Abstract
Starting school requires children to manage a wide range of personal, interpersonal and institutional expectations and challenges, yet few child-report measures have captured the diversity of these experiences. In this paper, the Pictorial Measure of School Stress and Wellbeing (PMSSW) interview was used with 101 school entrants at the beginning and end of the kindergarten year to explore children’s feelings about typical school events, reasons for these feelings, strategies for coping with these challenges, and the extent to which these perceptions changed over time. Results showed that the majority of children were positive about these aspects of school and did not change their feelings, but a minority were persistently negative, and up to 29 % became more negative over time. Responses varied by the type of event, with some being perceived as more challenging than others. The strategies children suggested for managing challenging events offered insights into their understanding and use of school rules and routines as a coping mechanism, particularly at the beginning of the school year. Over time, children showed greater use of personal strengths and abilities, their friendships with peers and their relationships with teachers to suggest effective strategies. These findings confirm the potential of the PMSSW as a tool for gathering children’s perceptions of wellbeing and coping at school. Through the use of methods that acknowledge and empower children, researchers and teachers can better appreciate and cater for individual differences in children’s experiences of school transition.
Résumé
Commencer l’école exige que les enfants gèrent une vaste gamme d’attentes et de défis personnels, interpersonnels et institutionnels, alors que peu de mesures rapportées par les enfants ont capturé la diversité de ces expériences. Dans cet article, l’entrevue Pictorial Measure of School Stress and Wellbeing (Mesure illustrée du stress et du bien-être scolaires) (PMSSW) a été utilisée avec 101 nouveaux élèves au début et à la fin de l’année de maternelle pour explorer les sentiments des enfants sur les événements scolaires typiques, les raisons de ces sentiments, les stratégies pour faire face à ces défis ainsi que dans quelle mesure leurs perceptions changeaient au fil du temps. Les résultats montrent que la majorité des enfants avaient une perception positive de ces aspects de la vie scolaire et n’ont pas changé de sentiments, une minorité a cependant persisté à demeurer négative et jusqu’à 29 % sont devenus plus négatifs au fil du temps. Les réponses étaient très diverses suivant le type d’événement, certains étant perçus comme de plus grands défis que d’autres. Les stratégies suggérées par les enfants pour gérer les événements plus difficiles donnent un aperçu de leur compréhension et de leur utilisation du règlement et des routines scolaires comme mécanisme pour se tirer d’affaire, en particulier en début d’année scolaire. Au fil du temps, les enfants montraient une plus grande utilisation de leur habilité et de leurs talents personnels, de leurs amitiés avec les pairs et de leurs relations avec les enseignants pour suggérer des stratégies efficaces. Ces résultats confirment le potentiel du PMSSW comme outil pour recueillir les perceptions des enfants du bien-être et des défis à relever à l’école. En utilisant des méthodes qui reconnaissent les enfants et leur donnent le pouvoir, les chercheurs et les enseignants peuvent mieux apprécier et s’occuper des différences individuelles dans les expériences des enfants en transition scolaire.
Resumen
El iniciar la escuela requiere que los niños controlen una amplia gama de expectativas y desafíos personales, interpersonales e institucionales, sin embargo, pocas medidas de informes acerca de los niños han captado la diversidad de estas experiencias. En este documento, se utilizó la entrevista de la Medida Ilustrada con respecto al Estrés Escolar y el Bienestar [PMSSW – sigla en inglés] con 101 niños que comenzaban los estudios escolares al iniciar y al terminar el año de jardín de infantes/colegio de párvulos para investigar cómo se sentían los niños acerca de típicos eventos escolares, sus razones para experimentar estos sentimientos, las estrategias que utilizaron para hacerle frente a estos desafíos, y hasta qué punto sus percepciones cambiaron con el transcurso del tiempo. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de los niños fueron positivos acerca de estos aspectos de la escuela y que sus sentimientos no cambiaron, pero una minoría fue persistentemente negativa, y hasta un 29 % se volvieron más negativos con el tiempo. Las respuestas variaron según el tipo de evento, algunos fueron percibidos como más desafiantes que otros. Las estrategias que los niños sugirieron para afrontar los eventos desafiantes brindaron ideas para comprender mejor su entendimiento y el uso de los reglamentos y las rutinas escolares como un mecanismo de superación, especialmente al comienzo del año escolar. Con el tiempo, los niños usaron más sus fortalezas y sus habilidades personales, sus amistades con sus semejantes, y sus relaciones con los maestros como estrategias efectivas. Estos resultados confirman el potencial de PMSSW como una herramienta para recopilar las percepciones de los niños del estrés, el bienestar y cómo superarse en la escuela. A través del uso de métodos que reconozcan y le den poder a los niños, los investigadores y los maestros pueden apreciar y atender mejor las diferencias individuales en las experiencias de los niños acerca de la transición escolar.
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Appendix
Appendix
See Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Figures from: Murray (2008).
Waving goodbye to parent in the morning
Lining up outside the classroom
Sitting on floor listening to teacher
Speaking in front of the class
Going to the bathroom alone
Doing schoolwork at desk
Lining up at the canteen
Entering the playground at the beginning of lunch
Watching other children play in the sandpit
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Harrison, L.J., Murray, E. Stress, Coping and Wellbeing in Kindergarten: Children’s Perspectives on Personal, Interpersonal and Institutional Challenges of School. IJEC 47, 79–103 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-014-0127-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13158-014-0127-4