Diagnosis of the level of communicative competence in preschool-aged children

Abstract

The article deals with the issue of diagnosing the level of communicative competence of senior preschool children. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that preschool children are faced with the task of learning to communicate correctly in various social and everyday situations, to show their own initiative, to navigate in different situations, to imitate the culture of speech communication and to show restraint in communication. Mastering these skills involves the development of communicative competence. The study identified three key criteria: emotional and value, communicative, and socio-cognitive, which influence the development of communication in children. The study identified three key criteria: emotional-value, communicative and socio-cognitive, which determine the process of forming the communicative competence of senior preschool children. The social and cognitive criterion is characterised by such indicators as: child’s understanding of the specifics of communication; ability to assess and understand the emotional state of other children of senior preschool age. The communicative criterion was represented by the following indicators: the ability to conduct a dialogue with both peers and adults; the ability to interact effectively during a game; the ability to obtain the necessary information in a dialogue and an indicator that shows the ability to listen to one’s interlocutor and defend one’s own opinion. In accordance with the criteria of preschool children’s communicative competence, diagnostic methods were chosen to determine the level of formation. After diagnosing the level of communicative competence of senior preschool children using a specific diagnostic tool, certain qualitative and quantitative results were obtained. The general conclusion of the study is that most senior preschool children have an average level of communicative competence. In particular, most respondents demonstrated insufficient skills in establishing interaction with peers and adults, listening attentively, speaking calmly, and coping with their emotions. It is concluded that it is important to develop communication skills to prepare children for successful communication and relationships in the future. This study can serve as a basis for further research and development of methods for the formation of communicative competence among children of senior preschool age.