Svetlana Yu. Smirnova

Background. The digitalization of education reaches the preschool level. AR books are increasingly used with children, yet their educational potential for preschoolers remains understudied, particularly how their appeal relates to children’s text comprehension.

Objective. To examine senior preschoolers’ comprehension of an informational text when reading an AR book versus books without illustrations and with traditional printed illustrations.

Sample. 120 senior preschoolers (M = 75 months): 60 aged 5 to 6 years and 60 aged 6 to 7 years, assigned to three groups of 40 by illustration format.

Methods. Non-participant observation during reading, an individual interview on the text afterwards (three open questions), and analysis of children’s drawings. Data were analyzed with the c² test; instruments underwent expert verification.

Results. During reading, verbal activity was highest in the AR group; however, many of these reactions concerned technological effects rather than the text content (c² = 10.74; p = 0.005). When answering questions, children with printed illustrations reproduced the factual content most fully, whereas the AR group relied more on personal experience. Printed illustrations also yielded the most accurate reflection of content in drawings (c² = 28.44; p < 0.001). No age differences emerged.

Conclusion. The effectiveness of AR books depends not only on their appeal but also on the match between visual content and text and on pedagogical support. For informational books, traditional illustrations ensure better comprehension. It justifies a differentiated approach to illustration format by text type and educational objectives.

The last few years have seen Monster High dolls become one of the most popular and controversial toys. Based on the results of a specific empirical study the authors of the article attempt to find out why these dolls are so popular and what children see and what they fail to see in them and how preschool and younger school age girls play with these dolls. The study involved 245 parents and 50 girls in two age groups: 6-7 and 8-9 years. The adults completed the questionnaire which evaluated these dolls’ basic qualities. The children were involved in individual conversations in which each of the girls was asked the same questions. The children’s drawings depicting these dolls and the way they played with them were analyzed. The children’s and adults’ assessment of the dolls’ different qualities made it possible to register an obvious generational gap: what children perceive as being perfect is regarded by adults as being ugly and revolting. The children’s drawings suggest that Monster High dolls are perceived by them as “standards of beauty.” Most of the girls prefer these dolls to traditional ones. Watching the children play with these girls showed its essential part to be defined not so much by the toys’ image as by the general context of a child’s life: when using these dolls children play out most varied stories that reflect their personal experience. The article concludes by discussing the results of the study and possible risks these toys carry for preschoolers.

Background. The trends of developing child friendly urban environment result in designing of play areas in places which are not specifically made for children: train stations, cafes, shopping centers, etc. The design of such places requires research of children’s behavior, understanding and experience of using play equipment and materials. This article deals with children’s play spaces in trains and at railway stations in Moscow.

The purpose of the study is to highlight the principles of organizing play environment and equipment at train stations, airports, in trains.

Play spaces at the railway stations and toy`s sets for kids in trains were analyzed according to the basis criteria of the examination of play spaces and toys. Based on the data obtained, the principles of organizing space were proposed, taking into account the special conditions in traveling (a large number of people, rush, small space, children of different ages, etc.).

Research results. The study showed that play spaces at railway stations are unsuitable for children’s age needs: they are like copies of typical street playgrounds, include the same equipment, designed for kids aged just 2-5 years and mostly for movement and not for the role play. In trains play spaces are better adapted for cognitive and productive activities of children, while play and motor activity are ignored. Play sets are also designed for age 3-6 and require significant changing. This analysis allows us to identify 3 key principles of organizing children’s space in trips. Creating a children’s space, it is necessary to consider the duration of trips, the capacity and possibility of a place, age specific of play, speech and other activities of children. It is also important to focus on the features of age and remember that adults are the mandatory companions of the child in traveling. This study can serve as a basis for a more detailed and large-scale study of the issue of children’s spaces, as well as a general guideline for evaluating and designing such play spaces.