A study on the relationship between externalising behaviours and emotional skills of 60–72-month-old children

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between externalising behaviours and emotional skills of 60–72-month-old children and to determine the differentiation in externalising behaviours and emotional skills according to the variable gender. The sample consists of 209 children who are 60–72 months old. Ninety-six of the children are female and 113 are male. As data collection tools, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory and Assessment of Children's Emotion Skills are used. The study reveals that there is a significant relationship between the total emotional skill scores, subdimensions of understanding and expressing emotions, and the externalising behaviours, whereas there is no significant relationship between recognising emotions and externalising behaviours. Regarding the variable gender, a significant difference in the total emotional skills and the subdimension of emotional skill recognition is seen in favour of the female children.

Keywords:

• preschool children
• emotional skill
• problem behaviours

Notes on contributor

Ayşe Öztürk Samur, PhD, is currently an assistant professor at the Department of Preschool Education, Adnan Menderes Universty, Aydın, Turkey