PEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRESCHOOLERS’ INITIATIVE IN PLAY ACTIVITIES: ASSESSMENT AND CROSS-CULTURAL ANALYSIS (RUSSIA AND CHINA)
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Author(s): | Dong Ruina., |
| Number of journal: | 3(76) | Date: | September 2026 |
| Annotation: | Modern preschool education prioritizes developing initiative as a child’s personal quality. The subject of the study presented in the article is the culturally determined qualitative features of the manifestation of play initiative in children in Russia and China. The aim of the study is to examine the structure of pedagogical support for the development of preschoolers’ initiative in play activities. The research hypothesis is that the overall level of preschoolers’ play initiative in Russia and China does not differ statistically significantly; the qualitative strategies for its manifestation are culturally specific. Russian children are more likely to initiate spontaneous, creatively transformed plots, whereas Chinese children predominantly follow familiar social scenarios with an emphasis on cooperation. Methodology relies on cultural-historical, systemic, and personality-activity approaches. The sample consisted of 120 preschoolers from three kindergartens in Ulan‑Ude and two in Harbin. The average initiative score was 18.4 for the Russian sample and 18.1 for the Chinese one (p > 0.05). Qualitative analysis showed that in 68% of Chinese children, initiative is associated with reproducing a familiar scenario, while in 72% of Russian children, it is associated with inventing new roles. The identified qualitative differences require different emphases in pedagogical support: in China, it is about stimulating variability, while in Russia, it is about learning to reach agreements in collective play. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the analysis of the concept of children’s play, taking into account cross-cultural features. The practical significance lies in the set of methods and principles for supporting preschoolers’ initiative in play activities. The novelty of the study lies in the adaptation of a scale for observing play initiative and the creation of a protocol for recording types of initiative. The scope of application of the results covers the activities of educators in preschool groups in both Russia and China. The limitations of the study are related to the local nature of the sample, which made it possible to identify a direction for future research. The results can be used in designing professional development programs for educators in bicultural regions. | ||
| Keywords: | children’s play initiative, play activity, teacher support, kindergarten, Chinese preschool institutions, preschool teacher, free play, assessment of initiative, child’s activity, development through play |
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| For citation: | Dong Ruina. Pedagogical support for the development of preschoolers’ initiative in play activities: assessment and cross-cultural analysis (Russia and China). Biznes. Obrazovanie. Pravo = Business. Education. Law. 2026;3(76):505—510. DOI: 10.25683/VOLBI.2026.76.1714. |
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