Promoting Children's Self-Regulation and Early Numeracy Skills Through an Intervention Program

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of the Red Light, Purple Light Self-Regulation Intervention Program on children's behavioral self-regulation and early numeracy skills. A quasi-experimental design with a control group, comparing pretest and posttest scores, was used to assess the effectiveness of the program. The participants were 138 children (74 participants in the intervention group and 64 participants in the control group) enrolled in a public preschool and kindergarten in T & uuml;rkiye. The data were collected using the Heads, Toes, Knees, and Shoulders and Early Numeracy Assessment for 48-60 Month-Old-Children scales. The data obtained were analyzed using Mann-Whitney-U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The results showed a statistically significant difference between the children's pretest and posttest self-regulation and early numeracy scores in the intervention and control group, except for the control group's scores in a subscale of the early numeracy scale (Identify Number-Draw Circles). The children in both groups showed progress in these skills. However, the magnitude of the change in the posttest scores between the intervention and control groups revealed that the children's self-regulation and early numeracy skills in the intervention group were significantly higher than those of the control group. In sum, the findings point to the effectiveness of the Red Light, Purple Light Program on the self-regulation and early numeracy skills of Turkish children.