Dekonstrukcja pojęcia gotowości szkolnej

Abstract

The article presents a discussion of the notion of school readiness in the context of contemporary theoretical approaches and practical solutions, with a specific reference to the concept of Barbara Wilgocka-Okoń, who initiated research into the category of children’s skills in Poland and presented the evolution of her approach from school maturity to school readiness. The starting point is to refer to critical psychology as represented by Erica Burman and her concept of the child as method, allowing the concept of development to be deconstructed and applicable to the reinterpretation of the understanding of school readiness. She criticises developmental psychologists’ construction of a fictitious image of the child as a product of the educational system, abstracted from the environmental and cultural context. Burman’s approach is not a specific research method, but a concept that encourages a dialogue of innovative, creative approaches, spanning multiple scientific disciplines and empirical analyses. It creates an understanding of the child as a figure or trope of politics, of childhood as a social category, and of children as living individuals operating within a field of specific institutional practices with different geopolitical contingencies. The article undertakes a polemic against the traditional normalising diagnosis of school readiness present in educational practice, which exposes an adequate preparation of the child for school. It presents a critical analysis of school readiness assessment tools used in educational practice by teachers and researchers of this phenomenon. At the same time, the article points out an alternative approach of psychologists exposing the processual and interactional approach to the study of school readiness. The article concludes by drawing attention to the necessity of constructing methodological instruments for diagnosing school readiness to work with children with diverse developmental needs and to move away from monopolising their development by the educational institution.