The Possibility of Using Role-Play to Train Executive Functions in Preschoolers

Abstract

In modern pre-school education, more and more time is devoted to educational activities, while kindergarten children have very little time to play. However, play activity is extremely important for the development of inhibition in preschoolers. The article presents results of a study on the relationship between the child's acceptance of different roles (positive, wise or negative hero) and the success of executive function tasks implementation (cognitive flexibility and self-restraint). The study involved 81 children aged 5—6 years of Moscow kindergartens. Assessment of the level of executive functions development was carried out three times: pre-test (without a role), test (task execution in a role), post-test (without a role) using the same complex of methods. Based on the results of the pre-test, preschoolers were divided into 4 groups (3 experimental and one control). Ekvivalent groups formation was carried out basing on the actual level of executive functions development (low and high level) and on the number of boys and girls included in each of the groups. The study showed that the adoption of the role can have both positive and negative impacts on the success of executive function tasks implementation, depending on the type of task and the level of inhibition in preschoolers. The roles of the positive and wise characters had a positive effect in all three tasks, and the role of the negative character had of positive effect only in the tasks on behavioral and cognitive restraining control (in the task on cognitive flexibility it had a negative effect). In addition, role-taking in children with low levels of executive functions interfered with the behavioral control task, whereas in the cognitive control task, role-taking contributed to improved outcomes. Thus, accepting a role can help a preschooler to regulate their behavior, which confirms the role of play as the leading activity in preschool age.

Do Children Need Adult Support During Sociodramatic Play to Develop Executive Functions? Experimental Evidence

“…Earlier experimental works have already registered the positive potential of play in respect to the development of executive functions ( Blankson et al, 2012 ; Bodrova et al, 2013 ; Veraksa et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Doebel, 2020 ; Veraksa and Bukhalenkova, 2020 ; Vidal Carulla et al, 2021 ). This study complements previous findings by demonstrating the importance of adult support for the enrichment of play conditions for the development of children’s executive functions.…”

“…Play is one of the most vigorous activities in human life ( Lillard, 2017 ; Fleer and Hammer, 2019 ; Nykiforuk et al, 2019 ). In addition to enjoyment and a sense of community, it allows participants and observers to empathize with, experience, and make sense of real or imagined situations ( Lillard, 2007 ; Miller et al, 2009 ; Vasc and Lillard, 2020 ; Veraksa et al, 2020 ). Nevertheless, the phenomenon of play is not limited to this ( Veraksa and Sukhikh, 2020 ).…”

“…Children’s play can vary significantly depending on age, culture, subject environment, living conditions, and other factors ( Trawick-Smith et al, 2015 ; Li et al, 2016 ; Børve and Børve, 2017 ). Nevertheless, various approaches have highlighted types of children’s play and their common sustainable components (e.g., review Veraksa et al, 2020 ). Within the cultural-historical approach, the play has received particular attention given its consideration as a leading activity in preschool age ( Veresov, 2006 ; Edwards, 2014 ; Veresov and Barrs, 2016 ).…”

“…All of these are grounds to believe that play can be considered as a space for training of children’s executive functions in preschool age ( Shaheen, 2014 ; Fleer et al, 2017 ; Veraksa et al, 2019 , 2020 ). First, play is built on submission of the child’s behaviour to rules, roles and a plot.…”

“…The limitless possibilities of the imaginary situation allow the child to recreate and live out almost any situation in the play. Early experimental work has already documented the developmental potential of play for the formation of executive functions ( Blankson et al, 2012 ; Bodrova et al, 2013 ; Veraksa et al, 2019 , 2020 ; Doebel, 2020 ; Veraksa and Bukhalenkova, 2020 ; Vidal Carulla et al, 2021 ). However, the mode of adult intervention in play has not been analyzed as a factor that may influence children’s unique play experience and, therefore, condition the developmental process of executive functions.…”