Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Education Faculty, Department of Elementary Education was represented with two papers during the 1st International Positive Schools and Wellbeing Congress held in Kyrenia. Hosted by the Cyprus International University, the congress was held with the contributions and collaborations of TRNC Ministry of National Education and Tangül Ünal Çağıner Children’s Aid Foundation.

In the congress, EMU Elementary Education Department member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eda Yazgın and Specialist Şadiye Kömürcü presented researcg paper title “Qualitative Investigation of Preschool Teachers’ Creative Self-Confidence According to Their Self-Reports” and, Elementary Education Department Head Prof. Dr. Ayşe Işık Gürşimşek and Specialist Elif Aybüke Baş “An Analysis of Visual and Verbal Indicators Used in Children's Picture Books in Terms of Values Education”.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eda Yazgın and Specialist Şadiye Kömürcü stated that they have worked with 30 pre-school teachers working in the Kyrenia region in the research they conducted in the case study design based on the “Qualitative Investigation of Preschool Teachers’ Creative Self-Confidence According to Their Self-Reports” qualitative method. As a result of the research, it was observed that teachers’ awareness of the importance of creativity in education was high, and according to their own statements, teachers moved away from traditional methods and reached an important point with the methods brought by the modern education system, and they produced original products in many subjects such as the design and arrangement of the classroom environment. Other findings of the study were that teachers spent more time with children indoors than outdoors, they made more creative and original designs indoors, and outdoor spaces were not evaluated sufficiently. According to the results of the research, most of the teachers reported that their creativity was hindered due to administrative and bureaucratic obstacles, lack of materials, time constraints and they needed in-service training.

In the “An Analysis of Visual and Verbal Indicators Used in Children's Picture Books in Terms of Values Education” research carried out by Prof. Dr. Ayşe Işık Gürşimşek and Specialist Elif Aybüke Baş, a total of 118 children's picture books written by Turkish authors and published by 15 different publishing houses between 2011-2021 were selected and the form and frequency of verbal and visual transmission of values were examined. The results were determined through content analysis in line with the Values Checklist, which consists of seven value categories: cooperation and collaboration, responsibility, honesty, respect, love, self-confidence, kindness and tolerance, and 40 different sub-categories. It was determined that the total number of verbal citations in the 118 books examined within the scope of the study was 6,791, the total number of verbal citations including the value categories was 908 (13.37%), the total number of visual citations was 1,564, and the total number of visual citations in the value category was 433 (27.68%). At the end of the analysis on verbal and visual indicators; in the verbal quotations of the books, the value category of cooperation and cooperation is given the most and honesty is the least; in the visual citations of the books, it was seen that the most responsibility and the least honesty value category were included.