Mothers’ experiences regarding the development of social values and prosocial behaviors in their children

The study aims to determine mothers’ experiences regarding the development of their children's social values and prosocial behaviors. The study was designed as a qualitative case study, and the participants included the mothers (n = 19) of children who participated in the Valuable Steps Education Program (VSEP). The program, which included six family participation activities, was implemented in 16 sessions over 8 weeks. At the end of the study, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that the VSEP notably improved targeted social values and prosocial behaviors among children. In addition, the program provided families with contributions such as learning together with the child, awareness of values, and motivation to translate values into behavior. Moreover, mothers recommended using play, theater, drama, role-playing, and project methods during values education; organizing out-of-class trips; using materials such as books and animations; integrating values education into the curriculum; and strengthening collaboration among families, teachers, and experts. Given these findings, it is possible to conclude that approaches based on direct experience and family participation will be effective in fostering the development of social values and prosocial behaviors in preschool education.