Background. Reflection, determining the boundaries of knowledge and ignorance, is an essential component of the ability to learn and to overcome the limits of one’s own ignorance. The determining reflection can be developed in primary school students through a full range of educational activities: in the area of subject-conceptual action responding to the question “How can I do this?”; in the area of collaboration answering the question “How do others do this?”; and in the area of self-awareness replying to the questions “Can I do this? What do I need to do this?” Objective. The goal is to expand the arsenal of educational tools aimed at developing the reflective capabilities of primary school students by adding a tool that addresses the self-awareness of students when completing the teacher’s assignment. The article is meant to investigate the effectiveness of a new tool for reflective action. Study Participants. The experimental sample included 78 second-graders (47% girls); their curriculum, from the very first grade, included a new reflective development tool. The control sample comprised 55 second-graders (47% girls). Both samples studied at the same school using the same curriculum developed within the Elkonin — Davydov educational system. Methods. Genetic-modelling experiment with built-in systematic diagnostics of intermediate results was conducted. Results. Even before learning the concept of “orthogram,” children in the experimental sample ask more intelligent questions when uncertain about their spelling (hereinafter, intelligent questions are those that indicate a real problem of choice, where the person asking has no basis for making that choice). Only in the experimental sample, both before and after learning the con- cept of “orthogram,” the number of spelling errors for weak phoneme positions reveals the significant negative correlation with the number of intelligent questions concerning orthogram spelling. Conclusion. Children’s search initiatives centre on situations of uncertainty requiring a clear distinction between the known and the unknown and a request for missing information. We supplemented these “simulators” for determining reflection with the sign of doubt as a tool in educational communication. Initial evidence has been obtained that the sign of questioning, or doubt has begun to function fully, both operationally and technically, as a marker of uncertainty, and semantically, as a self- message: “I know that I don’t know this.” In the follow-up, we will proceed with the studies of the evolution of the function of doubt, the transition from interpsychic interaction in the educational community to the individualised ability to recognise one’s ignorance characteristic of a person who knows how to learn.
Background. Contemporary authors emphasise the importance of play for the development of preschool-aged children. According to L.S. Vygotsky and D.B. Elkonin, the influence of play on the development of preschoolers is comparable to the role of educational activity in the development of schoolchildren; in both cases, the zone of proximal development is cre- ated. In this context, studying the structure of play as well as considering the concepts of an imaginary situation, play role, rules and opportunities in the play are relevant for understanding child development and improving pedagogical approaches in preschool institutions. Objective. The aim of the study was to examine a specific developmental line of role-playing games associated with the con- struction of a possibility space. Methods. Theoretical analysis of the problem of play as a situation of interaction between a child and society, in the works of L.S. Vygotsky, D.B. Elkonin and other authors, thematic synthesis of ideas about play in the context of the concept of possibility. Results. It was shown that preschoolers distinguish between normative and imaginary situations. One of the findings of the analysis was that a rule is viewed not only as a prescription for action but also as an opportunity to act in a certain way, i.e., as a sanctioned opportunity. In this case, culture appears as a space of objectified possibilities. In play, the role adopted by the child, through the corresponding role-rules, determines the paths to their realisation, which form the basis of the play culture of the kindergarten as a space of possibilities. In play, two types of possibilities are defined: those set by adults and those discovered by the child. According to A.N. Leontiev, the process of activity can occur at three levels - the operational level, the level of action, and the level of activity, which presupposes the presence of corresponding possibilities. Accord- ingly, the possibilities of play activity also differ by level. Objective or objectified play possibilities are distinguished. They are set by adults in relation to play objects (toys) and are of a levelled nature. In addition, subjective possibilities, established by children, are also distinguished. Conclusions. The concept of opportunity allows us to systematically describe play in the logic of interaction between the child and society. Subjective possibilities can be objectified in play activities depending on the development of children’s abilities, allowing children to go beyond the established objective play possibilities and develop the play space.
Background. Emotional development and stress levels in preschool children largely determine their future academic and social success. Therefore, devising programmes aimed at developing emotional competence and reducing stress are considered one of the important directions in preschool education. Objective. The goal is to evaluate experimentally the effectiveness of the “Look. See. Discuss” programme, devised for emo- tional development and reduction of behavioural manifestations of stress in preschool children through a structured discussion of paintings. Study Participants. The study participants were 62 children aged 5–6 years (M = 5.34, SD = 0.35; 34 boys, 28 girls), randomly assigned to experimental (n = 30) and control (n = 32) groups. Methods. An experimental study involved a control group and two diagnostic assessments (pre-test and post-test). Children's emotional development was assessed with the Test of Emotion Comprehension; an adapted version of the Perceived Stress Scale for Children was used to assess behavioural manifestations of stress; a parent questionnaire was administered to collect necessary demographic data about the study participants. At the stage of statistical data analysis, one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with the correction for multiple comparisons was used as the main criterion. Results. After completing the “Look. See. Discuss” programme, participants in the experimental group demonstrated a statisti- cally significant greater increase in emotion understanding and a significantly greater reduction in behavioural manifestations of stress compared to the control group. Conclusions. The “Look. See. Discuss” programme is an effective tool for emotional development and reduction of behavioural stress indicators in preschoolers. The work contributes to the development of the cultural-historical approach by demonstrating the possibility of operationalising the phenomenon of perezhivanie in the design of a formative experiment.
Background. Recent studies show a significant increase in childhood mental disorders. This indicates the need for early differentiation between psychological well-being and maladjustment through the use of validated and reliable tools to enable subsequent psychological support for the groups at-risk. Objective. This study aims to identify the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire based on the maternal assessment of behavioural characteristics in preschool and early school-age children. Study Participants. The final sample comprised 884 participants. 686 were mothers of preschoolers whose age was between 24 to 50 years (M = 35.90, SD = 4.92) — their children being aged 55 to 91 months (M = 72.87, SD = 4.70), 51% of which were boys. The other 198 participants were mothers of first-graders whose age was between 26 to 52 years (M = 38.43, SD = 5.01) — their children aged 82 to 104 months (M = 94.71, SD = 4.56), 48% of which were boys. Methods. Data collection was performed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI), and the Perceived Stress Scale for Children. Data analysis was performed using exploratory, confirmatory, and multi-group factor analysis, reliability coefficients (McDonald’s omega, Cronbach’s alpha, Guttman’s lambda), descriptive statistics, correlation analysis (Spearman’s coefficient), and comparative analysis (Mann — Whitney U test). Results. The three-factor structure of the SDQ demonstrated the most acceptable indices compared to the five-factor model. The SDQ showed measurement invariance across the child’s gender and age, while reliability and validity analyses of its scales yielded acceptable results. The SDQ scales showed associations with both the child’s level of perceived stress and regulatory characteristics. Gender and age differences were found: first-graders and girls of all ages showed lower level of externalising problems. Moreover, girls demonstrated a higher level of prosocial behaviour than boys. Conclusions. The three-factor structure of the SDQ, which comprises the scales of externalising behaviour problems, internalising behaviour problems, and prosocial behaviour, is more appropriate for identifying psychological well-being at preschool and early school age.
Background. The question of the nature of magical thinking has long remained a subject of debate in psychology. The classical view of J. Piaget, which regards magical thinking as a dominant feature of preschool age that disappears with maturation, con- tradict the findings of contemporary research. The relevance of this study is driven by the need to reconsider the role of magical thinking in cognitive development and everyday life, as well as to explore possibilities for its practical application in education, communication, and advertising, given the persistence of magical and superstitious beliefs even in highly industrialised societies. Objective. The aim of this study is to analyse the phenomenon of magical thinking in children and adults, to examine the func- tions of magical thinking and belief in the magical, and to investigate the potential practical applications of this phenomenon. Methods. The study employed a review of classical and contemporary research on the phenomenon of magical thinking, includ- ing cross-cultural comparisons. Results. It is demonstrated that magical thinking does not disappear with age but rather undergoes transformation, coexisting with rational beliefs. In preschool-aged children, despite verbal rejection of magic, they exhibit genuine belief in it through practical actions. Among educated adults, magical thinking persists in a latent form, becoming activated in situations of high uncertainty or personal significance (such as health or life risks). Key functions of magical thinking are identified: the fulfill- ment of unrealised desires, the liberating role of fantasy, animism as a mechanism for understanding the world, the creation of meaning, and the illusion of control. It is shown that incorporating magical elements into tasks fosters creativity and improves the distinction between fantasy and reality in children, while in adults, it enhances brand recall in advertising. Conclusions. Magical thinking is a fundamental feature of the human psyche that persists throughout life and coexists with rational thought. Magical thinking performs numerous positive functions and may find practical applications in psychotherapy, education, commercial advertising, medicine, politics, and the entertainment industry.
