Using Philosophical inquiry to Develop cognitive and social skills : a case study of preschool children

Abstract

The early years of children’s life are very important as the foundations of cognitive, physical, psychological and social development are established during their first six years (Huseyin, 2007). Therefore, in this early period, children should be provided with proper stimulation for them to achieve their maximal potential. However, traditionally children are not encouraged to express their opinions and this may impede their critical and creative thinking from prospering. Thus, there is a serious need to introduce methods that may enhance both cognitive and social skills of the children and this may be solved through the implementation of philosophical inquiry (PI). Hence, this exploratory case study research employed the qualitative approach, to investigate whether there is development in the children’s cognitive and social skills after undergoing a few sessions of philosophical inquiry (PI) through the children’s dialogue. It also aims to explore the teacher’s perception regarding PI during the interview session. The children were selected from an Islamic private kindergarten in Selangor, focusing on a group of six children aged four to five years old. The data in this study is gathered through fieldwork activities; i.e. participant’s observation and interview with the teacher. The stimuli (materials) used during the dialogue session varied from story books, props (philosophy box), narration, video and song which covers the topics that are related to morality and very relevant in their daily lives. Based on the analysis and discussions of the findings, in terms of the children’s cognitive skills; the children show improvement in both high order thinking skills (HOT) and low order thinking skills (LOT). Their skill to inquire is found out to be the most significant finding as it was seconded during the teacher’s interview. In terms of social skills, the children show slight improvement in showing more respect and cooperation (listen more to others and share their own connection and also wait for their turn to speak) during the discussion. The teacher’s interview reveals that the children had also implemented one of the rules of the discussion (outside the PI session); i.e. wait for their turn to speak. The interview also discovers the teacher’s perspectives on PI which includes - question and answer sessions, constructive learning, and enjoyable experience; while an issue of teachers’ self-efficacy to conduct PI was raised up.