Personal and Social Correlates of Adaptation of Primary Schoolchildren: a Review of Studies

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, there are scattered studies on the relationship between school adaptation and individual psychological phenomena. At the same time, the greatest attention is paid to the cognitive characteristics of primary schoolchildren. In our opinion, it is necessary to systematize the understanding of the correlates of this phenomenon, paying attention to personal and social ones.Objective. To analyze the information currently available in the scientific field on the correlates of school adaptation.Personal correlates of school adaptation. Among the personal factors interrelated with the success of adaptation measures in primary school, we can single out anxiety and self-esteem of the child. Entrance to school is in itself a crisis moment for a child, but it is also accompanied by personal transformation, the center of which is the transition from a concrete-situational type of self-esteem to a more generalized one. The analysis of studies suggests that the relationship between self-esteem and school adaptation is rather two-way, as the course and outcome of adaptation is influenced both by the initial level of self-esteem at school entry and the course of its transformation in the school environment.Social correlates of school adaptation. The central component among the social factors influencing a child’s adaptation to school is the child’s relationships with significant adults and classmates. The main direction of adaptation measures in this respect should be the building of trusting relations of the child with teachers and peers in order to manage the stress associated with the change of environment and to ensure more effective assimilation of the new social role of a primary school pupil.Discussion. The studies we reviewed are consistent with our findings that the correlates of school adaptation are not only cognitive, but also personal and social aspects. The research complements the picture of the correlates, and its results can be used to build adaptation programmes.