The paper is focused on the investigation of impact of created experimental natural scientific programme for preschool-age children. Our programme concentrates on physics teaching adapted for preschool age in which children have possibilities to make experiments themselves-empirical cognition. Its innovation with respect to other stimulation programmes implemented in the past consists of including connection and thus developing a wide spectrum of intellectual abilities. Primarily, we are focusing on the impact of stimulation programme research on selected psychological variables, specifically intellectual abilities-intellectual maturity. Its second aim is to compare and test the validity of drawing tests designed for intellectual-level investigation of preschool-age children, school maturity, and school readiness. The obtained results do not provide evidence in support of the stimulation programme on developing intellectual/conceptual maturity. The results of the second part of the research (i.e., drawing) shows that the indicative level of intellect, perception, and motor maturity are closely related.
Inquiry-based education as a means of teaching has not been sufficiently studied in the context of empirical cognition in children of lower ages. The currently enhanced space for preschool science education creates possibilities to verify the applicability of physical experiment in the empirical cognition of preschool children and its effect on the development of their creative thinking. The developed Empirical Cognition Development Programme was implemented in kindergarten conditions and empirically verified in a quasi-experimental design on a sample of 102 children (2 experimental groups N = 71; 1 control group N = 31). To capture the level of creative thinking and its changes in children, the Torrance Figural Test of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1974; Jurčová, 1984) was used. Results of comparative analyses showed a statistically and practically significant increase in the level of the creative thinking factors studied (fluency, flexibility, originality) in one of the experimental groups in comparison with the control group. The article discusses the results and implications for educational practice in the conditions of preschool education.
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