Аннотация:Background. Recent data indicate an increase in speech di! culties and a declinein narrative competence among today’s preschool children. " erefore, identifyinge# ective methods to support the development of narrative competence is a pressingand relevant challenge.Objective. " e aim of this study was to evaluate the e! cacy of using PlayWorld1interventions in fostering narrative competence in preschool children.Design. " e study involved 90 children aged 5–6 years and compared: (1) PlayWorld — a form of joint child-adult pretend play based on a fairy tale plot, (2) freepretend play, and (3) a control group. " e research employed a randomised controlledtrial design. Children’s narratives were assessed using the “MAIN: MultilingualAssessment Instrument for Narratives”, focusing on word count, speech rate, andboth macrostructure (semantic level) and microstructure (lexical-grammatical level)of narrative production.Results. " e results revealed that children receiving PlayWorld interventions signi% cantly improved their macro- and microstructure of narratives, whereas in freepretend play children improved only the macrostructure of narratives. Children inthe control group showed signi% cant decline of scores for the macrostructure of narratives.Conclusion. " e % ndings revealed that PlayWorld interventios are an e# ectiveapproach for developing narrative competence. " e use of cultural texts and adultinvolvement in pretend play are important complementary factors that enhance thedevelopmental impact of pretend play. " e % ndings contribute to a more preciseunderstanding of how pretend play supports narrative development and may have boththeoretical and practical implications for future research and educational practice
