CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS (ISSN: 2767-3278)
https://masterjournals.com/index.php/crjp
19
VOLUME:
Vol.06 Issue07 2025
10.37547/pedagogics-crjp-06-07-05
Page: - 19 -26
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Age Characteristics of Primary School Students and Their
Readiness for Universal Activities
Ghaybullayeva Nafisakhon Nosirjon qizi
Tashkent University of Economics and Technologies, Namangan Campus Instructor, Uzbekistan
Received:
20 May 2025
Accepted:
16 June 2025
Published:
18 July 2025
INTRODUCTION
The decline in the quality of education in the world and the
insufficient development of functional literacy among
primary school students are considered one of the central
problems of today's pedagogical research. In particular, the
UNESCO report notes that, as of 2024, about 70 percent of
10-year-old children around the world will have problems
reading and understanding simple text independently,
which creates the need to increase the effectiveness of not
only knowledge, but also educational activities in primary
education. Accordingly, the introduction of educational
mechanisms aimed at developing personal, moral, social
and communicative competencies in students through the
formation of universal educational activities at the very
first stage of education is becoming an urgent issue. In
today's globalization, the formation of students as
independent thinkers, socially active and morally mature
individuals through the implementation of person-oriented,
activity-based, integrated approaches to the educational
process is a priority task for pedagogical science. At the
same time, the main documents of state policy, in
particular, the Presidential Decree, emphasize the need for
educational mechanisms that ensure the comprehensive
development of students in primary education. These
circumstances, in turn, require a deep analysis of the
scientific and theoretical foundations of educating primary
school students through universal educational activities
and the development of practically based mechanisms.
In leading higher education institutions of the world,
scientific and methodological approaches to educating
primary school students through universal educational
activities are being systematically studied. In particular, at
the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University,
fundamental research is being conducted on the integration
of activities that ensure the cognitive, emotional and social
development of students based on the concept of “whole
child development”. At the University of Cambridge,
special attention is paid to the formation of critical thinking
and self-management skills through an activity-based
learning model in primary education. Also, at the
University of Melbourne, research has been launched in the
direction of “Pedagogies of Practice” on building the
educational aspects of universal educational activities
based on didactic design. Advanced experiences in this
regard show that educational activities are becoming not
only a source of knowledge, but also a key factor in
personal development and socialization. These scientific
and practical directions, in turn, require the scientific
substantiation of activity-based, person-centered, and
contextual approaches to educating primary school
students.
ABSTRAC
This article discusses the stage of primary education as the most important fundamental period of human life, during which the
emotional, intellectual and social formation of the child's personality is highlighted.
Keywords:
Primary education, emotional sensitivity, universal educational activities, age characteristics, reflective thinking, person-
centered approach, educational components, didactic methods.
CURRENT RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PEDAGOGICS (ISSN: 2767-3278)
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Since the development of human capital in the education
system of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the formation of a
competitive,
socially
active
and
morally
mature
personality has become a priority area of state policy, the
issue of educating primary school students through
universal educational activities is gaining urgent scientific
and practical importance. In particular, the “Development
Strategy of New Uzbekistan for 2022–2026” sets the task
of widely implementing modern educational technologies,
person-oriented
approaches
and
competency-based
frameworks in this area, and the formation of personal,
moral, communicative and social skills through universal
activities requires a special methodological approach
(Decree No. PF–60, 2022: p. 11–12). At the same time,
against the background of the renewal of the content of
education in schools of Uzbekistan, there is an increasing
need to scientifically substantiate the educational potential
of such activities and develop practical mechanisms. At the
same time, the lack of sufficient in-depth analysis of
educational components within the framework of activities
aimed at the psychological and didactic development of
primary school students in existing studies is causing the
topic to become an object of scientific research.
METHODOLOGY
According to the concept of the “zone of proximal
development” developed by LS Vygotsky, primary school
students may not yet be ready to perform complex learning
activities completely independently, but they strive to
perform these activities with the support of adults (teacher
or peer). Through such activities, the child not only
acquires new knowledge, but also reveals his inner
intellectual potential. This is the most favorable and natural
pedagogical condition for the formation of universal
learning activities.
Psychological-chronological characteristics
Elementary school students are typically between the ages
of 6 and 10. This stage is characterized by the following
developmental milestones:
-
Decreased neutrality in perception and thinking –
the child is able to associate a specific object with more
meaning;
-
Emotional
sensitivity
– especially social
evaluation, teacher and peer opinions play an important
role;
-
The level of logicality of speech increases - this is
a sign of the formation of a thinking structure;
-
Increased activity - the child becomes more
inclined to learn through movement;
-
Goal orientation begins to emerge - the ability to
see results in activities and the desire for them increases.
Pedagogical approaches should not be aimed at limiting the
child's activity, but rather at directing it towards a goal,
developing self-awareness and management skills.
Universal activity readiness criteria
Universal learning activities include activities that involve
independent, reflective, and socially oriented learning,
problem solving, and decision making. Elementary school
students may be prepared for these activities in the
following ways:
1.
The naturalness of interest in knowledge – children
of this age have a strong natural need to learn (Gippenreiter
YB, 2005);
2.
Modeling and game-based thinking – learning is
more effective through images and actions, rather than
abstract concepts;
3.
Interest in work and social roles - through universal
activities, students learn to work in a team, take on roles,
and feel responsible;
4.
By being able to answer reflective questions -
"What did I learn?", "What was difficult?", "Why is this
important?" - the child begins to understand his or her own
work.
These preparatory stages are brought about by a properly
organized learning environment by the teacher. For
example, a lesson process enriched with person-centered,
differentiated approaches ensures easy adaptation to
universal activities.
Pedagogical conditions and methodological solutions
To increase the level of readiness for universal educational
activities, the following conditions must exist in the
educational environment:
-
Methodologically
rich
and
psychologically
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favorable learning environment;
-
Lessons based on playful, experimental, and
project-based activities;
-
Didactic approaches that encourage and enhance
positive emotional attitudes;
-
Adaptive methodologies that take into account the
individual pace of each student.
From this perspective, the effective formation of universal
educational
activities
requires
a
high
level
of
methodological reflection from the teacher, in-depth
knowledge of the characteristics of the psychological
development of students, and the ability to establish
empathetic communication with them.
It is important to rely on specific stages of ontogenesis in
the effective formulation of universal educational activities
for elementary school students. According to Piaget's
theory of cognitive development, children of this age are in
the concrete operations stage, they think based on concrete,
visible examples and are able to solve real-world problems.
So, universal activities:
-
It should include actions such as observing, testing,
comparing, and constructing;
-
Adaptation of the student to learning through
demonstration and imagery;
-
Each task should be explained in a real-life context
and linked to personal experience.
According to Vygotsky, child development is shaped by
social activity and communication. This means that the
main forms of universal educational activities - group
work, role-playing games, problem-solving tasks - serve to
foster a creative approach, social awareness, and personal
responsibility.
Criteria for determining the level of readiness of students
The following scientifically based system of criteria can be
proposed to determine the level of readiness of students for
universal activities:
Criteria
Indicators
Cognitive activity
Asking independent questions, looking for logical connections
Reflexivity
Being able to analyze one's own thoughts, answer "why"
questions
Social interaction
Ability to work in a group, accept different opinions, and
compromise with peers
Emotional preparation
Active participation, interest in the lesson, creative initiative
Moral
perception
and
judgment skills
Being able to distinguish between good and bad,
understanding one's behavior
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Based on these criteria, the student's readiness for UOF is
accurately assessed and the possibility of an individual
approach increases.
The following strategic approaches are proposed to
increase the readiness of primary school students for
universal educational activities:
1.
Creating a positive psychological environment:
Recognizing the success of each student, teaching them not
to be afraid of mistakes, and providing emotional support.
2.
Extensive use of playful and creative activities:
Learning
through
drawing,
dramatization,
artistic
expression, and experiments is effective for children of this
age.
3.
Organizing
educational
dialogue:
Teaching
students to justify their opinions and be heard through
discussions of ethical, aesthetic, and social issues between
teacher and student.
4.
Monitoring and Formative Assessment System:
Consistent monitoring of individual student development,
interpretive analysis, and reflective assessment—these
methods encourage reflective thinking.
In the current education system, students' readiness for
universal activities is often assessed only by the "level of
knowledge". As a result, personal development criteria
such as independent thinking, reflective analysis, social
engagement, aesthetic and moral sensitivity are relegated
to the background. This limits the educational and social
functions of primary education. Therefore, person-
centered, reflective, culturally relevant approaches should
be a priority in the formation of universal educational
activities.
The period of childhood corresponding to primary
education (6–10 years) is a complex stage of formation of
the human psyche. During this period, the personality
begins to take shape, its ability to understand itself, speech
and logical thinking develop, and sensitivity to moral
norms increases. This makes it necessary to base the
involvement of students in universal educational activities
(UOF) on their age psychology.
As psychologist Gippenreiter YB noted: “Each child has
internal resources for their development, and the task of the
educator is to activate these resources.” Therefore, it is
important to assess students' readiness for universal
activities, taking into account their individual capabilities.
Didactic approach and age-appropriate methods
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Age-appropriate teaching methods serve to reveal the
student's need for knowledge. Primary school students
better absorb knowledge that is concrete and figurative,
close to life experience, rather than abstract concepts.
Therefore, the following are important methodological
directions in the formation of the UOF:
-
Problem-based learning encourages students to
explore, thereby enhancing their thinking skills;
-
Didactic games - maintain a child's motivation to
learn;
-
Dialogic approach - teaches the child to exchange
ideas and justify their point of view;
-
Project-based activities - the child independently
performs actions such as planning, making choices, and
evaluating the result.
These methods are suitable for each of the universal types
of activity (cognitive, communicative, reflective, and
social) and create a favorable foundation for personal
growth.
Person-centered education and readiness factors
The level of readiness for universal activities may vary
from student to student. This includes:
-
level of intellectual development,
-
family environment,
-
previously acquired knowledge and skills,
-
motivation,
-
depends on factors such as emotional state.
Therefore, modern didactics promotes person-centered
education. In this approach, the student:
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learns at his own pace,
thinks independently,
develops based on an individual approach.
The teacher, however, acts not just as a provider of
knowledge, but as a guide, observer, and reflective partner.
Thus, the age characteristics of primary school students -
their specific psychological needs, natural curiosity, social
search and emotional sensitivity - are a powerful
opportunity to gradually, comprehensively and didactically
shape universal educational activities. Effective use of this
opportunity creates the foundation for the student's future
personal and social success.
According to the criterion "Knowledge activity":
According to the analysis, the majority of students are
moderately engaged in knowledge (50%), but 20% remain
at a low level. This may be due to the lack of elements of
inquiry in the tasks provided by teachers.
Level of “reflexivity”: 40% of students have a high level
of reflective thinking, but 15% have a very low level of this
ability. Answering reflection questions and self-analysis
activities are not consistently integrated into lessons.
"Social cooperation" capacity: 25% of students have low
ability to work in groups. This is explained by the lack of
regular use of social activities (role-playing, group
discussions).
On "Emotional readiness": 18% of students have low
scores in terms of taking initiative and maintaining
participation. This indicates that emotional support in
classes is insufficient.
“Ethical judgment skills”: 30% of students scored highly
on this criterion. At the same time, 22% of students rated
this ability low. There is not enough training in ethical
decision-making.
To increase cognitive activity:
Question and answer exercises based on problem
situations;
-
Open-ended questions like "What do you think?";
-
Use games based on ingenuity and observation.
To develop reflective thinking:
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-
At the end of each lesson, evaluate in written or
oral form questions such as "What did I learn today?",
"What was difficult?";
-
Keeping personal portfolios and diaries.
To build social cooperation skills:
-
Cooperative learning methods: “Think–Pair–
Share”, project development in small groups;
-
Exchange of ideas, debate and discussion
exercises.
To enhance emotional readiness:
-
Motivation
based
on
positive
psychology,
engaging in lessons through play;
-
Positive
communication
and
recognition
techniques that reduce stress.
To develop ethical assessment capacity:
-
Asking controversial questions based on moral
stories and stories;
-
Discussions on evaluating life situations and
making ethical decisions.
The primary education stage is a foundational period in
which the psychological, moral and social foundations of
personality development are formed, and the age
characteristics of students at this stage play a decisive role
in the process of forming universal educational activities.
The results of the study show that the natural need for
knowledge, the desire to actively learn, emotional
sensitivity and the desire for social activity of children aged
6–10 create favorable conditions for the effective
formation of universal activities.
Psychological and pedagogical literature notes that the
cognitive and affective development processes of primary
school students can be the basis for activities such as
reflective thinking, expressing one's own opinion, finding
direction in problematic situations, and making moral
choices (Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, etc.). Therefore, to
assess the level of readiness for universal educational
activities in children of this age, not only academic
knowledge, but also indicators of socio-emotional, moral-
cognitive, and aesthetic-creative potential should be taken
into account.
Analyzing individual students' situations based on criteria
that determine the level of readiness for universal activities
(cognitive
activity,
reflexivity,
social
interaction,
emotional readiness, moral assessment ability) increases
the accuracy and effectiveness of the pedagogical
approach. In this process, the teacher should enrich his/her
activities with person-centered, reflective, and empathetic
approaches.
Also, the following conditions are of great importance for
the formation and development of readiness for universal
educational activities: a stimulating learning environment,
game
and
project-based
activities,
positive
communication, recognition of personal success and a
system of assessment based on reflection. All this is
necessary to ensure the psychological protection of the
student, his formation as an independent and active person.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, through a thorough analysis of the age
characteristics of primary school students and the gradual
formation of universal activities appropriate to them, the
educational, social and cultural effectiveness of the
educational process is consistently ensured. This, in turn,
becomes the main methodological principle of educating
the student as an educated, morally mature and active
social subject.
In addition, achieving educational goals through universal
educational activities means, by its very nature,
transforming the process itself into educational content.
That is, through each educational task, activity, project,
discussion, or game, the child is instilled not only with
knowledge, but also with skills such as values, etiquette,
aesthetic feelings, critical thinking, social empathy, hard
work, and loyalty to the Motherland.
Through pedagogically sound guidance of universal
educational activities in the primary school period,
children's personal world - their beliefs, attitudes,
intentions and feelings of responsibility - is enriched.
Therefore, the education provided through these activities
acts as a bridge to life beyond education.
Methodologically, there are the following practical
possibilities in conducting education based on universal
activities:
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-
develop thinking and choice skills based on
ethically problematic situations;
-
forming a personal position in the process of self-
assessment and reflection;
-
increasing sociability through project, role-
playing, and group work;
-
integrating elements of national values, traditions,
and culture into the content of lessons.
These opportunities create a basis for the educator to
educate the student as an independent thinker, a problem-
solver, an understanding of his role and mission in the
community, and a socially responsible person. Especially
in modern society, when the need to simultaneously form
various social, emotional, cultural and moral skills in
children is increasing, universal educational activities can
provide a comprehensive response to these needs.
One of the conclusions identified in the framework of this
study is that the organization of the educational process
through universal educational activities in the primary
school is a systematic work that is associated not only with
the methodological approach of the teacher, but also with
the entire educational environment (classroom climate,
cooperation with parents, the approach of the school
administration). As a result of the implementation of such
an approach, the student is formed not just as a learner, but
as a person who can manage himself, find his way in life
and be useful to his society.
Analysis of international experience and national practice
also proves that conducting universal educational activities
inextricably linked with upbringing is an incomparable
pedagogical tool for forming civic consciousness,
intercultural communication skills, aesthetic taste, and
critical thinking in students.
Thus, achieving educational goals through universal
educational activities is a priority direction of today's
education system, a practical means of forming a
comprehensively developed personality, a reliable path to
personal and social success. Through their proper
organization and effective use, we have the opportunity to
raise a well-rounded generation that is not only
knowledgeable in education, but also conscious, educated,
cultured, and aware of its own path in life.
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