Formation of emotional and volitional readiness to study at school in children with speech disorders

Abstract Context and relevance. At the present stage of development of Russian society, there is an increase in the number of children with speech disorders. Psychological and pedagogical science has revealed that children with speech disorders are characterized by immaturity of the emotional and volitional sphere. The context of the study is related to the modification of existing correctional and developmental programs by supplementing them with neuropsychological tools, which allows for a comprehensive impact on the mechanisms of social adaptation of the child. Objective. Theoretical substantiation and experimental approbation of the developed Correctional and Developmental Program “Solnyshko”, aimed at the formation of emotional and volitional readiness for school in children with speech disorders. Hypothesis. The main hypothesis of the study suggests that the inclusion of a correctional stage with a set of neuropsychological exercises in the system of classes for the development of the emotional and volitional sphere of children with speech disorders will lead to an increase in their readiness for school education. As partial hypotheses: 1) the use of the Correctional and Developmental Program “Solnyshko” for two years will improve the level of development of: voluntary attention, emotional-volitional regulation of behavior, motivation to achieve goals, adequacy of self-esteem and attitude to assessment; 2) the effectiveness of the formation of emotional and volitional readiness to study at school according to the Correctional and Developmental Program “Solnyshko” in the speech therapy group, it is not lower than in the Program of Psychological and Pedagogical Classes “Tsvetik-semitsvetik” in the general education group. Methods and materials. A theoretical analysis of relevant psychological research and programs in recent years has been carried out, which has made it possible to substantiate the need for the integration of psychological and pedagogical educational games and neuropsychological techniques. The author’s model of emotional and volitional readiness to study at school is presented. The study was conducted in 2023—2025 on the basis of Kindergarten No. 48 (Barnaul). The sample consisted of 19 preschool children: an experimental speech therapy group (N = 12), a control general education group (N = 7). The design of the study assumed an assessment of the formation of the emotional-volitional sphere based on the components of the presented model through a package of verified techniques. Statistical analysis was used. Results. During the testing of the program, children with speech disorders increased the level of attention arbitrariness, emotional and volitional regulation of behavior, motivation to achieve goals, adequacy of self-esteem and attitude to evaluation. It was revealed that the positive dynamics of changes in indicators of emotional and volitional readiness for school in the experimental group is higher than in the control group. Conclusions. The inclusion of the correctional stage in the structure of classes for the development of the emotional and volitional sphere in children with speech disorders helps to increase emotional and volitional readiness for school. The use of the Correctional and Developmental Program “Solnyshko” is recommended for speech therapy groups.