Adjustment Difficulties in Preschool Education: Greek Educators' Aspects

Abstract

The preschool curriculum programme in Greece lacks concern about well-organized insertion procedures that would allow the child's smooth entry in nursery school. Therefore, practitioners are left to handle such issues using their own judgement and according to their personal attitude towards them. The present study has sought to investigate practitioners' aspects on the process of children's insertion and the difficulties they face in the adjustment period. One hundred early years educators from the city of Thessaloniki were asked to fill in an equivalent number of questionnaires during an interview. The percentage analysis conducted showed that practitioners seem to overlook the importance of the problems in children's adjustment. Such problems are attributed to the family and social environment, whereas educators feel less involved in the procedure. The findings seem to reveal the growing need for well-organized reception provisions in the preschool settings and the need for appropriate training for early years practitioners, so that they are eventually able to help the childs' passage from the home environment to early years schooling.