Zdolności językowe a myślenie u dzieci w wieku 6–10 lat. Raport z badań
Language skills and thinking in children aged 6–10. Research report

Summary/Abstract: Objective: Language and thinking play a key role in human interactions. Their quality is deteriorating as conversations are replaced by technology (Sage, 2020). This in turn causes communication and bonding problems, reduces work efficiency and contributes to a decline in personal and professional standards. The aim of the presented research was to determine how the thinking and expressive language skills form in school-age children in the East Midlands region of England, and to check whether after a year of study there was an improvement in these skills. Method: The study involved 102 children aged 6–10 who completed four tasks: two pictorial and two storytelling. The study design was designed to stimulate thinking and expressive language and to elicit narratives reflecting the generation of ideas in response to visual and auditory stimuli. The study was conducted in two stages: the group of children was first examined in 2022, and the study was repeated in 2023. The t-statistic for dependent samples was used to assess the significance of differences. Results: Significant differences were found, indicating an improvement in narrative skills thanks to the introduction of storytelling activities. On the other hand, language skills and thinking remained at a stable but low level. Conclusions: In terms of thinking and linguistic expression skills, no significant differences were found between the means obtained in repeated measurements. After a year of working with students, their level of imagination and flexibility of thinking did not improve. These abilities are crucial for developing creative thinking and imagination, and consequently also for the overall development and success of the individual. However, an improvement in the narrative competences of students was noted, which is an important element in developing social interactions.

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