Young Preschool Research Articles

The Impact of Reading on Children’s Cognitive and Language Development

Literature has always been regarded as one of the best methods available that can positively influence the development of young preschool and kindergarten children, but also older school kids. However, in order for it to make a significant impact, we need to make sure that the content that is being read is appropriate for the age of the children we are reading to. If young children are exposed to adult literature or such that they cannot understand at their language level, it does not help their language improvement and development. In order for literature to make a full impact on both language and cognitive development, we need to use appropriate materials to reach satisfying results, in this case, genres which have been specifically crafted for the language level of the targeted audience. The aim of this paper was to explore the impact of reading to children (specifically literature designed for their language level) by doing a replication study based on the paper done by Fekonja et al. (2007), analyse the results and compare the two classes on a language measurement scale in order to see the impact of literature on language development. The results showed a significant difference in language development between the two groups, favouring the experimental group, which reinforces the importance of incorporating systematic reading of children’s literature into educational practices.

The Influence of Embodied Cognition Activities on Early Language Education Approaches for Small Preschoolers

Embodied cognition activities involve active interactions that train the motor system, the perceptual system and physical interactions with the proximal environment. In the language education of young preschoolers, these types of activities train young preschoolers in the process of learning new words, their comprehension and correct pronunciation. The article presents the influence exerted by the „Integrated exploitation of sensory-motor stimuli” educational program with an emphasis on capitalizing on embodied cognition activities, in the early language education approaches of small preschoolers. Early language education through this type of activity proves effective because it encourages children to make connections between words and concepts using tactile, visual and motor experiences. This approach helps to develop strong connections between words and their meanings. The methods used were the observation of the language behavior of the preschooler and the psychopedagogical experiment method, and the applied research tools, the observation grid of the language behavior of the preschooler and the educational program „Integrated exploitation of sensory-motor stimuli”. The study involved 98 small preschoolers, aged between 3 and 4 years, from 3 state preschool education units, from the urban and rural areas of Hunedoara County. The three educational units involved in the research are: „Mircea Sântimbreanu” Secondary School Brad, „Flore de Colț” Extended Program Kindergarten Brad and „Crișcior Extended Program Kindergarten”.

Do children interpret informants' confidence as person-specific or situational?

Children prefer to learn from confident rather than hesitant informants. However, it is unclear how children interpret confidence cues: these could be construed as strictly situational indicators of an informant's current certainty about the information they are conveying, or alternatively as person-specific indicators of how "knowledgeable" someone is across situations. In three studies, 4- and 5-year-olds (Experiment 1: N = 51, Experiment 3: N = 41) and 2- and 3-year-olds (Experiment 2: N = 80) saw informants differing in confidence. Each informant's confidence cues either remained constant throughout the experiment, changed between the history and test phases, or were present during the history but not test phase. Results suggest that 4- and 5-year-olds primarily treat confidence cues as situational, whereas there is uncertainty around younger preschoolers' interpretation due to low performance.

Психолого-педагогические факторы развития одаренного ребёнка в младшем дошкольном возрасте

This article examines the problem of identifying the giftedness of a child in early preschool age and the psychological and pedagogical factors of his development at an early stage. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need to determine the giftedness of a child in early preschool age on the basis of psychological and pedagogical factors of his development at an early stage. The author takes as the basis of the concept of giftedness the possibility of a child achieving higher, outstanding results in one or more different areas of activity compared to peers. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the identification of a number of age-related psychological and pedagogical factors that make it possible to establish the possibility of developing a child's giftedness in early preschool age. As a result of the research, the author formulated recommendations for the development of gifted children of younger preschool age, taking into account their individual characteristics and needs.

THE PROBLEM OF EDUCATION OF INDEPENDENCE IN YOUNGER PRESCHOOL CHILDREN IN PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PEDAGOGICAL LITERATURE

The article provides an analysis of the problem of nurturing independence in younger preschoolers based on the study of psychological and pedagogical literature, and highlights the main signs of the manifestation of children’s independence.

Language Education Activties for Young Preschoolers Involving Embodied Cognition Versus Traditional Language Education Activities for Young Preschoolers

"Currently, in contemporary cognitive science, embodied cognition is a controversial research topic. This article draws a parallel between how early childhood teachers conduct early language education activities involving embodied cognition and how they conduct traditional language education activities. Language education activities involving embodied cognition are empirically supported, engage the motor system, the perceptual system and make use of elements of the proximal environment. Traditional language teaching activities are purely theoretical and do not lead preschoolers to deepen and extend connections so that they can make connections between sound perception and word meaning. Our interest in the current approach was to collect descriptive data from preschool teachers in Romania in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of language education activities involving embodied cognition and traditional language education activities. It also aimed to identify, for the teachers involved in the research, the difficulties that young preschoolers encounter in the process of comprehension of new words and pronunciation. We believe that understanding word meaning and pronunciation are processes that underpin effective language teaching. The method used was the survey and the research instrument applied, the questionnaire. The study involved 224 pre-school teachers from eight counties in the country, namely Alba, Arad, Bihor, Caraș-Severin, Cluj, Gorj, Hunedoara and Timiș."

INFLUENCING FACTORS AND IMPROVING COUNTERMEASURES OF CAREER HAPPINESS OF YOUTH KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN Z PROVINCE

Young teachers are an important factor in the development of the early childhood education industry. Their physical and mental health is not only about themselves but also about children's spiritual and future growth. The standard of kindergarten development should pay attention not only to the growth index of children but also to the happiness index of teachers. It is the common goal of the country, the school, and the teacher to improve the professional happiness sense of the young teachers. This research sampled 273 participants through 3 samplings. The participants of this sample are 35-year-old young teachers in Z province, and questionnaires were conducted on first-line kindergarten teachers in 7 cities of Zhejiang Province. Non-experimental quantitative research was used in this study. The results showed that the nature of kindergartens in Z province had a significant positive effect on the psychological well-being and emotional well-being of young teachers (p<0.01). Private kindergartens felt more satisfied or happier than private kindergartens and married kindergartens felt more satisfied or happier than unmarried kindergartens. The performance of career happiness of young preschool teachers aged 25 is significantly lower than that of beginning teachers in other teaching age stages, and countermeasures are proposed according to the analysis results.

GAME TECHNOLOGIES IN CORRECTIVE AND DEVELOPMENTAL WORK WITH CHILDREN WITH SEVERE SPEECH DISORDERS

The article reveals the possibilities of game technologies in corrective and developmental work with children with severe speech disorders. A system of correctional work is proposed, which includes various methods and techniques of logarithmic influence on children of younger preschool age. The purpose and task of the logarithmic influence on children with severe speech disorders is revealed: overcoming this disorder through the development and correction of non-verbal mental functions and communicative behavior, which contributes to the fastest adaptation of the child to the conditions of the external environment. The stages of logarithmic influence are characterized, which are correlated with the stages of speech therapy correction: the development of the need for active motor activity, the timely mastery of the main types of movements, the provision of cognitive and linguistic development of children, the enrichment of ideas about surrounding objects and phenomena, the development of curiosity, the formation of sensitivity, the ability to empathize, communication. The following means of logopedic rhythms were used to achieve the corrective and developmental tasks of teaching younger preschool children with severe speech disorders: music making (vocal, instrumental), speech-motor games and exercises (respiratory and articulatory training, finger gymnastics, language games and role-playing poems), dance-rhythmic exercises (play gymnastics, game rhythms), emotional and communicative training (communicative games and exercises, relaxation exercises). The method of conducting classes on speech therapy rhythms by means of complex corrective influence is revealed. The relationship between the content of the lesson and the lexical topic, tasks of speech therapy correction in a specific age group, as well as program requirements for music and physical education is revealed. It is proposed to hold classes in three stages: preparatory, main, final. An example of a logarithmic lesson is given.
 Keywords: games; technologies; corrective and developmental work; children; younger preschool age; severe speech disorders; underdevelopment of speech; development of language communication.

EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITY OF GAMES-JOURNEYS IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING INTEREST IN MUSIC IN YOUNGER PRESCHOOLERS

This article is devoted to the problem of developing interest in music as one of the components of musical and aesthetic consciousness in young preschool children. It analyses theoretical studies, according to which the peculiarities of young preschool children are revealed, which determine the possibilities of developing interest in music through gamesjourneys into the world of sounds. The article pays attention to games-journeys into the world of sounds of nature. It is noted that the main didactic task of games-journeys into the world of sounds is the development of musical and sound experience of children, formation of the ability to distinguish sounds of nature, representativeness of music. Games-journeys are developed taking into account the age characteristics of younger preschool children. The article reveals the specifics of using games-journeys into the world of sounds: from the sound of nature to music, which conveys a phenomenon of nature (sounds of rain, wind, spring drops) by musical sounds, means of musical expression (tempo, dynamics, sound pitch). Music teachers can use games-journeys into the world of sounds in their practical activities in preschool educational organisations.

Professional Development of Preschool Teachers for Inclusive Educational Practice

With the development of globalization and continuous changes in terms of the formal inclusion of children in social systems, the need for acceptance and inclusion in the system of children with special social support needs has been recognized. The research aimed to determine the circumstances that are significant for the professional development of preschool teachers (frequency, motivation, forms, self-assessment of abilities, application of new knowledge, and cooperation) for the needs of inclusive educational practice in preschool institutions. A convenience sample of 141 preschool teachers from the territory of the cities of Pirot and Niš participated in the research. Teachers expressed their views on this topic using a Likert-type scale composed of 52 items divided into 7 subscales, through the use of a Google Forms questionnaire. The obtained results show that: teachers consider continuous professional development for the organization and implementation of inclusive practice to be significant and necessary; teachers enhance their expertise in the field of inclusion through activities such as thematic workshops, online programs, and joint activities with other teachers, while individual and group research is less frequently applied. Preschool teachers with fewer years of work experience apply various forms of professional development in the field of inclusion. Teachers who implement inclusive educational practices with the nursery or younger preschool group are less motivated for professional development in the field of inclusion. Preschool teachers with less work experience tend to apply new knowledge in the field of inclusion (acquired through professional development). Based on the obtained results, it is recommended to encourage and support teachers in choosing activities for professional development that contribute to the development of skills and knowledge for working in inclusive educational practice.

Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy and COVID-19 Pandemic Trauma in Preschool Children.

Traumatic life events, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, can be a challenging health emergency, among others. The pandemic can also affect young preschoolers. They can experience negative emotions and behavioral and social difficulties. It can be hard for children to understand on their own what is going on, as well as for their families. This narrative review summarizes the role of psychotherapeutic approaches in working with trauma and aims to manage trauma, such as COVID-19, in preschool children. It focuses on the possibilities of applying cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) in preschool children who suffer from trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The therapeutic approaches are tailored to specific development in preschoolers. Furthermore, the article provides insights into the relationship between negative emotions, thinking, and behavior, and COVID-19 as a threat, by describing a cognitive model in preschool-aged children. Finally, the article offers possible ways of applying play-based cognitive-behavioral therapy programs in preschool children who are victims of trauma.

Preliminary feasibility and effectiveness of a novel community language intervention for preschool children in the United Kingdom.

Very young children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds often show poorer language development. Whilst there have been attempts to provide early intervention programmes, these sometimes miss the most disadvantaged groups. This report presents preliminary feasibility and effectiveness data for a novel language intervention designed for parents of toddlers in the United Kingdom. In total, 43 UK families of 2-4-year-olds were recruited to the study, half of whom completed an 8-week course (Tots Talking) focussed on parent interaction, and half of whom acted as wait-list controls. Results suggest that such programmes are feasible for families with 86% staying in the intervention. In addition, greater changes in underlying communication skills such as joint attention and gesture were evident compared to wait-list controls. We conclude that pre-verbal skills may be more important to measure as initial outcomes than language or vocabulary change in this population. What is already known on the subject Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds are at higher risk of communication difficulties and there is a need for community intervention programmes for very young children. What this study adds This study suggests that such programmes can be feasible and effective, but that very early/basic communicative skills (such as joint attention) may be boosted first rather than language or vocabulary. What are the clinical implications of this work? Children's centres and other community services could feasibly run short parent facing courses emphasising contingent communication in low SES families and other diverse groups. These may be more successful run with younger preschoolers. Joint attention may be a better focus of intervention before expecting vocabulary or language change. Community health professionals may find this information useful in referring and supporting families in need.

Organohalogenated flame retardants and organophosphate esters from home and preschool dust in Sweden: Pollution characteristics, indoor sources and intake assessment

This study analysed settled dust samples in Sweden to assess children's combined exposure to 39 organohalogenated flame retardants (HFRs) and 11 organophosphate esters (OPEs) from homes and preschools. >94 % of the targeted compounds were present in dust, indicating widespread use of HFRs and OPEs in Swedish homes and preschools. Dust ingestion was the primary exposure pathway for most analytes, except BDE-209 and DBDPE, where dermal contact was predominant. Children's estimated intakes of ∑emerging HFRs and ∑legacy HFRs from homes were 1–4 times higher than from preschools, highlighting higher exposure risk for HFRs in homes compared to preschools. In a worst-case scenario, intakes of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) were 6 and 94 times lower than the reference dose for children in Sweden, indicating a potential concern if exposure from other routes like inhalation and diet is as high. The study also found significant positive correlations between dust concentrations of some PBDEs and emerging HFRs and the total number of foam mattresses and beds/m2, the number of foam-containing sofas/m2, and the number of TVs/m2 in the microenvironment, indicating these products as the main source of those compounds. Additionally, younger preschool building ages were found to be linked to higher ΣOPE concentrations in preschool dust, suggesting higher ΣOPE exposure. The comparison with earlier Swedish studies indicates decreasing dust concentrations for some banned and restricted legacy HFRs and OPEs but increasing trends for several emerging HFRs and several unrestricted OPEs. Therefore, the study concludes that emerging HFRs and OPEs are replacing legacy HFRs in products and building materials in homes and preschools, possibly leading to increased exposure of children.

Don't you see the possibilities? Young preschoolers may lack possibility concepts.

Preschoolers struggle to solve problems when they have to consider what might and might not happen. Instead of planning for all open possibilities, they simulate one possibility and treat it as the fact of the matter. Why? Are scientists asking them to solve problems that outstrip their executive capacity? Or do children lack the logical concepts needed to take multiple conflicting possibilities into account? To address this question, task demands were eliminated from an existing measure of children's ability to think about mere possibilities. One hundred nineteen 2.5- to 4.9-year-olds were tested. Participants were highly motivated but could not solve the problem. Bayesian analysis revealed strong evidence that reducing task demands while holding reasoning demands constant did not change performance. Children's struggles with the task cannot be explained by these task demands. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that children struggle because they cannot deploy possibility concepts that allow them to mark representations as merely possible. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Preschoolers are surprisingly irrational when faced with problems that ask them to consider what might and might not be the case. These irrationalities could arise from deficits in children's logical reasoning capacities or from extraneous task demands. This paper describes three plausible task demands. A new measure is introduced that preserves logical reasoning demands while eliminating all three extraneous task demands. Eliminating these task demands does not change performance. These task demands are not likely a cause of children's irrational behavior.

Parental Mental Health and Challenges in Parenting of Pre-schoolers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: This study aimed to understand the parental stress, psychological distress, and parenting practices of parents of pre-schoolers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods and Materials: An online cross-sectional survey was conducted with the parents of preschool children aged 3–6 years. Researchers used the Parental Stress Scale, Self-Reporting Questionnaire, and Parent Practice Interview to collect data from parents in the Southern Indian city of Bengaluru. Results: A total of 60 responses were obtained from the online survey. Moderate to a high level of parental stress and mild to moderate levels of psychological distress were found among the parents. Around 21 (35%) of parents were found in need of mental health consultation. The study found no group differences in parental stress and psychological distress among various socio-demographic variables. The study found a significant association between parental stress and the parenting practices of participants. Higher mean scores were observed on mothers in setting clear expectations of pre-schoolers. Conclusion: Parenting young pre-schoolers is a difficult task. COVID-19 pandemic has made the parenting process challenging for parents. Parents must engage the children at home, and helping them cope with the new environment is a tightrope walk. Such uncertainties are supposed cause distress and lead to poor parenting parents among the parents, especially with pre-schoolers who are more demanding. There is a need to address parents’ concerns and train them to deal with the situations effectively.

Mapping modal verbs to meanings: an elicited production study on “force” and “flavor” with young preschoolers

ABSTRACT Modals (e.g., can, must) vary along two dimensions of meaning: “force” (i.e., possibility or necessity), and “flavor” (i.e., possibilities relative to knowledge [epistemic], goals [teleological], or rules [deontic] …). Comprehension studies show that children struggle with both force and flavor dimensions of modals. However, given the complex one-to-many mappings from forms to meanings, it is not clear what force or flavor children assign to the modals being tested. In this study, we use a sentence-repair task to test which modals 3- and 4-year-old children themselves prefer to produce in teleological (goal-oriented) and epistemic (knowledge-based) possibility and necessity contexts, and how these preferences differ from those of adults. Our results provide a first controlled look at which modals children use to express the major flavor and force dimensions of modal verb meanings. We shed new light on children’s modal systems, and show that learners generally distinguish modal flavors but struggle distinguishing forces.

Features of Teaching Young Preschool Children a Foreign Language

The relevance of early learning of a foreign language is determined by the needs of society. Teaching a foreign language to preschool children creates excellent opportunities for learning a foreign language. In this regard, this article is devoted to the need to study the peculiarities of teaching young children English in order to achieve the most effective result in its further study. The purpose of the work is to identify and describe the features of teaching English to young children, to identify methods that allow developing constructive interaction between teachers and students, as well as the development of lesson plans. The object of the study is the process of teaching a foreign language. The subject of the study is the use of methodological recommendations in teaching preschool children. The question of when to start teaching a child a foreign language is of interest to many parents. This is quite expected, because knowledge of at least one foreign language in our time has turned from a desire into a necessity.

Longitudinal association of nighttime sleep duration with emotional and behavioral problems among rural preschool children.

This study aimed to examine the association between nighttime sleep duration and emotional and behavioral problems (EBPs) among rural preschool children. This longitudinal study including 1595 preschool children aged 3-6years from 26 kindergartens in four counties was conducted in Anhui Province rural areas. Cross-lagged panel models and multivariable logistic regressions were performed to examine the bidirectional association between nighttime sleep duration and EBPs and further explore the predictive effect of nighttime sleep duration on EBPs. Compared to baseline, preschool children at follow-up had significantly more nighttime sleep duration (10.01 ± 0.68 vs. 10.15 ± 0.69) and lower EBPs (total difficulties: 15.8% vs. 11.2%; prosocial behavior problems: 12.4% vs. 7.0%). Results of cross-lagged panel models indicated that nighttime sleep duration was a predictor for EBPs, but not vice versa. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that each 1-h increase in nighttime sleep duration at T1 was associated with a 0.77-fold reduction in the risk of total difficulties at T2 (the most adjusted OR = 0.774, 95% CI 0.607-0.988, P = 0.040), but not with the prosocial behavior. Interestingly, the predictive effect of nighttime sleep duration at T1 on EBPs at T2 was only found in girls, children aged 3years and children with lower maternal education. The decreased nighttime sleep duration may predict future EBPs, especially in girls, younger preschool children and children with lower maternal education. Extending sleep duration may improve EBPs in preschool children.

The importance of gaming activity in the development of children of younger preschool age

The importance of gaming activity in the development of children of younger preschool age

Correction system effectiveness of the children physical development of early and younger preschool age with psychomotor disorders (on the example of posture)

Purpose: to reveal the reliability of the effectiveness of the developed author's system for correcting the physical development of young and preschool children with psychomotor disorders.
 Material and methods. A total of 208 children of early (2-3 years) and younger preschool (3-4 years) age with psychomotor disorders took part in the study. Specially organized studies of the effectiveness of the system of corrective physical education for children of early and younger preschool age with psychomotor disorders were conducted during 2019 - 2021. They took place in specialized preschool education institutions, as well as kindergartens of the combined type in the city of Odesa, Odesa region, as well as in the cities of Kramatorsk, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Balaklia (Kharkiv region). I also summarized my own long-term (over 25 years) experience of individual rehabilitation activities with the specified contingent of children in the Odessa Movement Rehabilitation Center. All children were divided into two groups: 108 from experimental groups and 100 from control groups.
 Results. Summarizing the analysis of the results of the dynamics of physical development indicators of children with psychomotor disorders (on the example of the study of their posture), we should conclude that almost all the indicators of children from the experimental groups had a marked improvement in results, which in the absolute majority of cases was confirmed statistically (P<0,01‒0,05). Children from control groups also demonstrated some improvement of physical development indicators, but it was by no means confirmed by the methods of mathematical statistics (P>0,05).
 Conclusions: the conducted formative pedagogical experiment confirmed the reliability of the effectiveness of the developed author's system of correction of physical development of children of early and early preschool age with psychomotor disorders in comparison with the traditional system of their education.