MEETING THE PAST IN THE CITY: PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S EXPERIENCES WITH HISTORICAL SITES IN IZMIR, TURKEY

Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2026

Yazarlar: Saadet TEKİN, Sibel SÖNMEZ

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EURASIAN EDUCATION AND CULTURE, Diğer Kurumların Hakemli Dergileri, Uluslararası, Wilson OmniFile V (HW Wilson), 2026, cilt 11, ss 396-410

DOI: 10.35826/ijoecc.2909

Özet

<p class="ql-align-justify">Early&nbsp;childhood&nbsp;is&nbsp;marked&nbsp;by&nbsp;an&nbsp;active,&nbsp;continuous&nbsp;effort&nbsp;to&nbsp;interpret&nbsp;and&nbsp;make&nbsp;sense&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;people,&nbsp;spaces,&nbsp;and&nbsp;material&nbsp;objects&nbsp;that&nbsp;populate&nbsp;children&#39;s&nbsp;daily&nbsp;environments.&nbsp;By&nbsp;intentionally&nbsp;scaffolding&nbsp;their&nbsp;interactions&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;historical&nbsp;and&nbsp;cultural&nbsp;landmarks&nbsp;around&nbsp;them,&nbsp;educators&nbsp;can&nbsp;help&nbsp;young&nbsp;learners&nbsp;cultivate&nbsp;a&nbsp;deeper&nbsp;sense&nbsp;of&nbsp;place&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;more&nbsp;grounded&nbsp;understanding&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;wider&nbsp;community.&nbsp;To&nbsp;explore&nbsp;this&nbsp;dynamic,&nbsp;the&nbsp;current&nbsp;study&nbsp;was&nbsp;carried&nbsp;out&nbsp;within&nbsp;a&nbsp;public&nbsp;kindergarten&nbsp;situated&nbsp;in&nbsp;İzmir,&nbsp;Turkey,&nbsp;spanning&nbsp;the&nbsp;2018–2019&nbsp;academic&nbsp;year.&nbsp;The&nbsp;research&nbsp;involved&nbsp;eleven&nbsp;preschool&nbsp;teachers&nbsp;who&nbsp;participated&nbsp;in&nbsp;focus&nbsp;group&nbsp;interviews&nbsp;concerning&nbsp;historical&nbsp;education&nbsp;in&nbsp;early&nbsp;childhood,&nbsp;and&nbsp;eleven&nbsp;children&nbsp;aged&nbsp;48–66&nbsp;months&nbsp;who&nbsp;took&nbsp;part&nbsp;in&nbsp;six&nbsp;visits&nbsp;to&nbsp;local&nbsp;heritage&nbsp;sites,&nbsp;including&nbsp;the&nbsp;Smyrna&nbsp;Mound,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Ancient&nbsp;Agora,&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Asansör.&nbsp;These&nbsp;visits&nbsp;were&nbsp;supported&nbsp;through&nbsp;storytelling,&nbsp;drama&nbsp;activities,&nbsp;guided&nbsp;discussions,&nbsp;and&nbsp;play-based&nbsp;experiences.</p><p class="ql-align-justify">The&nbsp;teachers&nbsp;reported&nbsp;that&nbsp;although&nbsp;outdoor&nbsp;activities&nbsp;were&nbsp;a&nbsp;regular&nbsp;part&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;practice,&nbsp;historical&nbsp;heritage&nbsp;and&nbsp;urban&nbsp;history&nbsp;were&nbsp;rarely&nbsp;addressed&nbsp;as&nbsp;educational&nbsp;topics.&nbsp;Many&nbsp;also&nbsp;stated&nbsp;that&nbsp;they&nbsp;lacked&nbsp;the&nbsp;knowledge&nbsp;and&nbsp;resources&nbsp;needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;plan&nbsp;heritage-based&nbsp;learning&nbsp;experiences.&nbsp;Observations&nbsp;and&nbsp;interviews&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;children&nbsp;indicated&nbsp;that&nbsp;participation&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;site&nbsp;visits&nbsp;contributed&nbsp;to&nbsp;their&nbsp;understanding&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;city&#39;s&nbsp;past.&nbsp;The&nbsp;children&nbsp;were&nbsp;able&nbsp;to&nbsp;discuss&nbsp;changes&nbsp;over&nbsp;time,&nbsp;explain&nbsp;the&nbsp;possible&nbsp;purposes&nbsp;of&nbsp;historical&nbsp;structures,&nbsp;and&nbsp;relate&nbsp;elements&nbsp;of&nbsp;İzmir&#39;s&nbsp;history&nbsp;to&nbsp;places&nbsp;and&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;familiar&nbsp;to&nbsp;them.&nbsp;The&nbsp;findings&nbsp;suggest&nbsp;that&nbsp;heritage-focused&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;can&nbsp;be&nbsp;meaningfully&nbsp;incorporated&nbsp;into&nbsp;early&nbsp;childhood&nbsp;education&nbsp;and&nbsp;highlight&nbsp;the&nbsp;need&nbsp;for&nbsp;greater&nbsp;attention&nbsp;to&nbsp;urban&nbsp;history&nbsp;and&nbsp;cultural&nbsp;heritage&nbsp;in&nbsp;teacher&nbsp;preparation&nbsp;and&nbsp;curriculum&nbsp;development.</p><p></p>

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