Adaptation of fifth graders in school. Psychological adaptation of fifth graders: methods

So the primary school is over. This, at first glance, a simple event carries a lot of problem stones. And most importantly, parents forget that this event is associated with the end of childhood in children.

After the summer holidays the children go to school in a new quality, middle school students. They feel more mature. Their first day at school is more like a state of euphoria. After all, schoolchildren met after a long vacation. They have something to talk about with each other, there is something to share. Children experience an influx of energy and strength, they think that they are ready to absorb all the innovations that have appeared in school life. But this condition lasts, as a rule, not for long, about 1-2 weeks, no more. And then the mood drops sharply, especially after the first independent and control. A wave of "joyless" everyday life is coming down on schoolchildren, lower grades than were in the primary school. And with this there is also fear: "And what will the pope say with his mother?" And then comes the most difficult period of adaptation.

Parents often can tell a lot about how their child got used to a kindergarten, how many problems with adaptation was when he went to first grade. But if you ask them about the fifth-grader child and his problems with adaptation in school, such a question can cause bewilderment. Parents simply do not know about these problems, believing that the child is already an adult and is himself able to solve them. But just this period, coinciding with the beginning of the transition to adolescence, is very difficult in school life. The child has already grown up, has become independent, but still the adaptation of a fifth grader in the school requires tangible help from the parents.

The transition to the secondary school link for any child is an important stage in his life. He is experiencing a certain kind of stress, because now the conditions for his learning are changing, it is necessary to adapt to them. How successful this adjustment will be depends on many factors and not only on the child himself.

What is adaptation and disadaptation?

In simple words, adaptation is the body's ability to adapt to changing environmental conditions. This term can be attributed to both the physiological state and the psychological state. Let's talk about the latter.

Psychological adaptation of fifth graders is the ability of students to invent new ways of behavior, depending on the current situation, that is, to be flexible. In this case, flexibility should be understood as a personal quality. Its availability depends on various factors, but first of all on life experience.

Adaptation of fifth graders is a complex process, which for some reason may fail. And then there is an opposite effect, called disadaptation.

Types of disadaptation process in fifth graders

- Emotional - manifests itself in anxious behavior, in feelings about school activities, inexplicable fear of a teacher or classmates.

- Behavioral - the child behaves inadequately: shows aggression, indiscipline, often becomes the instigator of the conflict.

- Intellectual - is characterized by low motivational level regarding studies, reluctance to continue training.

- Communicative - is expressed in an alarming and closed state, which does not allow the child to effectively build relationships with adults and peers.

Factors affecting the adaptation of fifth graders

Analysis of the adaptation of the fifth graders shows that there are certain factors that directly affect the success of this process. It is very important for parents and teachers to be aware of this area in order to be able to help the child in time. The adaptation of the fifth graders is divided into internal and external.

External adaptation factors can be attributed to

- Influence of environmental conditions.

- Features of the organization of the learning process.

Competence of pedagogical influences.

- Adequacy of training requirements.

- Features of education in the family.

- Ability to engage in extracurricular activities.

Internal adaptation factors include

- Features of the personal warehouse of the child: communicability, propensity to display independence and organization.

- Health status.

- Degree of development of the intellectual sphere.

Motivation to learn.

- Ability to maintain performance at a high level for a long period of time.

Signs of successfully and unsuccessfully passed adaptation

There are a number of features that can be guided by analyzing the adaptation of fifth graders. This is necessary in order to find the problem in time and be able to help the child in time.

Characteristic signs of successful adaptation

- Satisfaction of the child with social contacts and interpersonal communication within the school community.

- Positive attitude of the student to the process of conducting lessons.

- The child does not have special difficulties in mastering the educational material.

- Sufficient level of independence in the preparation of homework.

The signs of disadaptation can be attributed

- Disorders psychophysiological nature (anxious sleep, heavy lifting in the morning, frequent headache, lethargic state, chronic fatigue).

- Dissatisfaction about relations with classmates, fear of the teacher.

- Hiding emotions, unwillingness to talk about their impressions.

Why there are difficulties in the adaptation of fifth-graders

The transition to secondary school is the period when the child gradually begins to strive for an independent solution of life's difficulties and tasks. It must be remembered that the adaptation of fifth graders in school is associated with changes not only in the physiological plan, but also in the mental. The growing feeling of growing up makes the child defend his independence. Together with this, there appears a desire to resist advices and precepts to the elders, denying almost any of their influence.

Since the fifth-grader is on the threshold of a transitional age, he has the desire to stand out among the school collective, to become a standard for others. To do this, the child begins to look for that character or family member to whom he could hold an equal, imitate him.

In this period, the child appears critical, which is closely related to the emerging self-esteem. There are rudiments of reflection (a tendency to self-analysis, self-education). On the basis of reflexion and the emerging theoretical type of thinking, the child has his own opinion and idea on various issues.

The role of parents in the adaptation process

At the beginning of the school year it is desirable for teachers to hold a special parent meeting. Adaptation of fifth graders is a rather multi-structural process that affects all the systems of the child's life. Therefore, at this parent meeting, the most attention should be paid to this topic. It is very important that the class teacher be able to correctly communicate to parents all the nuances and aspects of such a complex process as adaptation to the middle link. After all, most of the parents depend on the successful course of adaptation of the child.
Parents should know that at this time the child needs their support, in particular, the unconditional acceptance of himself and his actions. Do not blame the child for misconduct or for unsatisfactory evaluation. It will be much better if the parents go to meet their child and try to help him to improve the situation. Adaptation of fifth graders at school will be much more successful if parents can create a clear regime for their child and will carefully monitor its implementation.

How can teachers help?

The process of getting used to changes must be comprehensive, and for its successful passage, the help of subject teachers and a class teacher is necessary. In August, before the beginning of the academic year, a teacher council for the adaptation of fifth graders should be held for teachers, on which urgent issues should be considered in the framework of this topic.

In order to prevent the possible emergence of an uncomfortable state in children, the class teacher should first of all take care of creating the optimal psychological climate in the classroom. This can be achieved if, while seating children at desks, try to take into account their psychological compatibility, the wishes of their parents, as well as the individual characteristics of each. It would also be superfluous to conduct a small excursion for the children around the school rooms in which they will study. Such tactics will help relieve tension and unnecessary anxiety among students.

In addition, do not forget that the parent meeting plays an important role in solving the difficulties of the adaptation period. Adaptation of fifth graders should be one of the key issues that should be covered throughout the adaptation period, which lasts about a year.

Important aspects of psychological diagnosis

An important role is played by the diagnosis of the adaptation of fifth graders. The methods used for this purpose are designed not only to show the current state of the child, but also help in predicting the occurrence of future problems. In addition, such techniques can provide information on the causes that do not allow successful adaptation processes.

It is clear that all methods should be carried out by a specialist with a psychological background. On the basis of the work done, he must draw up a special document-reference, entitled "Adaptation of fifth graders". A reference of this kind may include a program to study the phenomenon, a listing of the methods used, as well as an interpretation with results and basic recommendations to teachers and parents.

The psychologist needs to remember that all methods should be valid, that is, correspond to the age characteristics of children, as well as the problem being studied. Otherwise, the psychologist will receive distorted diagnostic results, his help in this case will be zero.

Questionnaires that can be used in this case

Undoubtedly, one of the most difficult processes that occur in the life of the school is the adaptation of the fifth graders. Diagnosis in this case should include a variety of tests and techniques. Very different special questionnaires have proved themselves. Immediately I must say that the teachers council on the adaptation of fifth graders, of course, gives teachers an idea of what signs correspond to the successfully passed adaptation of students. But only one knowledge of teachers can not be relied on in assessing the psychological state of schoolchildren, so the use of techniques becomes necessary.

Questionnaires

- "Attitude towards learning subjects".

"Feelings in school."

- "The features of an ideal teacher."

The questionnaire "Attitudes towards learning subjects", as a rule, gives information about the inclinations and abilities of the child. Thanks to the questionnaire "Feelings at school" you can determine the level of adaptation of the whole class, rather than a single student. "Features of an ideal teacher" - this is a technique that can help identify the teacher's mistakes that prevent the successful adaptation of students.

Method "Colored letters"

Do not forget that during the transition to the middle, the child experiences great stress, which is called "adaptation of fifth graders." Techniques work very well if they are directed at the unconscious sphere of the child. One of these options is the "Colored letters" method. It enables the psychologist to obtain information about the presence of psychological comfort or discomfort in schoolchildren in a variety of lessons. In addition, using this technique, you can identify the most stressful school activities for each individual child.

The test is given in the form of a form on which the names of the studied school disciplines are printed on the left side, and the chain of empty squares on the right side. The psychologist asks the students to take the colored pencils and in front of each object paint the square with any color. The colors used can be repeated. After that, the specialist conducts the processing of the data obtained, relying on the color values for Lusher, as well as prescribes recommendations for the adaptation of fifth graders. The psychologist's recommendations should be strictly followed by teachers and parents, as this can greatly help the child.

"Open Letter to Parents"

The process that occurs during the transition of children from junior level to secondary is the inevitable adaptation of fifth graders. Diagnosis must necessarily be based on a comprehensive study of a particular class or individual child. To obtain objective results, several methods should be used simultaneously.

"Open letter to parents" is the method that is directed at the conscious sphere of the schoolboy. It is one of the most frequently used, because usually with the parents the child can be more frank than with other adults. This makes it possible to obtain accurate results.

The student's response form contains the beginning of the sentences that he needs to continue. They are all focused on his school life. In particular, this test provides information on some levels of adaptation, usually about social and psychological. In addition, this technique reveals the characteristics of the student's relationship with classmates and teachers, and in some cases helps identify the causes of maladaptation.

We must not forget that the psychologist should strive for a comprehensive work, which is the diagnosis of the adaptation of fifth graders. Techniques should be selected very competently, taking into account the age characteristics of children.

The test proposed by Phillips

This method is very important for fifth-graders, as they often experience a sense of uncertainty, fear, excitement, which, of course, negatively affects their general well-being and the process of mastering knowledge.

Phillips's method is used to determine the level of anxiety of children associated with staying in an institution, and also provides an idea of the possible causes of such a condition. This test is very unfolded can answer the question of how the adaptation of fifth graders is successful. The technique works equally effectively for both middle and lower school age. The test has 58 questions, so it should be carried out when the students are not too tired from the lessons. For each question, students should give either a positive or a negative answer. After the procedure, the psychologist calculates the results, using the key to the test, and composes the interpretation. It is very convenient to provide already processed data in a diagram form, so immediately the difference in the indicators will be clearly visible.

This problem, like the adaptation of fifth graders, requires increased attention from both teachers and parents. You can not let this process go on your own, you must always monitor the child's mental comfort and try to control his emotional state. After all, how successfully this stage will be passed in the life of the child depends not only on the quality of the current knowledge acquired by him, but also on the overall attitude to learning and work.