Assoc. Prof. KEZİBAN BÜŞRA KAYNAK EKİCİ

Dr. Kaynak Ekici commenced her academic journey by earning her undergraduate degree from Gazi University, Faculty of Vocational Education, Department of Preschool Teaching, where she ranked third in her cohort in 2011. Subsequently, she pursued her master's studies within the same department at Gazi University. Concurrently gained practical experience as a preschool educator under the Ministry of National Education for approximately six months. Transitioning to her role as a research assistant at Necmettin Erbakan University in March 2012. In 2013, she successfully defended her master's thesis titled "Comparative Analysis of the Self-Esteem and Child-Rearing Attitudes of Incarcerated and Non-Incarcerated Mothers with 2-6-Year-Old Children," supervised by Prof. Dr. Z. Fulya Temel.  Benefitting from a TÜBİTAK doctoral scholarship from 2013 to 2017, Dr. Ekici completed her doctoral studies at Gazi University in 2017, with her thesis titled "Investigation of the Effect of the Pyramid Method Adapted to Preschool Education Programs on Language and Early Literacy Skills in 5-Year-Old Children." During her academic journey, Dr. Ekici undertook observational studies at institutions internationally. She observed the implementation of the Reggio Emilia Approach at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Mesa Child Development Center from January 13 to February 19, 2015, and participated in the Erasmus+ Internship Programme, observing a preschool education institution in Zandvoort, the Netherlands, from November 6, 2015, to January 14, 2016, focusing on the application of the Netherlands-based Pyramid Method. From 2013 to 2018, Dr. Ekici served as a research assistant at the Gazi University Institute of Educational Sciences, after which she continued her academic career as a research assistant at Necmettin Erbakan University Ahmet Keleşoğlu Faculty of Education, Department of Preschool Education, from 2018 to 2021. Since 2021, Dr. Ekici has held a faculty position in the Child  Development Department of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Faculty of Health Sciences. She attained the title of associate professor in Child Development from the Inter-University Board Council in July 2023. Dr. Ekici's research interests encompass alternative approaches to early childhood education, language development, preschool education programs, child-rearing attitudes, and emotional socialization.