 2009; Ekinci-Vural, 2006; Elibol-Gültekin, 2008). This period is, therefore, of great importance for observing the behavior of children, supporting their development, and preventing potential problems (Alisinanoğlu & Kesicioğlu, 2010; Kargı & Erkan, 2004). Socializing refers to the process of acquiring the qualities that allow an individual to be a social and participating person (Mavi-Dervişoğlu, 2007; Önder, 2005). Acquisition of social skills will have a positive impact on socialization. Socialized people are expected to use their social skills appropriately and regularly (Gülay & Akman, 2009; Sroufe, Cooper, DeHart, Marshall, & Bronfenbrenner, 1992). Being a member of society, being aware that one is a part of society, and fulfilling social responsibilities are possible because of the acquisition of the social skills necessary in social life (Hartup, 1992). Social skills have an important role in the success of family life, school life, and life in general. They are also important for an individual in establishing good relationships, undertaking responsibility for obeying social rules, helping other people, and using one’s rights (Avcıoğlu, 2005; Mavi-Dervişoğlu, 2007). Children’s social skills also include their behavior toward other children (Karayılmaz, 2008; Ladd, Kochenderfer, & Coleman, 1996). People with good social skills can be successful in all kinds of activities that require interaction with other people (Karayılmaz, 2008). Well-developed social skills have a determinative role in shaping an individual’s social relationships. For example, they influence the behavior of a child toward his/her peers during the preschool period (Gülay, 2009). Emotions are important guides that affect social relationships, which have an important role in an individual’s life (Bayhan & Artan, 2004; Karayılmaz, 2008). Emotional development forms the basis of social development, although emotional and social development refer to two closely related development areas (Alpan, 2006; Kandır & Alpan, 2008). Social and emotional development have significant roles in the development of a healthy personality and in establishing a positive interaction with the environment (Alpan, 2006; Aral, Baran, Bulat, & Çimen, 2001). Emotional development is influenced by all aspects of the development of an individual: social, behavioral, cognitive, and psychological (Ribes, Bisquerra, Agullo, Filella, & Soldevilla, 2005).

The preschool period is of great importance for determining behavioral problems and taking the necessary measures to deal with them. If these problems are not identified at an early age they might give rise to serious problems in the future (Gülay & Akman, 2009; Mavi-Dervişoğlu, 2007). Preschool teachers have a significant role in determining problem behavior (Alisinanoğlu & Kesicioğlu, 2010). Nondevelopment or late development of social skills can cause problems in child behavior (Elibol-Gültekin, 2008). When we conducted a review of the literature we found that there are many situations that affect the social skills of children. Having information on the social, emotional, and behavioral development of a child during the early years is of great importance in early diagnosis and prevention of emotional and behavioral problems that may arise in adulthood. Such information is also important for providing the child with an effective educational environment, in which the child is supported in terms of these development areas (Aral et al., 2001; Lemerise & Arsenio, 2000). When we conducted our study we made the assumption that the behavioral and emotional state of children might affect their social skills. Our aim in this study was to investigate the relationship between the emotional and behavioral traits and social skills of six-year-old children attending preschool.

Method

Participants

We adopted the survey model, and the sample was chosen randomly from 13 preschools in Konya, Turkey. The participants were 224 six-year-old children (115 female, 109 male).

Instruments

Social Skills Evaluation Scale (SSES) The Social Skills Evaluation Scale was developed by Avcıoğlu (2005, 2007). The scale evaluates the social skills that four- to six-year-old children have and it is scored on a 5-point Likert type scale with possible responses of: always (5), frequently (4), generally (3), rarely (2), never (1). Low scores indicate that the person has few social skills, while high scores indicate that the person has good social skills. The original version of the scale contains nine subdimensions, however only four subdimensions (interpersonal skills, self-control, verbal explanation, and listening) were used in this study. Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for the scale was calculated as .98; split-half reliability was calculated as .89; test-retest reliability coefficient was calculated as .83. Cronbach’s alpha reliability values for the general SSES and the subscales used in this study were calculated as .94 for interpersonal skills, .92 for self-control, .93 for verbal explanation, and .86 for listening (cited by Ekinci-Vural, 2006; see also Avcıoğlu, 2007).

Preschool Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (PreBERS) The CSES was developed by Epstein, Synhorst, Cress, and Allen (2009). The scale was translated and adapted into Turkish by Öztürk-Samur, Deniz, Durmuşoğlu-Saltalı, and Arı (2009). The scale consists of four subscales and a total of 42 items. The internal consistency coefficients of the scale were found to be .96 for the emotional regulation dimension, .96 for school readiness, .91 for social confidence, and .62 for family involvement. High scores obtained for each subscale indicate that behavioral and emotional traits are highly rated (Öztürk-Samur et al., 2009).

Data Analysis

The evaluation scales were completed by teachers who observed the children. The Pearson correlation coefficient technique was used to determine the relationships between the emotional and behavioral traits and social skills of the children.

Results

Table 1 shows that interpersonal skills were positively related to emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement. There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between self-control and emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement. As can be seen in Table 1, there was a statistically significant positive relationship between verbal explanation and emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement. There was also a statistically significant positive relationship between listening skills and emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement.

Discussion

When we analyzed the findings gained in this study, we found that there was a positive and significant relationship between all the subdimensions of the SSES (interpersonal relationships, self-control, verbal explanation, and listening skills) and all the subdimensions of the PreBERS scale (emotional regulation, school readiness, social confidence, and family involvement). Accordingly, we suggest that, in these six-year-old children, as social skills improved, behavioral and emotional states improved as well. For social development, a child has to make friends and get involved in a circle of friends. Friendship provides the child with skills, an environment and conditions for learning and development, and emotional and cognitive support. A child learns to protect his/her rights and to respect other people’s rights and responsibilities through group friendships. A child adopts the methods and rules of social life (Alpan, 2006). The preschool period is the most appropriate and important time for learning appropriate social skills because this is the time when the child is developing most rapidly, is most affected by his/her environment, and is open to learning all kinds of information (Zembat & Unutkan, 2001). Peer relations are necessary and important for developing social skills (Gülay & Akman, 2009). The play and friendship environment provided by preschool organizations gives children the opportunity to study and play and develop the social skills already acquired in the family (Alpan, 2006). Healthy social development lays the groundwork for successful social adaptation and effective social relations (Gülay & Akman, 2009; Steedly, Schwartz, Levin, & Stephen, 2008). In order to start and continue friendship relationships and to deal with the problems in relationships children must be emotionally healthy (Palut, 2005). In this period, any failure experienced in social skills might lead to behavioral problems that might continue in adolescence and adulthood (Gülay & Akman, 2009; Ladd, 1999).

Inadequate social skills and developmental problems lead to behavioral problems and rejection by peers. Children with few social skills have unsuccessful interactions with their peers, which alienate and marginalize them from social relationships. In addition, these children cannot develop social skills and face new behavioral problems (Gülay & Akman, 2009; Mavi-Dervişoğlu, 2007). Having inadequate social skills causes the individual to fail in interpersonal relationships in adaptation to the environment and to encounter problems in establishing and pursuing emotional and social relationships (Bacanlı, 1999; Deniz, Hamarta, & Arı, 2005). Our findings, which suggest that there is a relationship between children having few social skills and few behavioral and emotional skills compared with their peers, are consistent with these findings.

Our general findings reveal that social skills influence behavior and emotional skills in six-year-old children. Programs in preschools should, therefore, include activities for developing social skills. In addition, activities carried out with parents should teach them about the development of social skills in their children and these skills will contribute to the development of their children’s behavioral and emotional skills.

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Appreciation is due to reviewers including

M. Engin Deniz

Selç

uk University

Konya

Turkey

Email

[email protected]

Neriman Aral

Ankara University

Ankara

[email protected]

Emel Arslan, Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education, Selçuk University, Meram Yeniyol, 42080 Konya, Turkey. Email: [email protected]