Yaşare Aktaş Arnas

Prof. Dr. Yaşare Aktaş Arnas serves as a full-time Professor in the Department of Preschool Teaching at the Faculty of Education, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, specializing in early childhood development research and pedagogy.

Her academic foundation includes:

• PhD in Child Development and Education from Ankara University (1991-1995)
• Master's Degree in Child Development and Education from Ankara University (1989-1991)
• Undergraduate studies in Household Economics at Ankara University School of Home Economics (1983-1989)

Her research investigates critical preschool domains including language acquisition through storytelling techniques, nutritional cognition in young children, mathematics skill development via manipulatives, inclusive practices for autism spectrum disorders, and teacher competency frameworks. Current projects examine arithmetic education tools, peer dynamics in inclusive classrooms, and problem-posing methodologies for educators.

She has secured multiple research grants from Higher Education Institutions, including:

• The Effect of Concrete and Virtual Manipulative-Supported Mathematics Education Program on Arithmetic Skills of 48-60 Month-Old Children (2019-2020)
• Peer Relationships of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder in an Inclusive Preschool Classroom (2019-2020)
• Examining the Verbal Problem Posing Skills of Preschool Teachers and Teacher Candidates (2019)

Her scholarly contributions include the books The Effect of Story Reading Techniques on Language Acquisition of Preschool Children (2020) and Preschool Children's Knowledge of Healthy and Unhealthy Foods (2018).