The development of cognitive activity of children in research activities

Abstract

The article reveals the importance of research activity in increasing the degree of cognitive activity of preschoolers. In accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Preschool Education, the development of the cognitive activity of preschool children is one of the priority tasks of modern preschool pedagogy. In the course of the experimental activity carried out at the ascertaining stage, the initial level of the pupils’ cognitive activity was revealed. In most cases, it was characterized by instability of cognitive interest and a lack of desire on the part of children to engage in activities requiring intellectual exertion. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the pedagogical conditions conducive to the development of the cognitive activity of children in research and cognitive activity. The authors analyzed various views on the definition of the essence of the concept of “cognitive activity”, outlined the features of its development in cognitive research practice in a preschool educational organization; a number of general pedagogical conditions that contribute to the development of the cognitive activity of preschoolers are identified. One of the main conditions contributing to an increase in the degree of activity of children in cognitive activity was the development and implementation of a program aimed at developing a persistent cognitive interest in children and increasing the level of knowledge about the world around them by means of children’s experimentation. The developed program includes the goal, objectives, principles, content and description of forms, methods, means of organizing experimental research activities of preschoolers. The implementation of the presented complex of pedagogical conditions contributed to the fact that it became more accessible for children to understand the relationships in nature, to determine their capabilities and the role of a person in the development of society. Thanks to the manifestation of greater independence and initiative on the part of preschoolers in cognizing the world around them, there was an accumulation of specific ideas about objects and natural phenomena, the application of this knowledge in practical activity.