Формування пізнавальної активності старших дошкільників засобами настільних ігор

Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the current state of development of scientific fields, the technologization of human life, rapid and barrier-free access to a significant amount of information for preschool children, which determines the need to form adequate ways of its awareness and comprehension, general methods of cognitive activity. The older preschool age 3 6-7 years of children's life - is of great importance in the formation of the cognitive sphere of the individual. In this context, it is important to master all key competencies by the end of preschool childhood, which are formed through the expression of the child's activity in all specifically childhood activities, including educational and cognitive, play, children's experimentation, and others. On the other hand, its formation determines the organic process of preschool maturity at this age and the formation of intellectual readiness of older preschoolers for the conditions of systematic education in primary school. In this aspect, the problem is exacerbated by the unjustified desire of children's parents to prioritize the mastery of the subject content of the basics of science, which does not indicate the optimal overall mental development of senior preschoolers' cognitive activity. Thus, the high level of formation of cognitive activity of senior preschoolers, through playful activities, is recognized as one of the priority tasks of preschool education, as evidenced by the strong public and state interest in meeting the requirements for ensuring the quality of its formation in the modern educational process of preschool education institutions. The importance of this problem is reinforced by the lack of integrity of its generalization in scientific works, which is due to several contradictions: − between the intensive use of board games in organizing the life of older preschoolers outside the preschool education institution and the lack of proper scientific and methodological support for their use in the educational process. − between the social request of parents for the formation of intellectual and cognitive readiness of children aged 6-7 years for school and age-related limitations of mental capabilities of their cognitive development. − between the cognitive potential of modern board games and the general trend of reducing games. Therefore, the formation of cognitive activity of senior preschoolers is a complex problem that requires an integrated approach to its solution. The scientific novelty and theoretical significance of the study is that for the first time: 3 the pedagogical conditions for the formation of cognitive activity of older preschoolers using board games (creation of a variable cell of board games for independent joint game activity according to the rules; enrichment of the cognitive content of board games; ensuring the acquisition of cognitive experience by older preschoolers in various types and forms of educational and cognitive activities) are substantiated and experimentally tested. 3 the process of implementation of pedagogical conditions for the formation of cognitive activity of older preschoolers using board games is modelled, which includes the following compositional constructs: goal and result, stages of implementation of pedagogical conditions (organization and preparing → design of pedagogical conditions → experimental implementation → diagnostics, interpretation and correction, etc.), types of pedagogical experiment (search, stating, formative, control), coordinated with the stages of implementation of pedagogical conditions and types of connections between them; 3 the essence and structure of board games is defined - the generalized specific sphere of people's life environment, reflected in the game plot and rules (game content), coded by a single conventional graphic plan and constituting a complete game set. 3 the cognitive activity of older preschoolers is characterized as a type of general social activity in cognition of the personality of a child of 6(7) years of age, which is formed in various types of activities, enriched, complicated by them and passes from a lesser to a higher quality level in the form of real (functioning) and potential (situational). The study clarifies the essence of the concepts of «cognitive activity of personality», «cognitive behaviour», «types» and «species» of cognitive activity of older preschoolers’; groups of board games are specified, their essential characteristics and advantages for the cognitive development of older preschoolers are characterized. The practical significance is that methodological materials for educators (protocols of pedagogical observations, questionnaires of parents and educators, information materials for parental consultations), adapted and author's board games, methods of organizing their collective production and conduct in senior preschool groups, etc. have been developed and implemented in the practice of preschool education institutions. The results of the study are reflected in the content of the textbook «Fundamentals of Preschool Pedagogy» for applicants for the first (bachelor's) level of higher education (co-authored with O. Pysarchuk) and are used in the system of professional training of future educators of preschool education, in particular, at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the West Ukrainian National University and in postgraduate pedagogical education at the Centre for Postgraduate Education of Ternopil Volodymyr Hnatiuk National Pedagogical University (as the part of the professional development programmes for pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical staff «Modern Approaches to the Methods of Organising Preschool Children's Play Activities» and for pedagogical staff of preschool education institutions «Innovative Approaches to Implementing STREAM-education for Preschool Children»). The study involved older preschoolers 3 children of 6-7 years of age from preschool education institutions: preschool education institutions (nursery school) № 32 and № 109 of Lviv City Council, Popelnykivsky preschool education institution «Sonechko» of Sniatyn City Council (Kolomyia district, Ivano-Frankivsk region), preschool education institution № 1 «Romashka» of general development of Khrystynivka City Council (Cherkasy region), Ternopil preschool education institutions (nursery school) № 12 of Ternopil City Council. In total, the study covered 249 preschoolers (children aged 6-7 years), 58 educators of educational institutions in Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Cherkasy regions, as well as 230 parents of older preschoolers. The baseline state of the formation of cognitive activity in older preschoolers using board games was determined at the statement stage. The questionnaire survey of teachers and parents revealed the difficulties associated with the use of board games for the development of cognitive activity of older preschoolers: low variability of board games in the conditions of preschool education; difficulties with the choice and counselling of parents on the choice and organization of board games for senior preschoolers; lack of methodological support for the formation of ideas about the events and phenomena of the surrounding reality that are reflected in the board game; arrangement of the board game centre in the senior preschool group; low number or absence of entertaining and board games to develop imagination, creativity and fantasy, familiarization with the social environment, etc. At the formative stage of the experiment, the pedagogical conditions for the formation of older preschoolers' cognitive activity using board games were implemented. An integrated approach to their implementation involved the coordinated use of methods, techniques and forms of work with older preschoolers in experimental training. At the control stage, the state of formation of older preschoolers' cognitive activity using board games was diagnosed to refute or confirm the hypothesis about the effectiveness of the implementation of pedagogical conditions. The diagnostic tools identical in form and orientation were used in natural conditions, which ensured the reliability of the results. The data of the formative and control stages of the experiment are analysed and interpreted, which indicate a positive dynamic of the formation of cognitive activity of older preschoolers using board games in the experimental group In the control group, insignificant changes are noticeable with significantly lower indicators. The results of the experimental study confirmed the general hypothesis of the research: the level of cognitive activity of older preschoolers will increase if the following pedagogical conditions are introduced into the educational process: creation of a variable board game unit for independent joint game activity according to the rules; enrichment of the cognitive content of board games; ensuring the acquisition of cognitive experience by older preschoolers in various types and forms of educational and cognitive activity.