Psychological Development of Preschoolers in Project-Based Learning: An Overview of Empirical Research

Introduction. The search for technologies to provide the harmonious development of preschoolers through the enrichment of children’s activities inherent in this age period is an urgent task for the modern education system. Recently, along with traditional forms of education, front-line work and free play, project-based learning has become widespread in kindergartens. To clarify the fundamental features of project-based learning and its developmental effects, a review of empirical studies on this topic was conducted. The purpose of the article is to present the results of the review and identify the main trends, limitations and prospects of studying the project-based learning impact on the psychological development of preschoolers. Materials and Methods. The literature review was conducted using the PRISMA. As a result of the search, 789 Russian-language publications and 687 English-language publications corresponding to the search query were found. As a result of screening and selection, 18 studies were included in further qualitative analysis. For the qualitative analysis a validated checklist of questions was used to assess the methodological level of quality of randomized and non-randomized studies (max. score 26). Results. 7 out of 18 studies satisfied less than half of the items on the checklist and scored less than 13 points, which indicates insufficient reliability of the results obtained in these works. As the result it was sufficiently reliably shown that the use of project approach in preschool age can positively affect the development of social and research skills, cognitive abilities, creative abilities and speech. Discussion and Conclusion. The review showed main trends in the field of studying the developmental effects of project-based learning, reflecting possible research directions in this area. The most promising perspectives for further research are connected with the comparison of the project approach with other forms and methods of education, which can contribute to determining the specifics of different educational methods and determining the conditions for their most effective use. The materials of the article would be useful for planning research in the field of child development, as well as for organizing project-based learning in educational institutions

Dramatic Perezhivanie as a driver of executive functions development through role-play in early childhood:theoretical framework and experimental evidence

Role-play in early childhood is associated with development of executive functions (EFs), although study results remain inconsistent. Due to the complex nature of the role-play, the underlying mechanisms of these associations are not obvious. In this article, play is viewed in the framework of the cultural-historical approach as a special social situation that can become the social situation of development if it results in dramatic perezhivanie of a child. In this study, we compared the level of EFs and play behavior between two play contexts: play guided by an adult and one with less adult involvement. Play behavior was analyzed based on five behavioral measures suggested to be the markers of dramatic perezhivanie. Measures of EFs were taken before and after the experimental procedure. Results show that dramatic perezhivanie might be considered a driver of EFs development through role-play in early childhood. As well as this, the involvement of an adult into play was associated with different patterns of EFs dynamics before and after the intervention. Future work can investigate if the construct of dramatic perezhivanie, microsocial situation of development, and micro-crisis might explain variability of the study results on the association between the role-play and child development.</p

Assessing the Effectiveness of Differentiated Instructional Approaches for Teaching Math to Preschoolers with Different Levels of Executive Functions

Previous studies have found that the development of mathematical abilities, along with the development of executive functions, predict students&rsquo; subsequent academic performance. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of teaching the concept of area to preschool children with different levels of cognitive processes (CP) including executive functions and short-term memory. The experiment introduced the concept by using three different instructional approaches: traditional, contextual, and modeling. The sample included 100 children aged 6&ndash;7 years (M = 6.5 years), of whom 43% were boys. Each experimental condition included children with low, middle, and high levels of CP, as determined based on the NEPSY-II subtests. The children with low CP levels showed higher results in assimilating the notion of area after being taught using the contextual approach. In contrast, children with high CP levels showed a higher mastery of the concept of area following the use of the modeling approach. The results suggest the importance of CP development in building ways of mastering mathematical content. This contributes to choosing the optimal path of teaching mathematics for preschoolers, taking into account the development of their cognitive processes to improve their academic performance

Associations between Cognitive Outcomes and Emotion Recognition among Preschoolers

The present study intends to address associations between dialectical thinking of 6-7 years old children and their emotional and executive functioning development. Participants were 152 children. One method was used to assess their emotion recognition by facial expression. Executive functioning was assessed in accordance with the Miyake model, which distinguishes three components of that: working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition control. Dialectical thinking was assessed using three techniques aimed at analyzing children's understanding of the principle of cyclicality, ability to identify contradictions and find opposites to phenomena. Also, a number of parents was interviewed using the questionnaire, which allowed for additional analysis of associations between dialectical thinking and demographic variables such as the number of children in families, the level of mother's education and family income level. The results showed that understanding of the cyclicality principle is related to executive functioning. In turn, all three indicators of dialectical thinking were significantly related to emotion recognition. Taken together, these results suggest that dialectical thinking is associated with emotional knowledge and executive functioning in 6-7 years aged children

Диалектическое и формально-логическое мышление старших дошкольников

Introduction. The article presents an empirical study into the correlation problems between the development of formal-logical and that of dialectical thinking at preschool age. This has been the first ever approach towards comparing these lines of thought development. The study aims to answer the questions raised by J. Piaget, K. Riegel, and M. Bassechez in their works on the relationship between dialectical and formal-logical thinking. Methods. To assess the development of dialectical thinking we used the following methods:  Drawing an Unusual Tree, Cycles and What Happens to be both at the Same Time? Development of formal intellect was determined using the Piaget tests ‒ Scales, Probability and Cylinder. The data on the development of dialectical and formal-logical thinking were compared using correlational and regression statistical methods. The longitudinal study involved 87 children aged 5-6 years and 6-7- year-olds at a later stage, who attended Moscow kindergartens. Outcomes. According to the regression analysis, predictors of the success in the Probability task in the preparatory group were the scores of Piaget’s Probability and Cylinder tests and dialectical thinking measured by the Cycles and What Happens to be Both at the Same Time methods, which were assessed when preschoolers attended the older group (R = 0.606 (&gt;0.5); F = 3.957, p=0.003). Of interest is the correlation between the Probability test outcomes and those of the Cycles method (r=0.203, p=0, 021). Discussion of outcomes. The results suggest that the formal operations of multiplication and the dialectical operations of transformation, reversal and mediation are part of a unified cognitive structure. Based on K. Riegel’s assumption, it may also be argued that it is possible to solve dialectical problems in preschool childhood.Введение. В статье приведено эмпирическое исследование проблематики соотношения развития формально-логического и диалектического мышления в дошкольном возрасте. Данный подход к сопоставлению указанных линий развития мышления реализуется впервые. Исследование призвано ответить на вопросы, поставленные в работах Ж.&nbsp;Пиаже, К.&nbsp;Ригеля, М.&nbsp;Бессечеза о взаимосвязи диалектического и формально-логического мышления. Методы. Для оценки развития диалектического мышления нами были использованы методики «Рисунок необычного дерева», «Циклы» и «Что может быть одновременно?». Развитие формального интеллекта определялось с помощью проб Пиаже «Весы», «Вероятность», «Цилиндр». Данные о развитии диалектического и формально-логического мышления были сопоставлены с помощью корреляционного и регрессионного статистических методов. В лонгитюдном исследовании приняли участие 87 детей в возрасте 5–6 лет, а затем в 6–7 лет, посещавших детские сады г.&nbsp;Москвы. Результаты. Как показал регрессионный анализ, предикторами успешности выполнения задания «Вероятность» в подготовительной группе стали показатели проб Пиаже («Вероятность», «Цилиндр») и диалектического мышления, измерявшиеся методиками «Циклы» и «Что бывает одновременно?», оценка которых проводилась, когда дошкольники посещали старшую группу (R&nbsp;=&nbsp;0,606 (&gt;&nbsp;0,5); F&nbsp;=&nbsp;3,957, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0,003). Интерес представляет связь результатов пробы «Вероятность» и результатов выполнения методики «Циклы» (r&nbsp;=&nbsp;0,203, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0,021). Обсуждение результатов. Полученные результаты позволяют предположить, что формальные операции мультипликации и диалектические операции превращения, обращения, и опосредствования входят в состав единой познавательной структуры. Также можно утверждать, следуя предположению К.&nbsp;Ригеля, возможность решения диалектических задач в дошкольном детстве

Structural dialectical approach in psychology: problems and research results

In this article dialectical thinking is regarded as one of the central cognitive processes. Because of this cognitive function we can analyze the development of processes and objects. It also determines the possibilities for the creative transformation of some content and for solving problems. The article presents a description and the results of experimental studies. This evidence proves that dialectical thinking is a specific line of cognitive development in children and adults. This line can degrade during school time if the educational program follows formal logical principles, or it can become significantly stronger if the pedagogy is based on dialectical methodology