Psychology and sociology/9. Development psychology

Chernov D.N., Ignatov Y.Y.

The Russian National Research Medical University named after N.I. Pirogov, Russia

The sociocultural conditionality of language development in younger preschoolers*

Language is the important condition of the person development. Its formation in ontogenesis is a product of interaction of sociocultural factors and heritable preconditions. Despite successes in studying of isolated language development factors where are observed insufficient systemic in understanding of sociocultural influences on this process in researches. It defines research urgency, especially concerning younger preschool age when the base to formation of child competent language is pawned. So, research of sociocultural conditions of language development in younger preschoolers became purpose of our work. Child development occurs in interaction to adults, first of all, – to parents. Being guided by the concept of the collective subject (Zhuravlev, 2002), we have offered the subject-activity approach to the analysis of child-parental relations. The child-parental generality becomes the collective subject when the parent and the child have deep requirement for joint activity; the child, depending in the development from active parent participation in the organization of various developing forms of activity, to the greatest degree receives in them possibility for realization of the subject potential. For formation of the collective subject «parent–child» the reflexion by the parent of child possibilities in development, comprehension of necessity of creation of developing sociocultural conditions according to the child individuality is necessary. It is suggested that thanks to the active subject-subject interaction influences of various biosociocultural factors on child language development can be potentially compensated or strengthened (Chernov, 2011). An object of research is the model of sociocultural conditionality of the child language development which central link is the collective subject «parent–child». The hypothesis is formulated: language development of the younger preschoolers is caused by features of its development as subject of language activity in interaction with the parent as the subject of language upbringing.

Methods. For an estimation of indicators of language development the Heidelberg test of language development adapted for the Russian population (Mikhaylova, 1990) was used. Mothers filled a questionnaire «The Analysis of family relationships» (QAFR) (Eydemiller, Yustitskis, 2000) and a questionnaire of parental relations (QPR) (Varga, Stolin, 1989). For an estimation of the general orientation of parent's activity a questionnaire «The person orientation» by V. Smekal – M. Kucher (QPO) (in Osnitskiy, 1996) was used. For diagnostics of propensity of the parent to the reflective relation to its life the questionnaire of diagnostics of reflexivity (QDR) (Carpov, 2003) was used. We created a projective method «The parent and the child are together», intended for diagnostics of child-parental relations as the collective subject (PMCS) (Chernov, 2011). Specificity of child experience of interpersonal relations was investigated by means of a method «Film-test» by R. Zhil (FT) (Gil'yasheva, Ignat'eva, 1994). Children carried out a projective method «Kinetic drawing of a family» (KDF) (Berns, Kaufman, 2003). For an estimation of indicators of sociocultural situation of child development and on purpose to collect data about their early mental and language development the special questionnaire for parents has been developed. The statistical analysis was spent by means of Statistics 8.0. Spearmen's and Pearson's correlation analysis, rank-biserial correlation, partial correlation and the factor analysis are used.

Sample. 120 children at the age of 4 years 2 months – 4 years 11 months (59 girls and 61 boys) and their mothers 22–41 years old involved in research.

Results and their discussion. For the purpose of a general concept about structure of child-parental relations the factor analysis of data by methods QAFR, QPR, QPO, QDR, PMCS, FT and KDF is carried out. There are four factors, among which the most important for explaining the variance of estimations a factor «Collective presubject “parent-child” with the absence of express style preferences in upbringing» is allocated. Factor is expressed when estimations on scales of the questionnaire QAFR not reach the minimum diagnostic level, on the scales of QPR a low values are observed. For mothers are characteristic: a high level of reflexivity (QDR), collective person orientation (QPO), interaction/interdependency with the child and reflexive relation of parent and child to their life together (PMCS). The child has a positive attitude to the mother, the father, parents as the couple, siblings, is inquisitive, aspires to domination in relations, is sociable and socially adequate (FT), perceives a family situation as favorable (KDF). Let's notice, that it is a relatively formed collective subject «parent–child»: in the presence of interrelation/ interdependence between subjects and the reflective relation, mainly, the parent to the child, we observe no connection of width and intensity of joint activity of the parent and the child with value of the factor. Such pattern of interrelations specifies in a presubject stage (Zhuravlev, 2002) of development of a child-parental generality as the collective subject that corresponds to representations about age stages of formation of the child subjectivity (Selivanov, 2002).

It is revealed, that formation of a child-parental generality as the collective presubject in a combination to not expressed style preferences in upbringing positively causes development of grammar, morphology, understanding of meanings of sentences and words and use of language rules for communication. It proves productivity of functioning of a child-parental generality as the collective presubject in respect of language development in younger preschoolers.

Further, correlation patterns and levels of significance received at calculation simple and partial (to elimination of the contribution of the factor «Collective presubject “parent-child” with the absence of express style preferences in upbringing» in relation between variables) correlations were compared. At considerable distinction of patterns the conclusion became, that subject characteristics of child-parental relations bring the essential contribution in mediation of relation between various biosociocultural factors and child language development. The mediating role of the collective presubject «parent–child» in interrelation of the language development and various biosociocultural factors of child development consists that accompanies high level of child language development is accompanied: 1) use of resources of biological development of the child (birth terms – in norm, the child – the girl) for actual language development; 2) special attention to rather late motor development of the child for the purpose of indemnification of possible negative influences on its language development; 3) indemnification of a biological determinants (age of the child) of language development; 4) use of resources of early occurrence of phrase language for actual child language development; 5) special attention to rather late occurrence at the child of the socialized language for the purpose of improvement of actual quality of its language; 6) indemnification of the linear contribution of education status of mother to child language development; 7) indemnification of rather poor objective language environment of the child efforts of mother on creation of subject conditions for language improvement; 8) indemnification of a role of rather late beginning of kindergarten visiting in language development; use of difficulties in adaptation of the child to a kindergarten for its language improvement; 9) creation of conditions developing language of the child during visiting of additional employment by it in sections, study groups etc. out of a kindergarten; 10) use of high level of actual speech activity of the child for the purpose of improvement of quality of its language.

Thus, the child-parental generality functioning as the collective presubject with the absence of express style preferences in upbringing becomes the central link in model sociocultural conditionality of language development in younger preschoolers. The collective presubject «parent–child» is a system forming condition of sociocultural situation of child language development, mediating possible direct contributions biosociocultural factors in formation of child language, compensating for the account of the subject-subject activity possible negative influences on this process of some of them.

* Research is executed at RFH financial support of the project of carrying out of scientific researches «Model of sociocultural conditionality of language development in ontogenesis», grant №12-06-00237а.