Features Of Giftedness Manifestation In Preschool Children

Preschool childhood as an important stage in the disclosure of giftedness

One of the relevant problems of modern psychology of personality is the problem of the development and support of giftedness. Signs of giftedness can be distinguished comparatively early, even in preschool age. Researchers are considering preschool childhood to be an important stage in the personal development and disclosure of a child’s abilities and talents (Clark, 2013; Colombo et al., 2009; Martsinkovskaya et al., 2019; Silverman, 2012; Smutny & von Fremd, 2010; Veraksa, 2019).

In modern studies of children's giftedness, despite the differences in its interpretations, the emphasis is on analyzing it as a developing complex structure. In the early stages of children's development, researchers turn to the concept of “potential” when highlighting a key indicator of giftedness (Melik-Pashaev et al., 2014; Monks & Ipenburg, 2014; Silverman, 2012). It should be noted here, that the age of 5-8 years is often called the "golden period" of children's creativity: сhildren «create the world», fantasize, experiment, creatively express themselves. Vividly expressed creative manifestations, as well as a great desire to learn new things, are recognized by most experts as significant indicators of children's giftedness.

High creative potential in preschool age

From our point of view, great opportunities for the study of giftedness in preschool childhood are inherent in the approach proposed by Matyushkin (1990). In accordance with his concept of "Creative giftedness", giftedness is a prerequisite for the formation and development of a creative person. The basis of giftedness is high creative potential. Its most common characteristic and structural component are cognitive needs. Gifted children have high creative potential, and the dominant cognitive motivation is expressed in the form of research and search activity.

Signs of a high creative potential for a preschooler can be: persistent cognitive motivation, cognitive activity, advancing in the development of thinking and speech, the desire for creativity in the game and other activities. Matyushkin (1990) emphasized the need to support and encourage early talents.

If the child has high selectivity of the new being studied, and the preferences of sounds (colors, shapes, etc.) are clearly distinguished, cognitive activity is primarily expressed in the form of perception of music (colors, etc.), then the child tries to express his experiences and impressions in creativity.

Relatively early manifestations of giftedness in artistic fields can be detected. Some extraordinary preschoolers show signs of talent in the field of mathematics. Special abilities in playing chess sometimes manifest as early as 4-6 years. If the high creative potential of a preschooler is revealed in the social sphere: relations with children and adults, games with other children, it is easy to notice the emerging leadership orientation and advancing peers in social development.

Variety of giftedness manifestations

According to research data, there are certain traits associated with giftedness; but each gifted child can exhibit these characteristics to a different degree and intensity (Gur, 2011; Machu, 2012; Smutny & von Fremd, 2010). The characteristics of giftedness that are revealed often manifest themselves differently among individual preschool children (Brighton & Jarvis, 2017). A group of extraordinary preschoolers is not homogeneous. To reveal the characteristics of gifted preschoolers, more research should be done. This could not only contribute to disclosure of their potential, but also have a positive impact on the well-being of gifted children (Delaune & Tapper, 2015).

Question 1

Is it possible to distinguish typological features in the manifestation of giftedness in modern Russian preschoolers?

Question 2

How are their differences in creative and intellectual indicators of development expressed?

Participants

The study involved 420 children 5-7 years old (mean age = 6,2 years old) who attended kindergartens in Moscow.

Methods

A large diagnostic complex of methods / techniques was used. It included:

• Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT);

• Raven Progressive Matrices (color version);

• Method of Express-Diagnostics of Intelligent Ability (MEDIA), form A (Shcheblanova et al., 1994);

• observing children during games and activities;

• conversations with children;

• expert assessment of the results of children's creativity (drawings, crafts, etc.);

• surveys of parents and educators about features of the development of preschool children.

Qualitative and quantitative data analysis was carried out. The statistical package SPSS Statistics 22 was used.

Procedure

The study included 2 stages: at the first stage, the developmental features of all children were studied, and a group of preschoolers with signs of giftedness was identified; at the second stage, a detailed analysis of their development was carried out with the identification of intra-group differences.

Highlighting the group of gifted preschoolers: indicators of development and their relationship

At the first stage, in the data analysis process, a group of children (N = 78) with high creative potential, the main component of giftedness, was identified. The selection criteria were: expressed creative manifestations in the game/other activities of preschoolers and high results of Torrance Tests (TTCT): the total test score (T) was equal to or exceeded 60 points. Considering that preschool age is only the initial stage of unlocking creative potential, this group also included preschool children who showed a high level (60 points and above) of one / two test indicators of creative thinking and the overall test score was above average (T> 55).

Creativity involves a certain level of intellectual development, which, according to experts, should be above average, but not ultra-high. Taking into account that in the diagnosis of giftedness of preschool children the results of their intellectual development are informative, at the second stage of the study, an analysis of the indicators of preschool children according to the Raven Matrices and Express-Diagnostics Method of Intelligent Ability (MEDIA), as well as the interconnections of test indicators, was carried out.

The performed correlation analysis made it possible to establish a positive relationship between the final indicators of extraordinary preschool children by the Raven Matrices and MEDIA (r = 0.491, p <0.01). Only a part of preschoolers the achieved success levels in completing the tasks of these tests turned out to be the same. Despite the fact that these methods are aimed at diagnosis of intellectual abilities, the situation confirmed once again: each test has its own specifics in their study.

The results of the Torrance Tests did not reveal a reliable relationship with the results of the Raven Matrices and MEDIA (correlation coefficients did not reach the significance level), that may indicate the features of the disclosure of creative opportunities, which, on the one hand, are important components of cognitive structures in extraordinary preschool children, and on the other hand, have some independence in implementation.

As seen from Table 01 , the results of the test items preschoolers selected group vary considerably.

Clusters characteristics

For a more detailed study of intra-group differences and their description by isolating the cluster structure, cluster analysis was used. It was carried out according to the following scheme: first, a hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out, and then, based on its results, the cluster model was calculated using the K-means method.

As a result, three clusters were identified, each of which included extraordinary preschoolers with a similar version of potential development. Table 2 represents the final cluster centers for the three main test indicators.

The highlighted clusters can be represented as follows.

Cluster 1 - “Preschoolers with very vivid creative manifestations” - comprised 19 preschoolers (24,36 % of the group) with very high creative indicators, intellectual abilities high or above average.

Cluster 2 - “Creative preschoolers with an average level of intellectual abilities” - made up 26 children (33,33 %), their level of creative expression is approaching high, but their intellectual potential is manifested at an average level. Uneven development is highlighted.

Cluster 3 - “Preschoolers with high creative and intellectual potential” - 33 children (42,31 %). This variant of manifestation of giftedness is most harmonious.

Clusters differences

After identifying the clusters, the differences in tests parameters were analyzed in more detail. A comparison of clusters 1 and 2 revealed significant differences in all indicators: TTCT (p = 0.000), the Raven Matrices (p = 0.001), and the MEDIA (p = 0.002). These two clusters are very different from each other: all indicators are significantly higher among representatives of cluster 1. With a high degree of significance, cluster 1 also differs from cluster 3: superior in results of TTCT (p = 0.000); and with lower results of the Raven Matrices (p = 0.001), but according to MEDIA the results reveal similarities. A comparison of clusters 2 and 3 revealed highly significant differences in all indicators: TTCT (p = 0.011), the Raven Matrices (p = 0.000), and the MEDIA (p = 0.000): the results are higher for representatives of cluster 3. But according to the Torrens test, the differences in these clusters are minimal and do not reach a significance level.

Comparative analysis made it possible to more accurately represent the positions of the clusters in relation to each other, taking into account the revealed differences and to identify the areas of intersection of clusters by certain parameters. So clusters 1 and 3 are more distant from cluster 2 than from each other. Cluster 1 exhibits a partial intersection with cluster 3 on results of intellectual abilities (MEDIA).

In cluster 2, test results of the children are slightly lower than in others. The analysis showed that, along with signs of giftedness, there are signs of insufficient development of speech, attention, self-regulation, etc. In preschool age, mental functions and processes go through the stages of formation. Difficulties in development can also occur in preschoolers with signs of giftedness. In this respect, it is very important to identify such preschoolers with uneven development in time and to support them not only in unlocking potential, but also in overcoming development difficulties.