The city as a factor of socialization of preschoolers: routes of movement and semantic points

Antonova Natal'ya ORCID: 0000-0002-2063-4970 Doctor of Sociology Professor, Department of Sociology and Technologies of Public and Municipal Administration; School of Public Administration and Entrepreneurship; Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin 19 Mira str., Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk region, 620002, Russia n.l.antonova@urfu.ru

Putimtseva Kristina ORCID: 0000-0001-7205-2211 Postgraduate student, Department of Sociology and Technologies of Public and Municipal Administration, School of public administration and entrepreneurship, Ural Federal University named after the First President of Russia B.N. Yeltsin 620002, Sverdlovsk region, Ekaterinburg, st. Mira, 19. krissmiss97@icloud.com

The study of the city as a socio-territorial entity and its resources has become a kind of mainstream in sociological science over the past decade. One of the relevant areas of research is the study of the mobility of the urban population, the impetus for which is laid down in the works of J. Urry and M. Scheller ^[1] are the founders of a new paradigm of mobility.

The modern city offers the population a wide range of opportunities to realize their needs and interests, acts as an "integrating link in the system of reproduction of social ties and relationships" ^[2], its role in the socialization of the younger generation is also increasing. Moving around the city, its development and appropriation forms an identity, promotes the development of cognitive interest and communication skills, ensures integration into communities and the accumulation of social capital.

The routes of movement are connected by semantic points ^[3,4], which have a certain functional significance, determining the location of the individual. L.V. Davydkina introduces the concept of a socio-environmental scenario, which includes more than 3 semantic points (places) when building the structure of everyday urban mobility, it is repetitive for a certain group of citizens. Accordingly, the younger generation becomes the most mobile, whose movement is not limited to the "home-work/study-home" route, but includes public catering facilities, cultural and entertainment institutions, shopping centers, unlike, for example, preschool children, whose movement structure is organized by the parent community and, in fact, builds boundaries in the socialization space of the city. At the same time, Y.P. Koroleva, relying on modern sources, notes that the urban environment promotes physical activity, the development of cognitive and motor skills, can improve social interaction with children and adults, helps to strengthen self-esteem, self-confidence, social skills, and allows to increase spatial awareness ^[5].

In the article, we use the materials obtained in the course of two studies. The first study was conducted in 2021, the object was representatives of the parent community of the city of Yekaterinburg with preschool children (online survey: n=163:; 85% - women, 15% - men; the average age of the respondents is 30 years; 56% of respondents are representatives of the middle class; 88% are married; 83% have higher education; semi-formal interviews with parents: n=9; women with higher education). The second study was conducted in 2023, the object was teachers of preschool educational institutions in the Sverdlovsk region (online survey: n=412: 99% women; 1% men; 51% have higher education; 75% are married; the average age of respondents is 40 years) We also conducted interviews with parents (n=5; women with higher education).

One of the targets of the research search was the study of the socialization space of the city through the analysis of the semantic map of the mobility of preschoolers. The research materials allowed us to identify four main routes of movement of preschool children.

The first route of mobility – educational – includes the movement of children to preschool educational institutions, as well as institutions of additional education. Noting the high importance of preschool education received both in preschool educational institutions and in additional education organizations, the interviewed teachers nevertheless believe that it is the family that is the primary agent of children's socialization. The results of the study showed that the main difficulties faced by the pedagogical community in the process of working with children relate primarily to the lack of knowledge and skills necessary at this age for children attending the younger and middle groups (69% and 55%, respectively), and for preschoolers 6-7 years old – lack of skills to recognize their own errors and correct them (60.8%). Preschool teachers working in different age groups also note that for modern children, especially in the older age group, the problem area is the lack of control over their own behavior (41% in the younger group, 54.1% in the middle group, 55.6% in the older group). Passivity in behavior, games, and communication is also more typical for older preschoolers (42.8% in the middle group, 52.2% in the senior group).

Special attention should be paid to teachers' assessment of children's needs in obtaining/mastering new things. According to our data, one in three respondents believes that a child attending the middle group has no desire to learn anything new; at the same time, the share of teachers noting the low curiosity of older preschoolers increases to 40.7%. The results of the study convincingly show that the pedagogical community (81%) believes that the development of cognitive activity, independence in acquiring knowledge of older preschool children is one of the leading tasks of the family institute. It is parents who should stimulate interest in acquiring new knowledge, skills and abilities, including the development of new spaces and places in the family's life.

The research materials demonstrated a contradiction that has been reproducing for decades in the implementation of the function of socialization of preschool children: the pedagogical community "blames" the family for insufficient attention to the upbringing and development of children, and parents shift responsibility for the socialization of their own children to teachers. This is evidenced by the content of communication between parents, who, first of all, are interested in the educators' "everyday" behavior of the child (nutrition, sleep, etc.) (52.9%), and not in issues of his development (27.2%). In addition, teachers "complain" about parents who do not listen to recommendations on child development (36.6%). This contradiction is also observed in teachers' assessment of the reasons that do not allow parents to form the social characteristics of a preschooler. Thus, 63.8% of respondents believe that the main reason is that the parental community assigns the formation of children's social qualities to educators of preschool educational organizations.

As for additional education, kindergartens offer a wide range of additional educational services: from general educational orientation (61.2%) and preparation for school (63.1%) to classes with a psychologist (76.1%) and a speech therapist (81.1%). Nevertheless, the importance of additional education in specialized organizations, according to teachers, allows you to acquire new knowledge in the field that interests them (68.4%) and develop existing abilities (66%). During an interview with parents, it was revealed that additional classes in kindergarten are undoubtedly convenient, since it is not required to integrate additional education institutions into everyday travel routes, on the one hand, however, the offered repertoire of services is limited: "... I go dancing, I want my daughter to dance in a kindergarten team..." (women, 27 years old); "... in kindergarten, of course, it is convenient, there is no art school or music nearby, and driving through traffic jams is hard and tedious, so she additionally studies in kindergarten" (women, 35 years old).   

Thus, educational institutions, acting as agents of socialization of preschoolers, are integrated into the routing of everyday mobility, the parent community seeks to create a structure of educational movement in a location "near home".  

Children's playgrounds located in residential areas become another semantic point in the movements of children. We have designated this route of everyday mobility as a leisure and gaming one. The playground "should create conditions for children and adolescents to realize their needs in play, movement, experimentation with the properties of the environment and the capabilities of their bodies, in communication with other children and adults" ^[6].

The materials of the interviews with parents demonstrated that the playground is, first of all, a place for games. They note that play activities are aimed, firstly, at "physical activity - the child runs, jumps, swings on a swing, in general, constantly moves" (women, 29 years old).

Secondly, playing on the playground forms the skills of joint activity with other children: "... in the summer we take toys (cars, etc.) and go to the playground, there he plays with other children ..." (wife, 29 years old). At the same time, teachers of preschool educational organizations note that the problem area of socialization of a child of younger and middle preschool age in the family is the lack of attention from parents to explaining the rules of joint play activities (56.6%).

Thirdly, as one of the parent informants noted, playgrounds become the territory of creative activity of a child together with an adult: "... I saw, not in our yard, how a father with a child of 6-7 years old repaired a bench..." (women, 35 years old). 

In the next route, shops, primarily grocery stores, become a semantic point in the daily mobility of preschoolers. This mobility route can be designated as household. The value of a "trip" to the store lies in the formation of "... consumer behavior skills from childhood, purchase rules ..." (women, 30 years old); demonstration of interaction norms: "... if there is no queue at the checkout, I give the child a plastic card so that he himself applies it to the terminal" (women, 30 years old). We are talking about consumer socialization of preschoolers as a "process of formation and development of skills for rational purchase and use of goods" ^[7].

Visiting a store for a preschool child becomes a kind of inspiration for organizing a role-playing game. The story-role-playing game allows you to master and reproduce the social roles of the seller, cashier, and buyer in the game activity. At the same time, both other children and adults are involved in it: "... very often children play in the store" (women, 29 years old); "... I remember once after buying groceries, my daughter played with us all evening, even my grandmother was a customer" (women, 35 years old).  

The semantic points in the mobility of preschoolers, presented above, are usually located within "walking distance" from the place of residence. In fact, they indicate that the socializing space of a preschooler is limited to local objects located near the house, on the one hand, and communities (professional, neighborly), on the other hand, in interaction with which a preschooler child is involved.

At the same time, based on interviews with parents, another route of preschool child mobility was formed, going beyond the boundaries of the residential area. The semantic map of urban mobility of preschoolers includes a cognitive and recreational trajectory, in which movements are associated with visits to theaters, museums, parks, etc. Two vectors can be distinguished in this route. The first concerns entertainment and the realization of the hedonistic needs of children. So, amusement parks create a festive atmosphere and "charge" with positive emotions: "on weekends we sometimes go out to central park, ride slides in winter and on carousels in summer, eat donuts and drink tea, in general we like it" (women, 35 years old).

The basis of the second vector is the acquisition of new knowledge and information through entertaining gaming activities. In modern socio-humanitarian science and pedagogical practice, the concept of edutainment is used as "an activity that is based on a combination of learning and curiosity satisfaction, where the student takes an active position in obtaining information and experience" ^[8]. For example, modern museums use interactive technologies ^[9], and in theaters, viewers are involved in performances ^[10]. One of the informants, in addition to visiting children's theatrical performances and museums, highlighted scientific amusement parks that implement the principles of education, developing the cognitive interests of the younger generation, however, they have age restrictions and are aimed at children from 6-7 years old: "There is a science park, but it's too early for us, our son will grow up and we will definitely go" (women, 30 years old).     

The research materials showed that the specifics in the formation of urban mobility routes are the choice of semantic points of movement by the parent family, respectively, it is the family that sets the direction of the child's socialization, the realization of a wide range of his needs and interests.

The movements of parents with preschool children are not limited to the trajectories we have identified. The parental community also indicated that it visits older relatives (grandparents), friends/acquaintances, shopping malls with children, and also has lunch/ dinner in cafes/ restaurants. We believe that through the study of urban mobility routes, it is possible to characterize the socialization space of modern children, which will differ depending on the place of residence, family composition, parental income and other factors. This is seen as one of the promising areas for further research, namely the study of the socialization potential of the territory. In addition, the "locality" of the semantic map of the movements of preschool children raises the question of the development of the infrastructure of microdistricts and the inclusion of semantic points/places of various functions focused on the children's community.