Identifying educational factor for early child development

Abstract

Preschool age is a critical stage in a child’s development. It is at this age that intensive maturation of various brain structures occurs, and children’s physical, cognitive, and social-emotional skills develop rapidly. However, development is not simply a process of passive deployment of biologically embedded potential. Research in the field of early development conducted by Piaget (1952) and Vygotsky (1978) proved that development is an active process of interaction of biologically embedded potential with the environment. In their works from the 1950s to the 1970s, Piaget projected an image of children as active learners who constantly construct their own knowledge through interaction with the environment. According to Vygotsky, children internalize (assimilate) knowledge and skills through social interactions with adults and older peers. In other words, children learn to “make sense” of their experiences through social interaction, dialogue with adults and older children - a process that begins at birth and is the basis for learning (Rogoff, 1990, Bowman, 1993). This view of the nature of the developmental process raises the question of the importance of creating a developing social environment for children starting from an early age.