Applying Vygotsky‘s theories for the development of young children‘s acting

Abstract

The article presents a study of the application of L.S. Vygotsky’s theory of play and theory of semiotic mediation in helping young (5-7 year old) children to transit from pretend play as a non aesthetic activity towards acting as a form of symbolization which has aesthetic qualities. The study involved 112 children, half of whom (n-56) participated in a 6-month acting learning programme. The results showed that the majority of children (70-90 per cent, p<<0,001) without acting learning practice were not able to represent a character. Following L. S. Vygotsky, in play a child is acting in an imaginary situation according its meaning, but the child‘s behaviour remains non aesthetic, it “occurs just as in reality”. The child lacks perception of the meaning of his/her own gestures, actions, speech, intonations used in play and therefore these are not converted to symbols. After a special acting learning practice, the majority of children (about 50-60 per cent, p<< 0,001) were able to represent a character, with enrichments of such aesthetic qualities as emotional expressions and hints of metaphoric meanings. Meta-analysis allows to suggest that using, according to L.S. Vygotsky, semiotic mediation (gestures, words) to encourage child‘s appreciation of meaning of his/her own gestures, actions or words used in an imaginary situation as well as practising the interpretation of representation of a character help children to internalize cognitive functions (perception, reflection, communication), which form the basis for the representation of a character.