Early Child Development in Play and Education: A Cultural-Historical Paradigm

  • 5,258

    Total downloads

  • 34k

    Total views and downloads

Submit your idea

You will be redirected to our submission process.

Submit your manuscript summarySubmit your manuscript

About this Research Topic

Submission closed

Background

The cultural-historical analysis of early childhood considers the problems associated with the means of mental activity. Traditionally, psychological means (for example, language and other mental instruments), according to L.S. Vygotsky, were interpreted as tools allowing the control of human behavior (tools such as a traffic light, alarm clock, diary, calculator). Vygotsky primarily attributed signs to cultural means, especially highlighting the word among signs as a universal means that humans evolved to use in sophisticated ways. The traditional view has been that because adults know how to use these devices, they must facilitate and scaffold a child’s learning and development.

However, digitization puts a question of understanding computers and other gadgets: is it an environmental element or a cultural means of influencing human behavior? As the child is interacting directly with the gadget, does it change the nature of the zone of proximal development? Thus, a new factor is emerging that affects child development, depending on the nature of the interaction between children and adults with digital devices. New circumstances caused by digitization must be considered, in research, particularly within cultural-historical psychology, and in the organization of the educational process.

Cultural-historical theory defines several directions for the analysis of childhood. One of them involves the analysis of the social situation of development - the leading relationship between the child and social environment, which determines the semantic specifics of a particular age. Traditionally, in preschool age, this attitude was considered in the context of play activity. The interpretation of play from a cultural-historical perspective allows us to consider play as a multidimensional form of activity. In modern conditions, with widespread digital devices and play with them (e.g., in video games), the influence of digital play on the development of higher mental functions must be articulated and considered carefully.

An important aspect of child development, which Vygotsky paid particular attention to, is the relationship between the cognitive and affective aspects of the child's psyche. This unity is expressed in the relationship between the understanding of emotions and thinking. Here it is important to understand how digitization (the time and nature of interaction with digital devices) affects the behavior of children in play situations and their emotional and intellectual development, and how this affects the understanding of emotions and the development of thinking.

Vygotsky emphasized the paradoxical nature of development: what should appear at the end of development already exists at its beginning. The development of society is fundamentally different from individual development. The fact is that the highest ideal form in the process of historical development did not exist before in its beginning, it was invented during the development of society. For example, the concept of number was developed gradually: there were Roman numbers, then Arabic numbers, then number theory. Now the concept of number has already been developed, and it exists before the birth of a child. Lev Vygotsky writes that a child has his own primary ideas about numbers. At the end of the study of mathematics at school, the child should form the correct idea of ​​what a number is. However, the primary concept begins to interact with the concept of a number, which is owned, for example, by a close adult. His / her concept of the number represents an ideal form, i.e. correct concept of number. Vygotsky called the situation when a close adult talks with a child about numbers from the standpoint of this ideal understanding of number “a developmental paradox”, since a child at the end of development must come to the same understanding that a close adult already has and which he meets at the beginning of his development. This brings us to issue of education practice, which is addressed in the frame of the cultural-historical approach, to confront the emerging context of children’s learning in an increasingly digitized world.

This Research Topic is devoted to the cultural-historical paradigm, which has shown its effectiveness and explanatory power in understanding the problems of childhood. The ongoing changes associated with global processes, such as digitization, coupled with the increasing social significance of early childhood education, and the emergence of new research models and projects, pose a challenge to modern research groups focused on the cultural-historical approach to child development.

Specific themes we would like to explore include( but are not limited to) the following:
-The analysis of the system of basic concepts of Vygotsky's theory, such as the “social situation of development”.
-The “zone of proximal development” and its application to preschool education in conditions of self-isolation.
-Online interaction
-“Experience”, “ideal form”, “natural and cultural" in child development.
-How the formation of new contexts of modern discourse in the understanding of childhood makes the cultural-historical paradigm a tool for the development of preschool education.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

Topic editors

Frequently asked questions

  • Frontiers' Research Topics are collaborative hubs built around an emerging theme.Defined, managed, and led by renowned researchers, they bring communities together around a shared area of interest to stimulate collaboration and innovation.

    Unlike section journals, which serve established specialty communities, Research Topics are pioneer hubs, responding to the evolving scientific landscape and catering to new communities.

  • The goal of Frontiers' publishing program is to empower research communities to actively steer the course of scientific publishing. Our program was implemented as a three-part unit with fixed field journals, flexible specialty sections, and dynamically emerging Research Topics, connecting communities of different sizes and maturity.

    Research Topics originate from the scientific community. Many of our Research Topics are suggested by existing editorial board members who have identified critical challenges or areas of interest in their field.

  • As an editor, Research Topics will help you build your journal, as well as your community, around emerging, cutting-edge research. As research trailblazers, Research Topics attract high-quality submissions from leading experts all over the world.

    A thriving Research Topic can potentially evolve into a new specialty section if there is sustained interest and a growing community around it.

  • Each Research Topic must be approved by the specialty chief editor, and it falls under the editorial oversight of our editorial boards, supported by our in-house research integrity team. The same standards and rigorous peer review processes apply to articles published as part of a Research Topic as for any other article we publish.

    In 2023, 80% of the Research Topics we published were edited or co-edited by our editorial board members, who are already familiar with their journal's scope, ethos, and publishing model. All other topics are guest edited by leaders in their field, each vetted and formally approved by the specialty chief editor.

  • Publishing your article within a Research Topic with other related articles increases its discoverability and visibility, which can lead to more views, downloads, and citations. Research Topics grow dynamically as more published articles are added, causing frequent revisiting, and further visibility.

    As Research Topics are multidisciplinary, they are cross-listed in several fields and section journals – increasing your reach even more and giving you the chance to expand your network and collaborate with researchers in different fields, all focusing on expanding knowledge around the same important topic.

    Our larger Research Topics are also converted into ebooks and receive social media promotion from our digital marketing team.

     

  • Frontiers offers multiple article types, but it will depend on the field and section journals in which the Research Topic will be featured. The available article types for a Research Topic will appear in the drop-down menu during the submission process.

    Check available article types here 

  • Yes, we would love to hear your ideas for a topic. Most of our Research Topics are community-led and suggested by researchers in the field. Our in-house editorial team will contact you to talk about your idea and whether you’d like to edit the topic. If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. 

    Suggest your topic here 

  • A team of guest editors (called topic editors) lead their Research Topic. This editorial team oversees the entire process, from the initial topic proposal to calls for participation, the peer review, and final publications.

    The team may also include topic coordinators, who help the topic editors send calls for participation, liaise with topic editors on abstracts, and support contributing authors. In some cases, they can also be assigned as reviewers.

  • As a topic editor (TE), you will take the lead on all editorial decisions for the Research Topic, starting with defining its scope. This allows you to curate research around a topic that interests you, bring together different perspectives from leading researchers across different fields and shape the future of your field. 

     

    You will choose your team of co-editors, curate a list of potential authors, send calls for participation and oversee the peer review process, accepting or recommending rejection for each manuscript submitted.

  • As a topic editor, you're supported at every stage by our in-house team. You will be assigned a single point of contact to help you on both editorial and technical matters. Your topic is managed through our user-friendly online platform, and the peer review process is supported by our industry-first AI review assistant (AIRA).

  • If you’re an early-stage researcher, we will offer you the opportunity to coordinate your topic, with the support of a senior researcher as the topic editor. This provides you with valuable editorial experience, improving your ability to critically evaluate research articles and enhancing your understanding of the quality standards and requirements for scientific publishing, as well as the opportunity to discover new research in your field, and expand your professional network.

  • Yes, certificates can be issued on request. We are happy to provide a certificate for your contribution to editing a successful Research Topic.

  • Research Topics thrive on collaboration and their multi-disciplinary approach around emerging, cutting-edge themes, attract leading researchers from all over the world.

  • As a topic editor, you can set the timeline for your Research Topic, and we will work with you at your pace. Typically, Research Topics are online and open for submissions within a few weeks and remain open for participation for 6 – 12 months. Individual articles within a Research Topic are published as soon as they are ready.

    Find out more about our Research Topics

  • Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review, including those published in Research Topics, can benefit from open access – regardless of the author's field or funding situation.

    Authors and institutions with insufficient funding can apply for a discount on their publishing fees. A fee support application form is available on our website.

  • In line with our mission to promote healthy lives on a healthy planet, we do not provide printed materials. All our articles and ebooks are available under a CC-BY license, so you can share and print copies.

     

Impact

  • 34kTopic views
  • 25kArticle views
  • 5,258Article downloads
View impact