Mikhailov’s Concept of ‘Appeal’: Philosophical and Pedagogical Meaning

The article discusses the philosophical and educational meaning of F.T. Mikhailov's concept of ‘appeal’. The appeal from within human subjectivity to the subjectivity of others (and thereby to oneself) in search of compassion, co-thinking and co-action is understood by the philosopher as a generative relation of an individual and his/her way of being, as all subjective qualities of a person. Thus, the emphasis is transferred from the externally determining factors to the subjective self, to its self-movement as causa sui. If appeal is a generative relation for the individual, then in the educational process, where individuals are elevated to the image of man, it is it that should dominate, and not the translation of knowledge, skills and abilities. Everything that is introduced into the context of communication between students should in one way or another appear in the form of appeals to living people, to students in the first place, and only then is it a culture proper. Culture in this eidos becomes the ‘third subject’ of the normal educational process which promotes the integral development of personality.

One More Time on the Zone of Proximal Development

The article presents an analysis of L.S. Vygotsky’s concept of a zone of proximal development (ZPD); considers various ZPD definitions; provides a critical review of the most popular definition of ZPD as adopted from L.S. Vygotsky’s 1935 work and used as basic by English-speaking authors. Taking into account the fact that L.S. Vygotsky’s general methodological intention was to establish psychology as a practice and that his developmental theory as well as the ZPD concept development remained incomplete due to the known life circumstances, we analyze L.S. Vygotsky’s writings that allow for another ZPD conceptualization, which differs from the one implied by the 1935 definition, so as to attempt at reconstructing the concept. In reviewing L.S. Vygotsky’s assumptions regarding the learning-development relationship; ZPD; its relevance for diagnostic assessment and teaching; feasibility of extrapolating the ZPD concept onto different personality aspects, the authors identify substantive aspects of the ZPD concept that the "canonical" definition lacks. The article describes a multidimensional model of ZPD, which has taken shape within the Reflection-Activity Approach to assisting students with overcoming learning difficulties and which integrates Vygotsky's key ZPD-related ideas. E.G. Yudin’s conceptualization of methodological functions of conceptual schemes is used to reconstruct the methodological status of the ZPD concept. The authors demonstrate that, since its inception, the ZPD concept has passed through the stages of an explanatory principle, a research subject, and a methodological tool for constructing new subjects of research and development.

Overcoming the Semantic Barrier and Developing the Ability to Use Communicative Tools Part I. Issue. Method

The article is devoted to the problem of the functional structure of communicative action. Based on theoretical analysis and many years of pedagogical experience of working with children with affective pathology (autism spectrum disorders), the author recreates and refines the studies of cultural-historical theory and answers its main question — a method problem: the influence of holistic interfunctional analysis on overcoming semantic bias (central defect and syndrome-forming factor of psychopathology) and the development of a more universal communication form — verbal communication in non-speaking children with autism spectrum disorders in preschool age (by means of restructuring the way the impaired function is realized). The described conditions can be taken into account when constructing an intermediary (lively communicative action) both in the practice of general education (to prevent the occurrence of motivational disorders and increase the age limit) and in working with children with affective pathology (especially with children with autism spectrum disorders).

Age Dynamics of Social Situation of Development in Elementary School Students in Inclusive Education

The article presents results of an empirical study of the age dynamics of the social situation of develop¬ment in primary school students in inclusive education. The study sample consisted of 328 children aged from 7 to 11, including 18 children with SEN, studying in two inclusive schools in Moscow. The hypothesis of the study was that the characteristics of the objective and subjective aspects of the social situation of chil¬dren’s development change in accordance with the two phases of primary school age. The characteristics of the social situation of the development of children were measured using the “Sociometry” method and two projective methods: “Color Test of Relationship” and “Sentence Completion Test”. The age dynamics is ob¬served in changes in the social position and the system of orienting images of primary school students. The significant differences between the distribution of sociometric statuses of students in inclusive classes and the age standard obtained in the conditions of traditional education were found. The results of the study reveal the specificity of elementary school students’ development in conditions of inclusive education.

Thinking According to Vygotsky

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Acculturation Attitudes and Psychological Well-Being of Russians in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan: The Moderating Role of Perceived Security

More than 400 thousand Russians remain in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan after the collapse of the USSR. They have to adapt to the changing conditions, and it is important to study the factors that determine their psychological well-being. This study focuses on the moderating role of perceived security in the relationship between acculturation attitudes and psychological well-being of the Russians in the two Central Asian countries. The sample included 578 respondents. In the study, we used scales from the MIRIPS questionnaire and carried out analysis using the moderation models 1 and 3. The results showed that for the Russians in both countries, when perceived security was low, separation attitudes promoted self-esteem, while assimilation attitudes decreased it. The study also revealed the role of the context: in Tajikistan (less favorable context for the Russians), assimilation attitudes contributed to life satisfaction in situations of high perceived security, while in Kyrgyzstan (more favorable context) it was integration attitudes that determined life satisfaction when perceived security was high or medium. We may conclude that the context determines the preference of acculturation strategy that provides the Russians with life satisfaction in the situation of perceived security: the assimilation strategy in Tajikistan, and the integration strategy in Kyrgyzstan.

The Ontology of Symbolic Reality in the Philosophy of F.T. Mikhailov

This paper addresses one of the main topics of the works of the famous Russian philosopher F.T. Mikhailov aimed at overcoming the oversimplified conception of the relation between the biological and the social origins of human being, in the context of the methodological problems in the social sciences that have characteristic representations of the transcendence of society over individual. It is shown that the solution proposed by the philosopher was related to the revision of the dominant notions about the ground of the subject-subject unity and the ontology of the symbolic objects that provide this unity. In particular, the disintegration of the ‘activity approach’ in psychology into the concepts of A.N. Leontyev and S.L. Rubinstein, that are called by Mikhailov ‘antinomical’, is associated with the limited reliance on the methodological traditions of Spinozism, in which there was no idea about the reflexive type of subject-subject relation as opposed to the methodology of "late Fichte", with his characteristic position on the initial identity based on multiple selves. It is argued that the most adequate categories for description of the ontological connections between the ideal content and the material form in symbolic objects that provide such an identity can be found in Hegel's aesthetic works.

Collecting as an Element of Subculture in Modern Preschoolers

The article discusses collecting as an element of children’s subculture and its specifics in the life of modern preschoolers. The results obtained from interviews with 160 preschoolers of different ages, parents and educators are presented. The data suggests that collecting is an important activity at preschool age. We identify the priorities in the content of children's collections in different preschool ages; describe the modern phenomena of collecting in a virtual space and online collecting; explore the formation of children's independence within this type of activity; and reveal the functions of collecting at preschool age. It is shown that at preschool age collecting becomes an increasingly independent activity and even acquires the form of a cultural activity, as in its content that reflects existing cultural values, as in its functions that reflect social orientation. Basing on the analysis of the obtained data, we conclude that supporting the child’s cognitive orientation and independence at preschool age through collecting may contribute to his/her development and open up new possibilities for communicative interaction.

Relationship Between Big Five Personality Traits and Media Multitasking Behavior of the Indian Sample

Media multitasking (MMT) is a growing phenomenon among Indian college students. Previous studies on other nationalities highlight that user’s personality traits play an important role in engaging them in this behavior. Using a sample of Indian college students, this study examined the relationship between MMT and the Big Five personality traits. It also examined the impact of age on the dynamics between personality and MMT. Results suggested that after controlling the socio-demographic factors, traits like openness to experience, extraversion, and neuroticism are positively related with high MMT. However, these observations are found to be moderated by age. These findings may help designing separate intervention techniques for alleviating excessive MMT behavior for different age groups considering their personality traits.