Kay Margetts
Faculty of Education, The University of Melbourne
Extract from a paper presented at the Early Childhood Matters Conference
Melbourne 4-5 October 2002
Starting school is not a standardised process, considering the range of children's individual experiences and developmental differences.
This variability in children’s development and early school success is influenced by a number of interdependent factors including biological characteristics of the child, and family, social and cultural factors (Broström, 2000; Crnic & Lamberty, 1994). For example, boys tend to have more difficulty adjusting to school than girls. In particular they have less well developed social skills and more problem behaviours (Hughes, Pinkerton & Plewis, 1979; Margetts, 1997; Teltsch & Breznitz, 1988; Weissberg, Cowen, Lotyczewski, Boike, Orara, Stalonas, Sterling & Gesten, 1987). Age has been associated with higher levels of academic competence for older children (Margetts, 1997; Skarpness & Carson, 1987; Teltsch & Breznitz, 1988). Early school adjustment is predicted significantly by socio-demographic factors including race and/or ethnicity, and socio-economic status (Reynolds et al., 1992). Lower socio-economic status has been linked to lower social and cognitive outcomes (Hagekull & Bohlin, 1995; Kontos, 1994). There is a relationship between children's language at home and adjustment to school. Children who speak languages other than English at home have more difficulty adjusting to school, socially, behaviourally and academically than children who speak English at home (Margetts, 1996). Research also suggests that children's prior to school experiences impact on their adjustment to schooling. For example, in a Melbourne study of 212 children, children who received regular father care in the year, 5 years prior to schooling, were more likely to have higher levels of cooperation and social skills and lower levels of hyperactivity and problem behaviours. Children who experienced regular care by their fathers and more days of father care per week in the years prior to schooling showed higher levels of cooperative behaviour. In this study, children with histories of extensive group care were at risk of more social, behavioural and academic difficulties than children with less extensive group care (Margetts, 2001). Having a familiar playmate in the same class has a significant effect on children's adjustment to school. Children who commence school with a familiar playmate in the same class adjust better in terms of social skills, less problem behaviours, and academic competence. Having a familiar playmate in the same class also compensates for deleterious factors, such as being young in age, being a boy, preschool experiences, and not speaking English at home, which place a child at risk of not adjusting well to the first year of school.