Communicative competence of older preschoolers with an advanced rate of mental development

The purpose of the study was to identify the features of communicative competencies in children with an advanced rate of mental development. The research methodology is based on the universal author's structural model of human communicative competence. The general sample included preschoolers with normotypic (N = 75) and advanced mental development (N = 75). Research methods: collective expert assessment, non-included observation, statistical data processing. Research methods: “free play”, “pattern construction in a dyad”, “pattern drawing in a dyad”. It is established that the outstripping rate of mental development causes pronounced dissynchrony of cognitive and communicative development of children aged 6–8 years. Thus, speech and linguistic competence has a fairly high level of development, which is manifested in the ability to competently build statements, express one’s opinion, and conduct a dialogue. At the same time, the other two competencies - evaluative-reflective and socio-behavioral, which directly provide social perception and social interaction of the child, have a low level of development. The imbalance of the structure of communicative competence itself, as well as the imbalance of cognitive and communicative development in preschoolers with a faster rate of mental development, causes the emergence of the problem of positive cooperation with peers and the productivity of joint activities. The results obtained allow us to determine the “targets” and technologies of psychological and pedagogical support for the personal formation and socialization of children. A teacher, educator, psychologist should be carriers of patterns of communicative behavior, create educational situations, the purpose of which is not only to master children's subject knowledge and skills, but also to develop communicative competence through solely setting common tasks and solving them jointly, that is, in the process of cooperation.

structural model of communicative competence, communicative competencies, outstripping the pace of mental development, older preschool children, dissynchrony of mental development