CREATIVE IMAGINATION AS A COMPONENT OF SENIOR PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S PSYCHOLOGICAL READINESS FOR LEARNING IN THE NEW UKRAINIAN SCHOOL
Authors:   Dragomanov National Pedagogical University, Kuzmenko Vira , Karabaeva Irina ,   H.S. Kostyuk Institute of Psychology of the National Academy of Educational Sciences of Ukraine
Published: June 2021

The article analyzes the role of creative imagination in preschoolers’ psychological readiness for learning. Creative imagination, being the leading new formation at preschool childhood and an essential sign of a new type of thinking, is, therefore, an evidence of the transition from preschool to primary school age and an indicator of intellectual readiness to learn at school. The authors studied theoretically the development of senior preschoolers' creative imagination. Despite numerous works on preschool childhood, scientists’ attention to creativity, creativity development, ingenuity and creative imagination as an important part of preschool education and a component of first-form children’s psychological readiness for learning have increased only recently. Namely, creative imagination should be regarded as an integral component (and an indicator) of senior preschoolers’ readiness to learn in the new Ukrainian school. The authors discussed the assessment, development and control stages of the experimental part of the scientific research, as well as the goals and content of each stage. The express-method, used by the authors to diagnose children’s creative imagination, included a special "Magic transformations" technique: children were asked to finish the drawings of standard (familiar to children) geometric figures. The children’s drawings were assessed as creative products in its narrow meaning, that is, as a result of creative problem solving. The criteria for senior preschoolers’ creative imagination were determined: the focus on creating a mental image, independence in creating a mental image, an initiative in creating a mental image, and the desire to create a new mental image. Analysis of the obtained experimental data revealed the need for a special program and favorable conditions for the development of senior preschoolers' creative imagination. The authors describe in detail the method developing creative imagination during learning the basics of literacy. Children's activities are considered as the leading means for creative imagination development. According to a popular opinion, a leading means for developing senior preschoolers' creative imagination is speech activities, in particular, reading and writing. The authors note that the developmental effect of the method is due to the promotion of children's imagination and creativity, not only their mastering of operational activities, i.e. reading letters. A detailed statistical analysis allowed concluding that the development of children's creative imagination with the basics of literacy was quite effective. The further research may focus on expanding the range of creative tasks for the development of senior preschoolers’ creative imagination, taking into account children’s individual characteristics, as well as on clarifying the creative imagination criteria. Besides, preschoolers’ psychological readiness for school, peculiarities of preschooler’s imagination as well as the experimental and statistical confirmation of the leading role of preschoolers’ creative imagination in their psychological readiness for learning may also be the subjects of new scientific research.