Pedagogical games in the educational process as a tool for developing students’ meta-subject skills

Introduction. In the modern educational space, innovative methods and approaches are being actively introduced to improve the quality and accessibility of education. Particular attention is paid to the use of gaming technologies in the educational process to develop students' meta-subject skills, which is important for preparing for the rapidly changing conditions of our time. The purpose of the study is to study the effectiveness of using pedagogical games during extracurricular time for the formation of meta-subject skills in students studying in various pedagogical profiles. Materials and methods. A total of 145 students of a pedagogical university took part in the study, of which 66 students were included in the focus group. All students were examined using certain psychodiagnostic techniques aimed at identifying parameters for the development of creative and critical thinking, as well as communication and organizational abilities. Over the course of 2 months, students selected for the focus group participated in a formative experiment, within the framework of which 7 pedagogical games were developed and conducted, aimed at developing certain meta-subject skills among the experiment participants – communication and creative abilities, willingness to cooperate and critical thinking. The entire series of 7 games was developed by specialists from the A. Dinaev Pedagogical Workshop, operating at the Chechen State Pedagogical University. Results. Based on the results of the study, empirical data was obtained indicating the effectiveness of pedagogical games in the development of certain meta-subject skills in students, such as creativity and some communication skills. The results of the study indicate that, as a result of the formative experiment, students who took part in specially organized game-format events demonstrated significantly higher rates in the development of creative abilities (t=2.879; p=0.005) and certain communication skills (t=2.058; p =0.041), which indicates the effectiveness of using pedagogical game technologies for the purpose of developing meta-subject skills in students. Conclusion. Pedagogical games are an effective tool in the educational process for the development of students' meta-subject skills. Their use not only helps to increase motivation and interest in the educational process, but also develops in students important competencies necessary for successful adaptation to modern challenges. The results of the study can be used for the further development of pedagogical methods and the introduction of gaming technologies into the educational process.