Intrinsic motivation in preschool children: Predictive effect on levels of resilience

Abstract

This study was conducted to explain the relationship between motivation and psychological resilience of preschool children. The study group consists of a total of 202 children, 107 girls and 77 boys, aged 36-72 months, attending various pre-school education institutions in the capital city of Turkey. In this study, which was designed in a relational screening model, the Motivation Scale for Preschool Children was used to determine the motivation levels of children, and the Social-Emotional Well-Being and Resilience Scale for Preschool Children were used to define their psychological resilience. Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used in the evaluation of the obtained data. As a result of the research, it was found that there was a moderate and high-level positive relationship between the motivation levels of children and their psychological resilience. Additionally, in multiple regression analyses based on the resilience of children's motivation levels, it was found that motivation subscales predicted resilience at medium and high levels. In the light of this result, it has been suggested to develop scales on specific issues to apply to children and prepare intervention programs that reflect the common denominators of psychological resilience and motivation since scales developed on motivation and resilience in future studies are prepared mostly based on the opinions of parents and teachers. Keywords: Preschool education, children, intrinsic motivation, psychological resilience, well-being