A classroom-based training program involving preschool children for developing prerequisite learning skills and social skills: ready to learn.

Abstract

Social skills training is a good way of intervention for preventing deficiencies in demonstrating social skills and emotional-behavioral problems, and academic deficiencies that may arise from these deficiencies. Different activities, methods, and strategies as well as different approaches from theory to practice can be included in intervention programs for social skills. This study is aimed to reveal a story-based social skills training program that is usable for preschool children in Turkey, by making promotion and performing the Turkish adaptation of a classroom-based social skills training program called “Ready to Learn” developed by Brigman, Lane & Lane (1994), the scientific effects of which have been proven. This program was developed for children aged four to seven to promote the prerequisite learning skills and social skills that are needed for school success. The program called “Ready to Learn” includes social cooperation activities to contain the use of “big books” that are read aloud, story-telling by teachers and children, activities of drawing, dramatic play, puppet, and song, activities on listening and attention, practices for understanding directions through story structures, as well as discussion and interaction. The program, which consists of a series of stories, includes five teacher strategies: (1) modeling-coaching-cueing, (2) student/child story-telling, (3) student/child story retelling, (4) positive peer reporting, and (5) encouragement council activities. Within the scope of the study, a social skills training program was gained to the literature for Turkish children in the preschool period by carrying out stages from the procedures for the provision of the program called “Ready to Learn” to the steps required by the adaptation processes. In this context, the study is envisaged to be a guide for social skills training applications and program development studies for preschool children and to provide an intellectual basis for the practices in daily life; meanwhile, it is also stipulated to be a remarkable resource for improving the problems and deficiencies experienced in the preschool period.