The role of museum tours in the development of social and communicative competencies of preschoolers

Abstract

The study is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the impact of museum excursions on the formation of social and communicative competencies of preschool children in the context of modern educational paradigms. The relevance of the work is due to the transformation of educational practices in the context of digitalization and the need to integrate traditional cultural and educational mechanisms into the preschool education system. The purpose of the study was to determine correlations between various formats of museum and pedagogical practices and the dynamics of the development of communicative, socially interactive, and emotionally regulatory competencies of preschoolers. The methodological basis consisted of longitudinal observation, structured interviews with teachers and parents, psychodiagnostic testing of children before and after participating in museum programs, as well as statistical analysis of the data obtained using a multifactorial assessment model. The empirical basis of the study consisted of 427 preschoolers aged 5-7 years from 14 preschool educational institutions that participated in systematic museum programs of various orientations. The results demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the coefficient of social adaptability (by 27.3%) and communicative initiative (by 31.5%) in children of the experimental group compared with the control group, as well as an improvement in emotional intelligence (an increase of 23.8%). Data analysis revealed a correlation between interactive museum formats and the development of constructive negotiation strategies in preschoolers (r=0.78, p<0.01). It was found that museum tours have an impact on the formation of value orientations and cultural identity, which is confirmed by an increase in the cultural awareness index by 34.7%. The research has significant applied value for the modernization of management models in preschool education and the design of integrative educational programs.