Konstantinos Petrogiannis, Η έννοια των μαθησιακών συμπεριφορών και η προσέγγισή τους στην προσχολική ηλικία: Η ελληνική εκδοχή της κλίμακας εκτίμησης των μαθησιακών συμπεριφορών για παιδιά προσχολικής ηλικίας, Προσχολική & Σχολική Εκπαίδευση, 1|2013, 3-21

New curricula concerning kindergarten in Greece put particular emphasis on the organization of rich learning activities in the classroom and the evaluation of children’s responses so as to provide learning environments that correspond to their inclinations and interests. The way children initiate and engage in learning situations is described in the international literature by the term “learning behaviors”. Children’s learning experiences in the preschool are fundamental for the cultivation of these behaviors as this developmental period is considered essential for the development and establishment of children’s attitudes towards learning. Measurement of learning behaviors could provide useful information about: (a) the way each child responds to learning, (b) the development of children’s learning behaviors compared to the level of the other children in the classroom, and (c) the effectiveness of the teaching approaches and the programs applied in the classroom. Considering the absence of relevant tools for the Greek educational context, the Preschool Learning Behavior Scale is suggested herewith as a measure that can be used by kindergarten teachers aiming to plan and organize appropriate learning environments with preschool children so that they can to record and better understand children’s learning behaviors. The study presents the Greek version of PLBS and examines its psychometric properties. Data were based on a study of 890 children, randomly chosen by their kindergarten teachers (N= 233), that attended public kindergartens from 33 prefectures in Greece. Analyses provided evidence for the reliability and validity status of the Greek version of the PLBS and its factorial construct indicating that it could be used as a promising assessment tool. Two reliable and valid factors emerged: (i) Motivation/Competence which reflects children’s motivation, determination to engage and persist in learning activities and (ii) Attitude towards learning/Attention that refers to their responses towards novelty and frustration with an emphasis on attention. Identifying the way children respond in learning situations and their motivation to engage in new and challenging activities, teachers could organize rich learning environments in the classroom that correspond to children’s particular potentials and needs so as to foster their adaptive behavior and promote later school success. The findings are discussed in relation with the cultural particularities of the manifestations and evaluations of learning approaches in different socio-cultural educational contexts, as well as the strengths of the PLBS to capture and reflect these particularities.