The preschool period is a critical stage where the foundations of children's social and emotional development are laid. Aggressive behaviors observed during this period not only cause immediate problems but can also be harbingers of more serious issues in later ages. Habibe Ay's 2017 master's thesis examines the aggressive behaviors of preschool children in detail from the perspectives of mothers and teachers.

The research was conducted with quantitative data collected from 151 children in the Küçükçekmece district of Istanbul and qualitative data obtained from 24 mothers and 11 teachers. This comprehensive approach provided a holistic evaluation of children's behaviors in home and school environments. Within the scope of the study, physical, relational (indirect), and verbal aggression behaviors were addressed.

The quantitative findings of the research reveal that aggressive behaviors show a significant difference according to the gender variable. The aggression level of boys is higher than that of girls. This finding can be explained by reasons such as boys' tendency to use physical strength, the approval of such behaviors by family and peers, and modeling. Qualitative data also support this situation, showing that physical aggression such as hitting, kicking, and pushing, as well as verbal aggression behaviors like shouting and teasing, are more frequently seen in boys. However, according to the research results, children's aggression levels do not show a significant difference according to variables such as mother's education level, number of siblings, and birth order. This situation suggests that when parents manage to establish a fair and healthy relationship with their children, these factors may not have a direct effect on aggression.

When the causes of aggressive behaviors are examined, modeling, perceiving the behavior as a game, and not getting what they want are among the most common situations. In addition, it was determined that verbal aggression behaviors are seen more frequently in children with a preschool education duration of 7-12 months compared to other durations. This finding can be associated with the tendency of children at this age to learn new expressions and use them without fully knowing their meanings as their language skills develop.

Mothers' and teachers' reactions to the aggression exhibited by children also vary. While methods such as talking, explaining, and punishing are generally used, teachers differently resort to methods such as parent meetings and organizing activities.

This research emphasizes that parents and educators should work in cooperation to prevent aggression in the preschool period. Teaching children anger management and healthy communication skills, reinforcing their positive behaviors, and being a good role model for them are among the most effective ways to reduce these behaviors.

We thank Habibe Ay for this valuable study. You can access the full thesis via www.tez.yok.gov.tr using the code 460767.