CURRENT ISSUE

Background. Preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood, maximizing the use of age characteristics for the cognitive and personal development of a child is an extremely important task of modern psychology and pedagogy. Right now, when many parents are trying to teach their kids to read and count, starting at the age of three, or even earlier, when gadgets, the Internet and Artificial Intelligence become part of our lives, the task of finding methods and educational work that would ensure the cognitive development of preschoolers while maintaining forms specific to this age is becoming urgent.

Objective. Scientific understanding of the works of L.A. Venger, the study of the relationship of biographical events with research ideas, the identification of areas of creative potential in the current situation of the development of psychology and pedagogy.

Methods. A retrospective analysis of L.A. Venger’s biography and work in the aspects of his contribution to the development of theory and practice of preschool education.

Results. The study of L.A. Venger’s scientific heritage revealed the specifics of his understanding of the development of abilities in preschool childhood. Being a consistent advocate of cultural and historical theory and working within its framework, the scientist considered the cognitive development of preschoolers through the prism of the development of various types of general abilities. Thus, following his teacher A.V. Zaporozhets, Leonid Abramovich considered sensory abilities as perceptual actions that are acquired by a child in the process of mastering sensory standards. The development of cognitive abilities occurs through the mastery and use of visual-figurative models (diagrams, drawings, plans, etc.). The development of creative abilities occurs on the basis of mastering actions with images, while speech means are added at the older preschool age. The undoubted merit of L.A. Venger is that the mechanisms for the development of each type of ability were described in detail, not only the means were described, but the ontogenesis of the corresponding actions was revealed. Educational systems based on these mechanisms have gained recognition in the pedagogical community, and diagnostic systems in the psychological community. At the same time, the issue of developing preschoolers’ abilities at the present stage is important for further study, in the context of childhood, which often takes place with an excessive presence of gadgets, but is not saturated with games and specific productive activities of children.

Conclusions. The concept of developing abilities presented in L.A. Venger’s research contributes to solving such fundamental problems of psychology as the relationship between learning and development; preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood in conditions of adequate educational work; developing the child’s imagination and creativity. L.A. Venger’s ideas undoubtedly remain relevant, and his work is continued by his followers and students.

Background. Currently, key aspects of children’s mental development remain insufficiently studied in psychological science and educational practice, among which the problem of the relationship between speech and thinking stands out. Despite considerable attention to this area, an in-depth study of a number of classical works makes it possible to identify works that were previously underestimated and are now gaining special importance due to their important conclusions and prospects for further research. Such works include a monograph that presents a study of the relationship between words and images in solving various tasks for preschoolers, carried out by psychologists under the guidance of L.A. Venger.

Objective. Analysis of the results of an experimental study conducted by a research team led by L.A. Venger in the late 1990s and devoted to the study of the genesis and mechanisms of interaction between verbal and figurative components of thinking in preschool age.

Methods. Analysis of scientific literature, review and presentation of the initial data and results of the study of the relationship between words and images in the process of solving mental tasks by preschool children.

Results. The study showed that in preschool age, thinking is mediated primarily by images and visual models, and speech performs auxiliary, guiding and expressive functions, but is not the main means of solving cognitive problems. It was established that the word can become a mediating means only when solving logical problems that require conceptual analysis and planning, which is typical for senior preschool age. Figurative and verbal thinking develop in parallel and independently of each other, but with specially organized training, close relationships are formed between them.

Conclusions. The data of the presented study strongly suggests that speech performs mainly an auxiliary role when using visual models in solving mental tasks (generating an image, drawing on past experience, designating visual means of solving problems, etc.). The word can perform a mediating function by the older preschool age when solving tasks by children where it is necessary to establish hierarchical relationships between generalizations and generalized speech planning. The study of the problem of the relationship between image and word in solving cognitive tasks by preschool children not only provided answers to some important psychological questions on the complex topic of the relationship between speech and thinking, but also outlined further lines of study of this problem.

Background. Modern developmental psychology increasingly faces the need to integrate psychological techniques and socio-cultural analysis, especially in the context of the transformation of family structures and educational practices. In this context, rethinking classical diagnostic techniques, such as L.A. Venger’s “Polyanka” method, in new social conditions is of particular importance.

Objective. To show the continuity of scientific ideas of L.S. Vygotsky and his school (A.V. Zaporozhets, D.B. Elkonin, L.A. Venger) in modern interdisciplinary research. To rethink L.A. Venger’s “Polyanka” method not only as a diagnostic tool for visual-imaginative thinking, but also as a means of analyzing the “social situation of development” of a preschooler. To identify the influence of family structure (complete/incomplete) and parental educational strategies on the cognitive development of children, in particular, on the success of completing tasks using the “Polyanka” method.

Sample. 623 older preschool children. Additionally, 941 respondents (fathers and mothers) of these children were interviewed using a special parental questionnaire.

Methods. The following research approaches were used to achieve the objective: analysis of the results of diagnostics of children’s visual-imaginative thinking using Venger’s “Polyanka” method; sociological survey of parents using a specially designed questionnaire; qualitative analysis of the obtained data with the identification of significant correlations.

Results. The study found that boys from single-parent families have significantly lower rates of visual-imaginative thinking (21.9 points) according to Venger’s “Polyanka” method compared to boys from complete families (31.4 points), while such a dependence was not found in girls. Divorced mothers are more likely to use strategies that require their sons to follow strict rules in normatively defined situations, in contrast to fathers in complete families who orient their children towards behavior in uncertain conditions. It was also found that the father’s higher education has a positive effect on the results of girls (32.2 points), and for boys, the best results are associated with the mother’s secondary education (27.8 points). The lowest results are in children whose parents do not use encouragement (25.1 points), and the highest are in those who are not punished (31.7 points).

Conclusions. The study confirmed the importance of the scientific legacy of L.A. Venger for modern developmental psychology. A significant influence of family factors on the development of visual-imaginative thinking of preschoolers has been revealed. Differences in the educational strategies of parents in complete and incomplete families were determined. The “Polyanka” method has proven its effectiveness and social validity in modern conditions, and can be effectively used not only for diagnosing cognitive processes, but also as a tool for analyzing the social situation of development, especially in the context of the dynamics of family development.

Background. Changing requirements to the level of professional competence of preschool teachers, related to the new priorities in the educational system, entail the necessity of qualitatively different provision of resources, the key role in which is played by the internal resources of the subject of activity.

Objectives. The aim is to identify peculiarities of interaction of cognitive and personal resources of teachers of the institutions with different level of quality of education.

Sample. 526 teaching teams (leader, senior teacher and two or three teachers) participated in the first stage, the second stage (study of cognitive and personal resources) was attended by 117 teachers.

Methods. The following methods were used in the study: the method of diagnosing the resourcefulness of professional thinking (I.V. Serafimovich, E.A. Medvedeva, N.V. Surina); the questionnaire of emotional intelligence EmIn by D.V. Lyusin (Lyusin, 2006); methods for studying subjective well-being (Osin, Leontiev, 2020, p. 136): the emotional aspect of well-being is the subjective happiness scale (Lyubomirsky, Lepper, 1999, adapted by E.N. Osin, D.A. Leontiev, short version (Osin, Leontiev, 2008), and the cognitive aspect is the life satisfaction scale (Diener et al., 1985; adapted and validated by D.A. Leontiev and E.N. Osin, (Osin, Leontiev, 2008).

Results. Positive interrelations of cognitive and personal resources have been established. Institutions with high quality are characterized with balanced uniformity, the institutions with medium quality are characterized with unbalanced focus. Differences in the personal resources’ components among teachers from various organizations were not identified, but there are some in the reflexive component of cognitive resources (teachers working in the organizations with high quality of education have higher level). It is shown that the organizations with medium quality have feeble circumstantiation and development of directions: correctional and developmental work with children with disabilities, ways to support children’s initiative and independence (age-appropriate), conditions for creating a developing subject-spatial environment (transformability, variability, multifunctionality); application of methods of modern planning of educational activities.

Conclusions. The use of research data is related to the possibilities of organizing continuous informal education of teachers of preschool educational organizations through the actualization of cognitive and personal resources, taking into account the deficiencies in the work of educational organizations in building immediate and distant development prospects.

Background. In the context of a shortage of teaching staff in preschool education, the importance of studying the specifics of a teacher’s professional identity is increasing as a condition for developing management mechanisms to increase the prestige of the profession and the quality of teacher training.

Objectives. In the course of the research, the specifics of the professional identity of a preschool teacher are revealed as his personal attitude to the moment of reality associated with a sense of professional success.

Sample. The study involved 119 respondents aged 25 to 65 years, teachers and specialists of preschool educational organizations in the Ivanovo region.

Methods. The research is based on a discursive design using high-quality content analysis of pedagogical essays on the topic “Pedagogical insight or the moment when I felt that I was a good teacher.” The analysis of the essay content was carried out on the basis of a three-component structure of professional identity, including cognitive, emotional and behavioral components.

Results. It is revealed that teachers identify their profession and its importance with conducting classes and direct interaction with preschoolers. A tendency has been revealed to shift the focus of the cognitive component from the realization of professional activity to choosing a profession, solving personal problems and self-improvement. The behavioral component manifested itself in the teachers’ increased concern for the mood of children, the desire to entertain and please them, which determines the choice of methods and means of work. The emotional component is a contradiction between the pleasure of communicating with children when working in preschool education and doubts about the importance of the chosen profession and the correctness of their actions.

Conclusions. The value of a child’s vivid emotions is a factor that regulates the teacher’s choice of methods and means of work in favor of entertainment formats and orientation towards the external expression of positive emotions by children as a result of interaction with the teacher. The improvement of professional training and work with teaching staff can be carried out through the training of monitoring the development of children and pedagogical reflection. Further research requires identifying the nature of the influence of the ratio of the levels of development of the components of professional identity on the style and quality of the teacher’s work.

Background. Communicative and speech development of a child with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is one of the primary tasks in working with non-speaking children, since their subsequent development, behavior, and well-being in society depend on their communication capabilities.

Objective. Formation of basic communication skills in non-speaking children by teaching reading using the global text perception method and subsequent mastering of printing on tablets or computers used as alternative and additional means of communication (AAC).

Sample. The study involved 3 non-verbal children with autism aged 5 years: 2 girls and 1 boy.

Methods. The following methods were used: the method “Global Reading” by G. Doman, methodological developments by L.G. Nuriyeva “Speech Development of Autistic Children”, PECS alternative communication system. The work was based on the principle of “from simple to complex”. To determine the level of development of children and to build a further plan for correctional work, speech therapy diagnostics were carried out using the first component of the VB-MAPP methodology “Assessment of Developmental Areas “ (listener behavior, request skill (mand), verbal speech, visual perception, echo skill). At each stage of training, an intermediate assessment of skills was carried out using pedagogical supervision and parent surveys.

Results. The children demonstrated positive dynamics in the formation of the ability to read whole words at once, bypassing the stage of syllabic analysis. Two of the three subjects showed the first signs of active sound speech in the form of repetitions of heard words (echolalia). One child began to spontaneously vocalize individual syllables, writing words by hand. In addition to improving reading skills, the project participants began to effectively apply the ability to type on electronic devices to solve everyday communication problems and express their own desires.

Conclusions. The method of sequential teaching of global reading, typing and dialogue skills has been shown to be an effective way to develop communication skills and intellectual abilities in children with ASD. It is assumed that a non-verbal child with autism will be able to fully express their thoughts using typing as an AAC.

Background. As AI becomes embedded in children’s lives, from entertainment to learning, the role of content is transforming—from passive consumption to active, system-embedded dialogue.

Methods. This article draws from content development experience at Mako Kids and research-led design at KidsAI. It integrates global studies, co-design fieldwork, and expert interviews to analyze how children interpret AI tools and how design influences developmental outcomes.

Results. Findings show that children anthropomorphize AI agents and that system behavior often teaches unintended lessons. Core principles of quality content—including age-appropriateness, holistic thinking, inclusion, safety, play-based learning, and cultural relevance—remain essential in AI-driven environments. Structured prompts, ethical voice design, and scaffolded interactions are key design features in KidsAI’s work, including the development of Olly, KidsAI’s assistant for kids.

Conclusions. Content must now function as ethical infrastructure in sociotechnical systems. Designers must avoid emotional simulation and focus on supporting autonomy, reflection, and cognitive safety. AI should guide—not mimic—human relationships, with clarity and respect.