Postgraduate Student, Department of Educational Psychology and Pedagogy, Faculty of Psychology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
Background. The emotional development of preschoolers plays a key role in their mental health and subsequent social adaptation. Despite extensive research on emotional development and social interaction in preschoolers, the targeted study of emotion expression rules and the development of methods for their effective implementation in the educational process remain understudied.
Objective. To identify pedagogical conditions for forming a conscious attitude toward emotion expression rules in older preschool children.
Sample. The study involved 77 older preschool children (M = 73.77 months, SD = 5.6) from two kindergartens in St. Petersburg.
Methods. Emotion comprehension test (Veraksa et al., 2021), conversation about children’s understanding of emotion expression rules, and observation of children’s emotional reactions followed by a conversation (Diaz et al., 2015).
Results. Comparison of the research results before and after the formative experiment, according to the specified methods, showed sufficient effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical influences. Over 60% of participants demonstrated a high level of understanding and application of emotion expression rules after completing the program. An intermediate level was recorded in more than 35% of children. A low level of understanding of the rules for expressing emotions and their use was not recorded after the classes, while before the classes it was about 40%. Control group results confirmed changes associated with preschoolers’ participation in the program.
Conclusions. Thus, to develop a conscious attitude toward emotion expression rules in older preschoolers, it is necessary to: cultivate feelings related to respectful treatment of emotions; develop conceptions about emotions and the ability to identify causes of one’s own emotions; enhance awareness of emotion expression methods as means of communicating emotions to others.
Justification of the study. The relevance of the study is justified by the sensitivity of children 5-6 years old to develop an understanding of emotions. Therefore, many programs have been developed for the formation of voluntary control emotions based on the understanding of emotions. However, such programs use multidirectional means of developing an understanding of emotions. This suggests the incompleteness of using the potential of the child's understanding of emotions for the formation of voluntary control emotions in these programs.
The aim of the study. The aim is a theoretical analysis of programs that develop a child's understanding of emotions.
Methods. The method was a comparative analysis. The subject of the analysis was the objectives and content of the programs. The analysis of the objectives was carried out with respect to their functions for the formation of voluntary control emotions. The analysis of the content was carried out from the perspective of the development of the motivational component and from the perspective of the development of voluntary behavior.
Sample. Emotion understanding training programs were selected for the study. These programs are presented in peer-reviewed publications or comply with the Federal State Educational Standard. In total, 12 programs were analyzed of which 6 were partial and 6 were complex.
Results. The objectives, means, and motivational components of the analyzed programs reflect the value orientations of the program. There are value orientations aimed at developing the child's understanding of his own emotions or at developing an understanding of the emotions of others. Both presented value orientations are necessary for the formation of voluntary control emotions. The topic of understanding emotions has a wide potential for the formation of a child’s desire for voluntary control emotions through the development of non-situational personal communication. The main tools of mastering voluntary control emotions are behavioral strategies and rules of behavior. Behavioral strategies as a means of the formation of voluntary emotion control are characterized by utilitarianism. The rules of behavior are characterized by a focus on awareness of the holistic situation. Recommendations for the formation of voluntary control emotions by developing an understanding of emotions were presented.