All articles

Relevance of the article. Preschoolers are active users of modern digital devices, and therefore their media activity is increasingly becoming the subject of close attention. Scientists disagree on whether gadgets positively or negatively effect on the development of a child’s psyche, and what types of media activity have a positive effect on the success of preschoolers.

The aim of the study: to identify differences in the level of development of mental abilities of senior preschoolers in two groups: those using digital devices mainly for watching cartoons and videos, and those using digital devices mainly for video games and applications.

Description of the research progress. The study involved 267 senior preschool children and their parents. Parents filled out a questionnaire (Bortsova, Nekrasov, 2020) aimed at studying the child’s predominant way of using digital devices and screen time indicators. Children aged 5–7 years were divided into two groups: those who predominantly watch videos and cartoons (passive screen time), and those who prefer video games and applications (active screen time). The level of development of children’s mental abilities was studied using a battery of techniques created under the guidance of L.A. Venger. According to the level of imagination development, the children were divided into three groups based on the results of the “Complete the Drawing” technique (Dyachenko, 2007). The results of the development of intellectual and creative abilities of two groups of children were compared using the Student’s t-test and one-factor analysis of variance.

Research results. Children using digital devices primarily for video games and applications had a higher level of mental development compared to the group of children using digital devices primarily for watching cartoons and videos. Children with low levels of nonverbal imagination spent more time in front of digital device screens than children with medium and high levels.

Conclusions. Modern computer games and applications have the potential to develop the intellectual abilities of older preschoolers. At the same time, interaction with digital devices negatively affects the development of imagination.

Relevance of the article. Today, the questions of educational content are very acute for a number of reasons. The main reason is the gap between the technical capabilities of the education system and the fact that the main educational content is managed by the cultural system. Understanding education as the assimilation of cultural norms, we realize the importance of not only free access to cultural content, but also the need to present cultural content in an accessible way for the education system. Today this is not the case and a lot of work is required to overcome the identified gaps.

The aim of the article is to present the experience of building interaction between the head library (an institution of the cultural system) and preschool institutions (an institution of the education system) of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Description of the study. This collaboration is dictated by the generic functions of the national library – collection, storage, organization of wide use by society and preservation of the entire documentary heritage of the region for transmission to future generations. Currently, libraries are actively developing electronic funds, the purpose of which is to provide remote access to electronic content, expand and develop of library information services in an electronic environment. Agreements have been concluded between the library and the preschool educational institution of the Republic, which allow each kindergarten visitor, starting from teaching staff, and ending with parents, to use the library’s resources. Thus, the library opens up a reading space for the kindergarten, and a kindergarten for the library.

The results of the study. To fix the pedagogical thought of Yakutia, the library has formed national collections of teaching aids, board games and cartoons created by kindergarten staff, both in traditional and electronic form. In turn, the library offers its educational resources for kindergartens.

Conclusion. Cooperation is proposed for distribution throughout the territory of the Russian Federation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the conditions of life and in particular changed the way how adults and children use digital devices. Digitalization plays a big role in the development of preschool children. Therefore, it has become extremely relevant to study how preschoolers use digital devices in the new social conditions. This study aims to examine the use of digital devices before and during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period by children aged 6-7. In this study we compared answers to the interview in 2019 and in 2021. The first wave of survey was conducted in 2019 involving 417 children aged 6–7 years. And the second wave with the same interview was conducted in 2021 involving 495 children aged 6–7 years. According to our results, children in 2021 named more options of digital devices usage and those options are more varied comparing to 2019. In addition, children became significantly more likely to say that digital devices could be used for work and learning, and they themselves became more likely to use them for educational purposes. However, many digital practices have remained unchanged over the past two years. For example, children still mostly use digital devices to play games. Among the answers about favorite digital activities in 2021 were more frequent answers not only from the category of entertainment, but also from the category of «psychological tools». In 2021, there are more kids using digital devices every day and fewer using them only on weekends. During the pandemic, children were more likely to use digital devices with parents, siblings, and friends. As a result of this work, recommendations for parents on the optimal use of digital devices by preschoolers were clarified.

The contemporary world is nothing like it used to be just 10 years ago. The parameters of the new world are determined but not limited to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This paper addresses the immediate term which defines the political outlook, medium-term forecasts (technological) and long-term forecasts (determined by changes in space scales). At some second and third level, as a rule, the education system in general and the system of the early childhood education, in particular, ceases to consider the changes taking place. Similarly, the process of digitalization is approached, which is suggested to be implemented in the near future. At the same time, there are certain regularities and correlations between various levels of forecasting so we have to consider their influence on the education system and its technological changes. The paper concludes that it is essential to reflect on all three levels of forecasts when developing educational policies, otherwise there is a risk of failure to provide education for children living in the Age of Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Background. The relevance of the study is determined, on the one hand, by the significance of the problem of parent-child play interaction as an important aspect of family education, and on the other hand, by the insufficiency of its studies in the modern conditions of rapidly occurring profound changes in society, affecting the family microenvironment.

Objectives. 1) To identify and analyze the characteristics of play interaction between senior preschoolers with their parents, taking into account the possibilities of using digital devices. 2) To study the influence of the frequency of joint computer games in a family setting on the intellectual and creative development of children.

Sample. The study involved 180 preschoolers aged 6-7 years (Mage = 6.8, SD = 0.34; 88 boys, 92 girls), as well as their parents, mainly mothers. All preschoolers and their parents were the residents of Moscow. Most children (92.78%) attended preschool educational institutions.

Methods. A survey of parents was conducted. To diagnose children’s development, the following methods were used: a test method for diagnosing intellectual abilities (MEDIS); structured observation and expert assessments of children’s participation in a game lesson to reveal creative and intellectual potential. Methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis were used (Jamovi 1.6.23 statistical package).

Results. In most families, play interaction between modern senior preschoolers and parents is implemented both in the form of traditional games (board, outdoor, role-playing, etc.) and computer games. However, the frequency of their use varies. In general, traditional games are chosen more often than computer games. At the same time, mothers are more likely to play traditional games with their children than fathers. When using gadgets, the opposite trend is observed: fathers are more likely than mothers to play computer games with their children. Preschoolers who rarely played computer games with their moms or dads had higher intellectual test scores.

Conclusions. The results of the study allow us to expand scientific understanding of the play interactions between modern senior preschoolers and parents. The need for psychological and pedagogical support for parents in choosing and organizing joint games with children is highlighted. The data obtained can be used in the development of recommendations to parents on the creation of a developing family microenvironment, in particular, on its digitalization.