An analysis of self-perception in senior preschool boys and girls based on self-portraits

Abstract

The article emphasizes the relevance and importance of studying self-perception as an element of selfawareness in modern preschoolers, considering the socio-economic changes, the transformation of the family institution, and the modernization of the education system. The study aims to identify gender-related features of self-perception in senior preschool children through the analysis of their self-portraits. The article reviews contemporary Russian and international research on self-knowledge and the formation of self-image and self-perception in senior preschoolers. Building upon this theoretical foundation, the article delineates the features of their self-perception. The article provides a review of diagnostic tools for identifying features of self-perception in preschool childhood. It also discusses results from a diagnostic study of self-perception — appearance, personality, and attitudes towards it — in boys and girls aged five to seven years attending senior and preparatory preschool groups. The results were obtained through Self-Portraits — Malkina-Pykh’s drawing technique. The comparative analysis for boys and girls embraced such indicators as the level of stereotyping in one’s image, the type of aesthetic orientation, the level of awareness of bodily congruence, and the level of reflection as manifested in graphic features of the children’s self-portraits. These features include the emphasis of significant details, the degree of detailing, and the focus on different parts of the human body. The analysis identified deficits in self-perceptions, highlighting areas of psychological and pedagogical support within the children’s families and educational facilities. Recommendations have been developed for parents raising senior preschool children and for teachers in preschool senior and preparatory groups to expand self-perception and foster a holistic gender-based self-image in senior preschool children.