In the context of increasing linguistic and cultural diversity in preschool education, there is a need for pedagogical practices that foster interaction and authentic communication. This study investigates the use of persona dolls as pedagogical tools to support literacy skills development in early childhood education. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program based on persona dolls in enhancing literacy skills in the Greek language, motivation, and cultural awareness among 20 preschool-aged children (12 boys and 8 girls), aged 4, having Greek as a second language in an urban city of Greece. A mixed-methods approach was employed, incorporating quantitative pre- and post-assessments of literacy skills along with qualitative insights from observations and semistructured interviews with the participants and educators. The results demonstrated significant improvements in vocabulary, grammar, listening comprehension, and oral communication skills, as well as enhanced cultural understanding. These findings highlight the potential of persona dolls to facilitate interactive, experiential learning and support both linguistic and cultural development in early childhood education. The study underscores the value of innovative strategies in second language teaching for young learners.
Ilias Papadopoulos (2026) studied this question.