Development of Formal-logical and Dialectical Thinking in Children of 5-8 Years Old

Abstract

<p>This article presents the longitudinal study results dedicated to evaluation of formal-logical and dialectical thinking development in senior preschool children (5&mdash;6 and then 6&mdash;7 years old) as well as in elementary school children (7&mdash;8 years old). The formal&mdash;logical thinking study included 58 children. We used Piaget tests: &ldquo;Probability&rdquo;, &ldquo;Scales&rdquo; and &ldquo;Cylinder&rdquo;. The dialectical thinking study included 92 children. We evaluated three techniques: &ldquo;Drawing an unusual tree&rdquo;, &ldquo;What can be both at the same time?&rdquo; and &ldquo;Cycles&rdquo;. Data of 52 children who participated in the study at the age of 5&mdash;6 years old and 7&mdash;8 years old were used for the correlation analysis. The research results showed that the preschool age is sensitive for the development of formal operations as well as dialectical thought activities. A positive correlation was identified between the ability of 5&mdash;6 and 7&mdash;8 years old children to coordinate two differently directed movements to create a holistic image and overcome contradictions. It was also found that during the transition to learning at school, indicators for solving a creative problem (which involved the independent construction of opposite objects) decreased</p>