UDC 373.2

Kulikovskaya I.E.¹ (Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation) – iekulikovskaya@sfedu.ru; Vaskina E.A.¹ (Rostov-on-Don, Russian Federation) – kaverova@sfedu.ru

¹Southern Federal University

Abstract. This article addresses the relevant problem of developing a value-based attitude towards the small homeland in preschool children within the context of globalization and digital socialization. The disruption of children’s emotional and cognitive connections with their small homeland has become critically significant. Existing practices of local history education often exhibit a fragmentary nature, necessitating the development of technologies that integrate symbolic perception, project-based activities, and social partnership mechanisms.The authors present the development and testing of the innovative partnership technology “Puzzle RnD” (Rostov-on-Don), based on decoding symbols of urban heraldry (using the coat of arms of Rostov-on-Don as an example) through project-based activities.Research Objective:Theoretical justification, development, and testing of the “Puzzle RnD” technology as an innovative tool for partnership between preschool educational organizations and families, aimed at developing preschoolers’ value-based attitude towards their small homeland through familiarization with the signs and symbols of Rostov-on-Don.Methodology and Methods:The theoretical and methodological foundation incorporates systemic, cultural-historical, and value-semantic approaches, along with Pierre Nora’s concept of “sites of memory” and Yi-Fu Tuan’s theory of place attachment. The study employed a combination of methods: theoretical analysis, project methods, participant observation, analysis of children’s products, parent questionnaires, and others. The empirical base was formed during the implementation of partnership projects with preschool educational institutions in Rostov-on-Don.Results:A partnership technology structured around the symbols of the coat of arms (puzzle modules: “Crown,” “Tower,” “Shield,” etc.) has been developed and implemented. Each puzzle module represents an independent educational project implemented through networked interaction between families and preschool educational institutions.Practical Significance:The research results can be applied in the system of preschool and primary general education, in professional development programs for teaching staff, as well as in the activities of cultural institutions for developing educational tourism programs and family education.Conclusions:The “Puzzle RnD” technology has proven effective as a partnership model that transforms formal knowledge about the small homeland into personal value meanings. Future research directions include conducting longitudinal studies to assess long-term effects, testing the technology in different cultural contexts, developing differentiated strategies for engaging less active families, and creating digital solutions to reduce the technology’s resource-intensity for educators.

Keywords: value-based attitude, local homeland, local history studies / regional studies, cjllaboration, Puzl RnD technology, coat of arms, preschool education, patriotic upbringing, project-based activity, cultural-historical symbol.

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For citation: Kulikovskaya I.E., Vaskina E.A. Fostering value-based attitudes towards the local homeland in children: the “Puzzle RnD” collaborative technology. CITISE, 2025, no. 4, pp. 164-178.