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Project

School adjustment trajectories at the transition from kindergarten to elementary school.

We aim to examine some gaps in the reserch literature on the transition from kindergarten to elementary school. This transition has been described as a "critical period" for children's academic and social development (Entwisle & Alexander, 1998) and is therefore a crucial period of study. Three aims will be addressed: First, children's school adjustment trajectories across this transition are examined: are there changes in the different aspects of school adjustment and how are these developmental tranjectories related to each other? The examined aspects of school adjustment are, in line with recent multidimensional models (Ladd, 2003), the academic achievement of students, but also their well-being at school, social (internalizing and externalizing problem behavior) and learning-related behavior in the classroom (cooperative and independent classroom participation). Second, factors originating both in the child and in (its interplay with) the interpersonal environment possibly affecting these adjustment trajectories during this transition are considered, particularly focusing on the effect of teacher-child relationship quality. Third, we examine whether trajectories of early school experiences (including relational experiences) predict children's later school adjustment trajectories at the end of elementary school.
Date:1 Oct 2009 →  18 Nov 2010
Keywords:Problem behavior, Kindergarten, Well-being at school, Academic achievement, School adjustment trajectories, Teacher-child relationship quality, Elementary school, Classroom participation
Disciplines:Biological and physiological psychology, General psychology, Other psychology and cognitive sciences, Developmental psychology and ageing