Abstract
The study aimed to investigate how verbal interaction influences the formation and development of social intelligence in older preschool children. The research was conducted as a theoretical, qualitative, comparative and interpretative analysis of academic and normative sources, examined in terms of the psychological, linguistic and pedagogical aspects of the issue. The results established that the social intelligence of older preschoolers has a multi-component structure and encompasses social cognition, emotional understanding, the interpretation of another person’s intentions and experiences, social interaction experience, and behavioural flexibility. The study determined that verbal interaction facilitates the development of these components not merely as an accompanying element of communication, but as a mechanism for coordinating joint activity, aligning positions, verbalising emotional and mental states, explaining intentions, and regulating behaviour in interaction with adults and peers. It has been shown that dialogic speech is linked to the development of a child’s ability to consider the position of another; communication with adults – to the acquisition of models for interpreting social situations; interaction with peers – to the formation of skills for reaching agreements and revising rules; and verbal accompaniment of role-play – with the development of social regulation of behaviour. The study established that the pedagogical conditions for the development of social intelligence in verbal interaction encompass the dialogical organisation of the educational environment, the encouragement of children’s initiative in communication, the communicative richness of play, verbal support for joint activities, the creation of situations for discussing emotional states, intentions and actions, as well as involving the child in interaction with adults and peers. The relevance of considering the issue at the intersection of psychological, linguistic and pedagogical approaches has been demonstrated, as social intelligence in the senior preschool age is formed through meaningfully organised communicative practice. The practical significance of the study is the possibility of using its results to organise a communication-rich educational environment, improve role-play and prepare teachers to use dialogical forms of interaction with older preschoolers