Tatiana E. Chernokova

Background. Divergent thinking is the ability to generate many different original ideas, is an important component of human creative potential. Preschool age is a sensitive period for the development of divergent thinking in children. No special scientific studies have been found on the role of klecksography in the development of divergent thinking in preschool children.

Objective. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of using klecksography as a means of developing divergent thinking in children aged 5–6 years.

Sample. The study involved 20 children aged 5–6 years (10 boys and 10 girls).

Methods. The study was conducted in three stages: ascertaining, formative and control. The “Sketches” and “Using objects” tests were used for diagnosis divergent thinking in children. The methodology for developing divergent thinking was based on the following conditions: 1) step-by-step teaching of children to use klecksography techniques to create different images: from teaching the techniques of detecting an image and completing its drawing to a holistic creative activity; 2) inclusion of tasks on finishing drawing blots in lessons on topics reflecting different areas: animals, plants, things, people; 3) using techniques that encourage children to discover multiple images in the inkblot.

Results. Analysis of the results of the ascertaining stage showed that 45% of the examined children had low levels of divergent thinking. They are able to generate several ideas, but the indicators of flexibility of thinking are low, original answers were not revealed. These children were included in the experimental group. The results of the control experiment indicate the effectiveness of the experimental method. 75% of children demonstrated a high level of divergent thinking in the “Sketches” test, and 12.5% in the “Using objects” test. The dynamics of fluency and flexibility of thinking are especially pronounced.

Conclusions. The obtained data confirm our assumption that klecksography can be used as an effective means of developing divergent thinking in children aged 5–6 years.

Relevance. The ability to visually model is a universal ability that is formed in preschool age. Children’s mastery of this ability is an important indicator of the child’s mental development and intellectual readiness for school. The quest game is the least studied method of developing the ability to visually model in children.

The aim of the study is to explore the possibilities of using the quest game as a means of working on the formation the ability to visual modeling in preschool children.

The methodology. The study included three stages: ascertaining, forming and control. To diagnose the ability to visual modeling in children, L.A. Venger’s “Schematization” technique was used. The methodology for developing children’s ability for visual modeling through quest games was based on the following conditions: 1) developing the ability for visual modeling should be carried out in stages: from teaching children to use ready-made visual models to learning to create them; 2) each quest game must include tasks that involve the use of different types of models (spatial, temporal, mathematical, logical) in a single plot. The study involved 41 children aged 5-6 years.

Research results. The analysis of the results of the ascertaining stage showed that 43% of children aged 5-6 years who participated in the study had a low ability to visual modeling. The results of the control experiment indicate the effectiveness of the work carried out: indicators of the ability to visually model the children participating in quest games increased; the number of children who showed a low level decreased by 15%.The positive dynamics are due to the following circumstances: 1) The quest game is a fun form of organizing correctional and developmental activities for preschool children; 2) The form of the quest game allows you to include tasks for both the usage and the creation of visual models by children; 3) The quest game makes it possible to use different types of models: spatial, temporal, mathematical, logical, regardless of its plot.

Conclusions. The data obtained confirm our assumption that the quest game can be considered as a means of forming the ability to visual modeling in older preschool children.

The self-control processes of the child in preschool age problem is of great practical importance. The researchers acknowledge that the success of a child in organizing and controlling own cognitive activity ensures the effectiveness of understanding reality and is a prerequisite for acquisition of knowledge at school. At the same time data on the characteristics of self-control in preschool children are contradictory. The results of the theoretical study revealed the characteristics of self-control of cognitive activity of children in comparison with play and drawing as important activities during preschool ages.

The paper presents the results of research devoted to mental representations functioning in preschool age. The results of studies of the formation of the metacognitive knowledge and understanding of emotions show the need to create conditions for the development of child mental representations. The experience of designing and creating educational situations, aimed at developing children’s ideas about the cognitive and emotional processes is described. Most important aspects of the content of the work and the methods of its implementation are highlighted. It is shown that in the work on the formation of children’s mental representations in verbal techniques can be used. The advantages of active learning methods (games and experiments) are shown. Evidence of the effectiveness of the work, indicating the possibility of formation of children’s mental representations are described.

A child’s ability to manage own activity is a condition of effective learning. The self-regulation of cognitive activity is carried out by means of metacognitive processes: goal-setting; highlighting the conditions of activity; programs of action; self-control. Metacognitive processes can be formal and dialectical according to the contents. Formal regulatory structures define knowledge as a set of unrelated actions aimed at the study of static and isolated properties of object. Dialectic metacognitive structures direct the subject to a comprehensive investigation of object, usage of all available resources, application of the different action programs and the substantial analysis of the achievements. Usage of visual models promotes the development of metacognitive processes in children of preschool age. It is difficult for children to hold the plan of activity and to control achievements due to the nature of their arbitrariness, thinking and memory. Experimental study of 40 children of 4-6 years showed that the visual models are an effective means of regulation of cognitive activity during its realization. The use of such models in the educational activity significantly influences on development of metacognitive processes such as analysis of the conditions of knowledge and programming of actions. Formation of the dialectical notion of cognition and skills to plan a cognitive process is organized by usage of metacognitive conversations. Such work is most effective with children 5–6 years.

Developing children’s communication abilities is an important challenge pre-school education is facing with. It has been the subject of numerous studies, with an emphasis on the role that games play in developing communication. However, preschool teachers underestimate the importance of dramatization games in the development of a child’s communication skills and personality. The results of our experimental studies showed that dramatization games create favorable conditions for developing children’s socio-perceptive, emotional and interactive aspect of communication. It was found that communicative abilities in dramatization games should be formed step by step: from the ability to see a situation of interaction and to understand a partner’s state to master ways to express one’s attitude to him or her, and, finally, to the ability to cooperate. Development of communication skills is also fostered by using stories that deal with issues of interpersonal interactions, and by employing active learning methods.

The article presents the results of a study into the structure of metacognition in preschool years. The methods used included metacognitive conversation and experiments. The experiment consisted of introducing a problem situation, discussing a plan of action with a child, implementing the plan, summing up the results. A total of 80 children of 4-7 years were surveyed. It was shown that preschool age is a sensitive period for children’s metacognitive development, with the age of 5-6 years being the most significant one. When in their senior preschool age kids begin to form a dialectic understanding of cognitive activity as a dynamic system which includes conflicting characteristics. 5-7 year-old children are able to set themselves a dialectic task aiming to perceive the specific properties of an object, its relationships with surrounding objects and possible directions of development. Older preschoolers are in a position to identify possible educational tools based on internal and external factors, and to draw up long-term programs of logical actions that involve different options for problem solving. They also display elements of meaningful self-control.

The aim of research: reveal the potential of forming cognitive interest in social phenomena in children 5–6 years by means experimentation.

Introduction. Based on classical and modern research the theoretical justification of the relevance of the problem of forming cognitive interest in social phenomena in children are presented, potential of use of social experimentation are motivated.

Methods. 40 children aged 5-6,5 years (18 girls and 22 boys) took part in the research. To study the features and pedagogical conditions of development of cognitive interests in children used technique N.B. Shumakova «Voprosiki»; monitoring of educational activities; analysis of calendar plans and questionnaires of kindergarten teachers. At the formative stage, the series of educational situations by using social experimentation of children was tested. The effectiveness was evaluated during the control diagnostics using the techniques Mann-Whitney.

Results. The data of control diagnostics reveal to positive dynamics of indicators of cognitive interest to social phenomena in children of the experimental group. Differences between indicators of cognitive interests at ascertaining and control stages are statistically significant.

Conclusion. Organization of social experimentation contributes to the formation of children 5-6 years of cognitive interest in social phenomena, the expansion of communication skills, overcoming of egocentrism, increased activity, safer than spontaneous social experimentation of preschoolers.

The article presents the methodological basis and theoretical substantiation of the possibility of using training as a means of work aimed at the development of dialectical thinking of preschool age children.

The method of training of dialectical thinking is based on the methodology of structural-dialectical approach by N.E. Veraksa, general principles of correctional- developing work and requirements to training as a method. The special conditions defined by the specificity of dialectical actions as an object of influence are as follows.

1. Inclusion of conflict situations in different types of children’s activities.

2. Children’s understanding of the following terms reflecting dialectical relations and transformations: “opposite”, “middle”, “series”, “transformation”, “union” and “back”.

3. Matching of children’s understanding of such dialectical thinking actions as transformation, serialization, mediation, treatment, unification to their complexity.

4. Formation of dialectical thinking actions according to the theory by P.Y. Galperin of gradual formation of mental actions

5. Application of dialectical schemes that allow to fix opposites and relations between them, as well as dialectical transformations. Thirty-six children aged 6-7 participated in the cohort study. “What can happen at the same time?” and “Unusual tree” methods by N.E. Veraksa were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training.

The results of the testing of the training demonstrate its effectiveness. The indicators of dialectical thinking of children participating in the training increased. Differences in the indicators at the stating and control stages according to U - Mann Whitney’s criterion in the cohort are not significant: the empirical value = 145.5, in experimental group it is significant: the empirical value = 87; U criteria = 109, p≤0.05.

The developed methodology can be applied in the development work of teachers and psychologists and preschool teachers.

Contradictionary results of studies on the development of self-regulation in different activities in children are identified. The structure of self-regulation includes the ability to goal-setting, modeling conditions of activities, programming actions and self-control. The specificity of the manifestation of these abilities in different types of activity and features in preschool children is shown.

The method includes four problem situations. The first part is aimed at diagnosing the ability to self-regulate cognitive activity (metacognitive abilities). The second part is aimed at diagnosing the ability to self-regulate play activity (metaplay abilities).

Situations 1 and 3 suggest a hypothetical inclusion of the child in cognitive and play activities. The child must identify the goal and objectives, the conditions for the implementation of the activity and the program of action. Situations 2 and 4 are aimed at diagnosing self-control in cognitive and play activities. These situations imply a child’s assessment of «completing the assignment by other children».

Testing results indicate a relatively uniform distribution of the examined children according to the level of development of self-regulation abilities in different types of activities. Close and moderate correlation between the indicators of the abilities in cognitive and play activities was found. However, only 8% of the examined children showed a harmonious profile of metacognitive and meta-play abilities.

Self-regulation in preschool children has its own specifics in different types of activities. To diagnose metacognitive and metaplay abilities, it is necessary to use different diagnostic tasks. The results of testing the method indicate that it can be used in scientific research and for the diagnosis of mental development of preschool children.

The relevance of the topic of the article. Dialectical thinking can act as a means of solving communicative and personal tasks by the subject. A dialectical strategy for solving such problems allows the subject to identify all the variety of characteristics, including mutually exclusive ones, and transform them. This contributes to a more tolerant attitude of the subject towards people around him and towards himself and, consequently, successful socialization.

Research methods. The article presents an analysis of studies carried out within the framework of the structural-dialectical approach on the issues of personality development and socialization of a preschool child. In accordance with the hypothesis, the directions of research are determined.

The first direction is the study of dialectical structures in arbitrary self-regulation and psychological and pedagogical conditions that contribute to the formation of a dialectical strategy of self-regulation in preschool children.

The second direction is the study of dialectical structures in the Self-concept and the possibility of forming in preschool children dialectical mechanisms of transformation of contradictions arising in the process of self-knowledge.

The third direction is the study of dialectical structures in social perception and the conditions for the formation of dialectical social intelligence in preschool children.

Conclusion. The study of dialectical structures in the development of the personality and socialization of the child will expand the possibilities of applying the structural-dialectical approach in practical psychology. It is important to develop dialectical thinking in children already in preschool age. The formation of a dialectical attitude towards oneself, people and events can contribute to the harmonization of relations with the outside world and oneself. This understanding opens up prospects for the development of methods of psychological correction of interpersonal relationships and personal development based on the formation of dialectical thinking in children, as well as the development of theory and practice of dialectical counseling and dialectical psychotherapy.