Adaptation of a three-year old child to preschool environment

• Main Authors: Anna I. Brzezińska, Magdalena Czub, Natalia Ożadowicz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych 2013-09-01
• Series: Edukacja
• Subjects: adaptation strategy; preschool environment; child; adaptation; development
• Online Access: http://www.edukacja.ibe.edu.pl/images/numery/2013/6-2-brzezinska-et-al-adaptation-of-a-3-year-old.pdf

The article presents the results of research aimed at verifying the hypothesis relating to the links between selected subjective and contextual factors and adaptation strategies of a three-year-old child to preschool environment. The research was conducted on a group of 40 children, who began preschool education in 2012. Children were tested with The Denver Developmental Screening Test (the Denver test) and with the Adaptation Strategy Questionnaire (ASQ) developed for the purposes of the research. The results indicate that there exists three strategies which simultaneously constitute the criteria for the level of adaptation of a child to preschool environment: positive (creative adaptation) and negative (anxiety and indifference). Significant statistical correlations between age, psycho-motor development, level of mother’s education and the child’s adaptation strategy have been established. Children of mothers who attained tertiary education, older children, children who achieved a higher level of psycho-motor development more often manifested a positive adaptation strategy. It was, however, revealed that only 15 out of 40 children subject to the examination applied the strategy of creative adaptation. The result is alarming and requires further research in order to identify the factors determining it.