This article presents an exploration of imagination as a fundamental and often undervalued aspect of human cognition emphasising its crucial role in fostering creativity. Acknowledging the challenges associated with researching imagination and its role in children's learning, the authors explore imagination through the lens of eight core…

This study investigated the development of divergent thinking (DT) in early childhood. We followed 107 4-year-olds for 1.5 years. Children's DT was assessed with the Alternative Uses Task (AUT) every 6 months, four times in total. Within the AUT, children were asked to generate unusual uses of common objects while explaining how they came up with…

The advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution era requires the creation of new value through convergence rather than piecemeal use of technology. In that sense, the convergence of AI's learning ability and IoT connectivity makes it possible to build a more intelligent and automated system. Therefore, AI education in preparation for the era of…

Digitalization can potentially benefit the creative and cognitive development of children. This study aims to analyze this impact on a sample of preschool children. A total of 80 preschoolers were divided into four groups based on their age and program variables: there were two groups (control and training) of children aged 3 to 4 years and two…

Preschoolers have different experiences in different environments. These experiences can stimulate children's imaginations. This longitudinal study examines the impact of preschool children's three-year experiences in early childhood institutions, which are their primary educational environments. The question 'Do preschoolers imagine different…

Ample studies have confirmed that the concepts of Community of Practice and Lesson Study can effectively develop professional development, especially in the design of learning. This positive impact on learners is also evident. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the results that occurred with students who learned from teachers who used…

(1) Background: An abacus is an instrument used to perform different arithmetic operations. The objective was to analyze the benefits of mathematical calculations made with an abacus to improve the concentration, attention, memory, perceptive attitudes, and creativity cognitive abilities of primary school students. (2) Methods: A total of 65…

With this study, the contribution of the waste management themed summer program, which includes enriched activities considering the learning needs of gifted students, has contributed to the students' environmental attitudes, creative thinking skills and critical thinking dispositions. A five-day program was applied to gifted (n = 29) fifth grade…

This study explores the use of interactive Artificial Intelligence (AI)-interfaced robotic toys within early childhood (EC) settings to develop children's inquiry literacy. Arguments about the appropriate role of AI in EC education have received much attention when examining the potential of the integration of technology into children's play and…

Previous research showed that in primary school, children's intelligence develops continually, but creativity develops more irregularly. In this study, the development of intelligence, measured traditionally, i.e., operating within well-defined problem spaces (Standard Progressive Matrices) was compared with the development of intelligence…

This article proved the urgency of the problem of development of professional thinking of students studying design in modern conditions of higher education. The authors substantiate for the need of an innovative Blaise-method development of professional design thinking of students in higher education. "Blaise-method" named by us in…

Puppetry plays an edutainment role in playing and learning activities for nursery and kindergarten children. This qualitative study was aimed to investigate the benefits of puppetry activities for children who were enrolled in early childhood programs. In-depth interviews were conducted with four respondents, two of whom were child care providers…

This article deals with the problem of students' giftedness development. Students' test results (n = 851) for "IQ level" and "creativity level" indicators demonstrated the need to improve the quality of work in reference to students' professional giftedness development at the university. Designed complex of pedagogical…

In recent years, chess training is offered as a compulsory elective course in some pre-schools, whereas it is not offered in some other pre-schools. There are children who attend chess clubs outside of schools. Chess is considered to be a game of intelligence, and its effects on individuals have been the subject of many researches. This study was…

In this monograph, Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin presents the results of his empirical investigation into the impact of multilingual practice on an individual's creative potential. Until now, the relationship between these two activities has received little attention in the academic community. The book makes an attempt to resuscitate this theme and…