Comparison of language development and social communication in 4-6 year old girls and boys in kindergartens in Qom province

Abstract

Background and Aim: The main purpose of this causal-comparative research was to compare language development & social communication in 4-6 year old boys and girls in kindergartens in Qom province.. Methods: The current research was applied in terms of purpose and experimental analytical research in terms of method.The statistical population of this causal-comparative study included all 4-6-year-old boys and girls in kindergartens in Qom province. To select the sample, a multi-stage cluster sampling method was used as follows. Two districts were randomly selected from the four educational districts of Qom province, and 10 kindergartens were selected from among the kindergartens in these districts. 30 people from each kindergarten were tested. The criteria for entering the research were: children present in the kindergarten educational program, who do not have behavioral, mental, and speech problems, and the language used in the child's speech must be Farsi, although the child may also be fluent in another language. In addition, the parents of the children as well as the child himself should have the consent to take the tests. The criteria for leaving the research were: parents' dissatisfaction (The children of the sample group were evaluated using the Told-p.3 language development test by taking a test from the child, and the social communication subscale of the Nyusha cognitive development test, social communication and movement in Farsi-speaking children, by asking the children's mothers. The data obtained from completing the questionnaires were analyzed after collection using SPSS software package version 25. The mean test of independent groups with t index and one-way analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.Results: The average values of two groups in language development indicated that in the main sub-test: related vocabulary, the average scores of boys are higher than girls. However, in the main sub-test: comprehension of grammar, the average scores of girls are higher than boys. And the difference between the mean scores of boys & girls aged 4 to 6 years is not significant in the variable of social communication. Conclusion: In explaining the results in language development, the observed difference can be attributed to gender differences in brain structures and the fit and compatibility of the environment with the differences between the two sexes. Regarding the lack of influence of gender in the evolution of social communication, various variables such as social changes, cultural contexts and the creation of equal educational opportunities, the effectiveness of social learning and communication with peers, have been influential in this result.