At the XXV International Conference of Young Researchers, MSUPE Students Presented Their Work on Preschool Childhood in the Digital Age
On April 28, as part of the XXV International Scientific-Practical Conference of Young Researchers "Evidence-Based Psychological Science for Practice Development: Research and Innovations of Young Scientists," organized by Moscow State University of Psychology and Education (MSUPE), a section titled "Preschool Childhood in the Digital Age: Technology and Development" was held. The conference traditionally serves as a space where students and young specialists present their first independent research and receive professional feedback from colleagues and the expert community.
The section, led by Ekaterina Evgenievna Klopotova and Svetlana Yuryevna Smirnova, was held online and brought together young researchers, students, master's students, and practicing educators from Russia and Belarus. It is symbolic that the section took place during the Year of Preschool Childhood in Russia – giving the discussion particular relevance and meaning.
The participants focused on issues currently facing the entire professional community: how the digital environment is changing the development of a preschool child, what opportunities and risks modern technologies bring – from interactive toys and AI assistants to augmented reality tools and digital simulators – and how educators can build the educational process in the context of rapid digitalization.
The reports covered a wide range of topics: features of communicative and speech development of preschoolers, physical activity of children in new conditions, school readiness, children's perception of artificial intelligence, as well as specific methodological solutions – the use of interactive educational spaces, digital tools for pedagogical design, and the use of high-tech toys in working with children with autism spectrum disorders. Both theoretical research and reports based on direct experience working with children in educational organizations were presented.
Based on the results of the section, two best reports were recognized. Diplomas were awarded to Arina Gumenyuk (MSUPE) – for her report on the features of perception of AI assistants by preschool children, and Natalya Rybalchenko (MSUPE) – for her report on the physical activity of preschoolers in the digitalization era and the role of the child's subjective position in physical development.
The discussion within the section showed that the research and pedagogical community is not merely documenting the changes taking place but is actively seeking answers to the question of how to preserve the value of preschool childhood in the digital world – and how to make technology an ally, not an obstacle, in child development.