Adaptation in psychology - The concept of human adaptation

A child’s entry into school leads to a change in his social role and leading type of activity. His social and intellectual status in the future depends on how quickly and fully a child integrates into the educational process. Therefore, this process cannot be left outside the close attention of teachers, psychologists and parents. There are various methods for diagnosing the adaptation of first-graders to school , which make it possible to determine the success of this process. Let's take a closer look.

The essence of the adaptation process for first-graders

School poses a large number of new tasks for the child, which require the mobilization of his physical and intellectual strength. A first-grader needs to get used to the new conditions that have arisen in his life and adapt to them. We are talking about adaptation to school - the most stressful period in the first year of study. It occurs at the social, physiological and psychological level.

The adaptation period for each child occurs individually. Its duration can range from three weeks to six months. It is important to monitor the dynamics of the adaptation process, identify the causes of emerging maladjustment and carry out the necessary correction of identified deviations in the course of “adjusting” a first-grader to school life.

Adaptation as a social phenomenon

Social adaptation is not only a state of the individual, but also a process in which a social organism acquires balance and resistance to the influence and influence of the social environment. Social adaptation becomes especially relevant at critical stages of a person’s life and during periods of radical economic and social reforms.

Social adaptation is understood as the process of a person’s active adaptation to new social conditions of life. In the process of adaptation, a person acts as an object of influence from the social environment and as an active subject aware of the influence of this environment.

The adaptation process represents a wide polyphony of assimilation of social values ​​through socialization mechanisms. Man, as an active subject, studies and uses in his life the products of human civilization, which include managerial, economic, psychological, educational technologies and methods of developing social space. In fact, all elements of human culture are involved in the formation of personality through the mechanism of adaptation, which is an integral part and a necessary dominant of social development. Sociality is an important aspect of a person, his qualitative characteristic. The only exceptions are mentally ill people or those who have not gone through the stages of socialization since childhood (“Mowgli effect “1”).

The immediate impetus for the beginning of the process of social adaptation is usually the realization by a person or a social group that the behavioral stereotypes learned in previous social activities no longer ensure success and that it becomes important to rebuild behavior in accordance with the requirements of new social conditions or a new social environment for the adapting person .

As a rule, there are four stages of a person’s adaptation to a new social environment: 1) The initial stage, when an individual or group realizes how they should behave in a new social environment, but are not yet ready to recognize and accept the value system of the new environment and tend to adhere to the previous system values; 2) The stage of tolerance, when the individual or group and the new environment are mutually tolerant of each other’s value systems and behavioral patterns; 3) Accommodation, i.e. recognition and acceptance by the individual of the basic elements of the value system of the new environment, with simultaneous recognition by the new social environment of part of the values ​​of the individual, group 4) Assimilation, i.e. full coordination of the value systems of the individual, group and environment.

The intensity of adaptation processes in society largely depends on the stage of its development. In times of serious social changes, and even more so in times of social catastrophes, adaptation processes acquire particular intensity and affect almost all layers of society. The example of post-Soviet society clearly shows that almost every person must solve the problem of adapting to new social conditions, defining and recognizing a new position in society, and this process is not always equally successful. In addition, it should be noted that with the acceleration of social development, the intensity of adaptation processes in society as a whole increases. This leads to the fact that the processes of social adaptation become almost continuous in an evolutionarily developing society, and the ability to adapt to changes becomes vital not only for young people, but also for older generations. Readiness for change becomes one of the main conditions for a person’s success in life. As a result, the role of purposeful activities of state and public organizations, the role of education and applied science in the implementation of social adaptation processes in modern society is significantly increasing. Society, through a system of institutions and targeted programs, pays special attention to facilitating the processes of social adaptation of its members, whose ability to independently adapt to changes is limited. Thus, in many countries, programs for the social adaptation of disabled people, retired military personnel in the event of massive reductions in the army, migrants, released prisoners, etc. are being developed and implemented. Programs to promote the social adaptation of youth are no less important in a modern transitional society.

A distinction should be made between adaptation as a process and adaptability as a result of the process of social adaptation. There are subjective and objective adjustment criteria. Objective is the degree to which a person implements the norms and rules of life accepted in a particular social group. The subject is satisfaction with belonging to a certain social group, the conditions that are provided for the satisfaction and development of basic social needs.

Basic diagnostic issues

Diagnosing the adaptation of first-graders involves conducting an in-depth individual examination. It is aimed at obtaining information about the qualitative indicators of the main necessary changes that must occur in all areas of the child’s life and activity.

The main goal of diagnosis is to identify children who have difficulty adapting and need professional help. Based on the results of the study, individual development trajectories of schoolchildren should be determined and recommendations should be developed for teachers and parents to support children in the process of their school adaptation.

Diagnostics are initiated by the school administration in order to obtain general information about the level of adaptation of all first-graders. This type of activity must be recorded in the school’s work plan for the academic year. The school psychologist is directly involved in conducting research and processing data in close collaboration with the class teacher of first-graders.

Diagnostics is carried out in several stages.

1. Observation - takes place during the first month of school to detect peculiarities in the child’s behavior during lessons and breaks.
2. The survey is carried out from September 15 to 30. Aimed at establishing:

• the level of mental development of first-graders, identifying children who are lagging behind the age norm;
• the degree of formation of motives for learning, identification of the leading motive;
• stability of the student’s emotional state, the presence of negative or positive emotions that the child experiences in different educational situations;
• level of school anxiety, analysis of factors that cause discomfort, tension, and fear in a first-grader.

1. Drawing up individual conclusions - after the survey, final processing of the data obtained is carried out, on the basis of which:

• children at risk are identified;
• recommendations are developed for teachers and parents.

The basis for drawing up such a conclusion should be a summary table with diagnostic results. It may look like this.

1. Familiarization of participants in the educational process with the results of diagnostics of adaptation of first-graders - the final conclusions are discussed during:

• small teachers' council or consultation (most often they are held during the autumn holidays);
• individual consultations;
• parent meeting.

1. The development of individual programs for working with children with signs of maladjustment occurs in close cooperation with all interested parties. This work must be completed by the end of the first quarter. The program must include:

• group classes;
• individual psychological and pedagogical support;
• individual forms of work aimed at solving specific problems.

You can use these recommendations from R.V. Ovcharova.

1. Implementation of individual programs takes 1–4 months.
2. Repeated diagnostics should be carried out at the end of the school year (April - May) to obtain final data.
3. The final stage is necessary to compare the starting and final indicators. At this stage, the dynamics of the child’s development are analyzed and the effectiveness of the implementation of the recommendations and programs developed is established.

Based on the information provided, the psychologist must draw up a plan for diagnosing the level of adaptation of first-graders, specifying the indicated areas of activity. It may have this form:

To obtain complete and reliable information about each child during the diagnostic process, it is also necessary to carry out:

• parent survey;
• interviewing teachers;
• study of children's medical records.

The main direction of diagnostic activity is conducting surveys and testing of first-graders using various techniques. It can be carried out both individually and in group form. Typically, it takes 15–20 minutes to examine one child.

Adaptation and correction as categories of special psychology

Adaptation in a broader sense in psychology is the adaptation of a person to his environment.

Adjustment is a person’s adaptive actions, which represent internal changes in a person and are aimed at restoring the disturbed balance between a person and the environment, as a result of changes occurring in the environment.

Human adaptation has two aspects:

1. Biological (adaptation of the body);
2. Psychological - adaptation of a person as an individual to existence in society (micro- and macrosocial environment) in accordance with the needs of society and one’s own needs, motives and interests.

The specificity of adaptation processes in developmental disorders is characterized by:

• Deficiency of certain functional systems due to organic damage to the analyzers or the central nervous system;
• manifestations of some general patterns of impaired mental development - the greatest influence on the adaptation process is exerted by:

a) difficulties in interacting with people in the environment; And

b) slower rates of assimilation and processing of information.

• Features of adaptation of sensory organs whose functions are partially impaired.

Adaptation processes in children with developmental disorders proceed more slowly, and the state of maladaptation occurs more easily than in normally developed children.

Reducing adaptation difficulties and bringing the mental development of abnormal children closer to a normal state (normalization) is achieved through correction and compensation of developmental disorders.

Correction in the modern sense is overcoming or mitigating deficiencies in mental and physical development through various psychological and educational influences.

Amendments are measures aimed at correcting violations of various aspects of mental function.

In Russian defectology, the term “correction” (pedagogical correction) was first used by V.P. Kashchenko in relation to children with behavioral disorders. It was then extended to mentally retarded children. Today, the correctional orientation of pedagogy is considered one of the basic principles of work in all special educational institutions.

Psychologists and teachers (Italian teacher M. Montessori (1870-1952), Belgian teacher Decroli (1871-1933), Russian teacher A.N. Grabarov (1885-1949), G.M. Dulnev) developed systems of therapeutic and pedagogical work with developmentally delayed and mentally ill children.

Including programs:

1) Sensorimotor correction:

• Sensory development (enrichment of sensory experience);
• Motor development

2) studying the native language and mastering speech;

3) study of general education subjects;

4) special lessons on instilling a culture of behavior,

5) scientific work, 6) games, 7) drawing, singing, 9) movements, Þ formation of sensory culture; Þ formation of a culture of action 10) Development of memory processes

11) Formation of mental activity (sensorimotor, speech, general education subjects, etc. contribute to the development of thinking);

As noted by L.S. Vygotsky, correction is most successful in relation to secondary deficits, while primary deficits can only be slightly reduced due to corrective (psychological and pedagogical) influences.

Observation

The most common diagnostic method is observation. The most commonly used method is sample observation. During its implementation, only those features of the child’s behavior are recorded that distinguish him from the general mass of first-graders. Observation is carried out simultaneously for all children in the class. Basic requirements for organizing surveillance:

• presence of an observation scheme;
• systematic;
• objectivity.

Observation should also include:

• analysis of the child’s progress;
• viewing notebooks;
• listening to oral responses;
• analysis of existing interpersonal relationships.

As a result of observations, the main seven components are assessed (on a 5-point scale):

• educational activity;
• mastering program materials;
• behavior in lessons;
• behavior during breaks;
• relationships with classmates;
• relationship with the teacher;
• emotions.

The corresponding scores and conclusions must be entered into the school adaptation card.

The total points can be interpreted as follows:

• 35 – 28 – high level of adaptation;
• 27 – 21 – average;
• 20 or less is low.

To conduct observations during the adaptation period, you can use Stott's map , which provides for the study of asociality, infantility, subordination, activity and uncertainty.

Factor Asociality, Infantility, Subordination, Activity, Uncertainty - see here.

With this method, the overall score is not displayed, but each criterion is assessed separately. After this, groups of children with the highest (above 65%) scores for each factor are determined.

Test "Houses"

Another method for diagnosing first-graders’ adaptation to school is the “Houses” test. It is carried out to determine:

• value orientations;
• social emotions;
• personal relationships.

This test is a color association study. The author of the test is O.A. Orekhova. To carry it out you need to prepare:

• questionnaire;
• 8 pencils (black, grey, brown, purple, blue, green, yellow, red).

Pencils should not look different from each other.

For the study, you need to invite a group of children (10-15 people) and seat them separately from each other. It is imperative that the teacher is not present in the classroom during the diagnosis. Children must complete three tasks.

Exercise 1.

There is a picture of a house, to which a path of 8 rectangles leads. First graders are asked to color them in order, and each color can only be used once. First you need to choose the color you like best and decorate the first rectangle. Next, take the color that you like best among the remaining ones. The last rectangle will be painted with the ugliest color, in the child’s opinion.

Task 2.

Children will color a picture that shows a street with several houses. The psychologist should explain that different feelings live in these houses and children need to choose for each of them the color with which they are associated when naming such words: happiness, grief, justice, resentment, friendship, quarrel, kindness, anger, boredom, admiration .

In this task, the same color can be used several times. If schoolchildren do not understand the meaning of any of the named words, then the psychologist explains it.

Task 3.

The picture used is the same as in the previous task. Now the children must decorate the houses in a color that symbolizes their inhabitants. The soul of a child lives in the first house. The inhabitants of houses 2-9 are responsible for his mood in such situations:

• when he goes to school;
• in a reading lesson;
• in a writing lesson;
• in a math lesson;
• when communicating with the teacher;
• when communicating with classmates;
• when he is at home;
• when doing homework.

In the tenth house, the child must himself accommodate any “colored” tenant, who will signify his special condition in a situation that is important to him personally. After completing this task, each first grader must tell the psychologist what exactly this tenth house means to him (it is better to do this so that the other children do not hear), and he makes a corresponding note on the questionnaire.

When summing up the results of this diagnosis of adaptation of first-graders, the psychologist should focus on the following numbering of colors: 1 - blue, 2 - green, 3 - red, 4 - yellow, 5 - purple, 6 - brown, 7 - black, 0 - gray.

To avoid having to do such complex calculations yourself, you can try to find a special program on the Internet designed to process the results of this test.

Concept of human adaptation

The term “adaptation” is one of the key concepts in the scientific study of living organisms, since it is the adaptive mechanisms developed during the process of evolution that ensure the ability of the organism to exist in constantly changing environmental conditions. Adaptation is a dynamic process by which the mobile systems of living organisms maintain the stability necessary for existence, development and reproduction, despite the variability of conditions.

The French physiologist C. Bernard was one of the first to study the functioning of a living organism as an integral system. He put forward the hypothesis that every living organism, including humans, exists because it is able to maintain parameters of the internal environment of the organism that are favorable for its existence, and this, in turn, occurs because all systems and processes operating in the body are in a state of equilibrium. As long as this balance is maintained, the body lives and functions. Thus, according to Bernard, the constancy of the internal environment is a condition for a free life. Later, Bernard's idea about the constancy of the internal environment was supported and developed by the American physiologist W. Cannon, who called this property homeostasis.

Homeostasis is a moving state of equilibrium of any system, which is maintained by its resistance to internal and external factors that disrupt this balance. One of the central points of the doctrine of homeostasis is the idea that every system strives to maintain its stability. According to Cannon, when the body receives signals about changes that threaten the system, it turns on devices that continue to operate until it manages to return the system to a state of equilibrium. When the balance of the processes and systems of the body is disturbed, the parameters of the internal environment are disrupted, and the living organism begins to get sick. And the painful state persists throughout the entire period of restoration of parameters, which ensures the normal functioning of the body. If the parameters necessary to maintain equilibrium are not achieved, the body may try to achieve equilibrium with other, altered parameters. In this case, the general condition of the body may differ from normal. Very often, a manifestation of this balance is a chronic disease.

However, the vital activity of the body is ensured not only by the desire for internal balance, but also by constant consideration of factors influencing the body from the outside. The fact that every living organism exists in a specific environment. It cannot exist outside the environment, since it must constantly receive the components necessary for life (for example, oxygen) from the external environment. Complete isolation of a living organism from its environment is equivalent to its death. Thus, a living organism striving for internal balance must simultaneously adapt to the environment in which it is located.

In the process of adaptation, the maintenance of homeostasis in the interaction of the organism and the environment is achieved, therefore adaptation includes not only the optimization of bodily functions, but also the maintenance of balance in the “organism-environment” system.

The adaptation process occurs whenever significant changes occur in the body-environment system and ensures the formation of a new homeostatic state, which allows achieving maximum efficiency of physiological functions and behavioral reactions. Since the body and the environment are not in static equilibrium, but in dynamic one, their relationship is constantly changing, as is the process of adaptation.

The modern understanding of adaptation is based on the work of I.P. Pavlova, I.M. Sechenova, P.K. Anokhin, G. Seli, etc. Despite the presence of numerous definitions of the phenomenon of adaptation, objectively there are some basic manifestations that make it possible to establish that adaptation is, firstly, a property of the organism, and secondly, the process of adaptation to changing environmental conditions, in - thirdly, the result of interaction in the “person-environment” system; fourthly, the goal towards which the organism strives.

An analysis of modern literature allows us to talk about three main areas of research that are most closely related to the problem of adaptation.

Questionnaire “Level of School Motivation”

To determine the level of adaptation of first-graders to school, you can also use diagnostics of the child’s motivational sphere according to N.G. Luskanova . It is conducted in the form of a short questionnaire, the questions of which are read aloud, and children must choose the appropriate answer.

When processing the results, all answers must be entered into a table that contains a special key for determining the number of points received.

The calculation results should be interpreted as follows.

This technique allows not only to identify the level of adaptation of schoolchildren, but also to identify the reasons leading to a decrease in the child’s motivation to attend school.

Mental adaptation

Adaptation mechanisms are of a mental nature, therefore mental adaptation is a significant component of the successful adaptation of a person as a whole.

Figure 2. Psychological adaptation of the individual. Author24 - online exchange of student work

Adapted mental activity, according to domestic psychiatrist Yu.A. Alexandrovsky, is the most important factor that provides a person with a state of health. We can talk about the “norm” when the level of mental adaptation corresponds to the necessary level for active life.

Mental adaptation is a kind of result of the activity of an integral self-governing system. The combination of individual components ensures its activity, and their interaction gives rise to new integrative qualities. The state of mental adaptation will be the result of the functioning of the entire system. It makes it possible to most optimally not only resist natural and social factors, but also actively and purposefully influence them.

According to R.M. Baevsky, adaptation processes maintain balance within the organism, as well as between the organism and the environment, and as control processes they are associated with the choice of a functional strategy that ensures the fulfillment of the main goal.

In general, the entire system of mental adaptation is always ready to perform its characteristic functions. She returns to the initial state of operational rest after she has adequately responded to the environmental factor that influenced her.

Psychological adaptation is characterized by two concepts - adaptability and non-adaptation and is expressed in the coordination of goals and results.

The possible adaptive orientation of a person has different options:

1. Homeostatic option. The goal of an adaptive outcome is to achieve equilibrium;
2. Hedonic option. The adaptive outcome is to obtain pleasure and avoid pain;
3. The pragmatic option is practical benefit, success. Human mental adaptation differs from all other self-governing systems by the presence of mechanisms of conscious self-regulation.

“Ladder” technique

To determine the level of self-esteem of a child when diagnosing the adaptation of first-graders to school, it is recommended to use the “Ladder” technique. To carry it out, you need to prepare a drawing of a staircase with numbered steps.

The child is invited to familiarize himself with this arrangement of schoolchildren on the steps:

• 1 - the nicest guys;
• 2 and 3 - good;
• on 4 - neither good nor bad;
• 5 and 6 - bad;
• at 7 - the worst.

The first grader must indicate the step on which, in his opinion, he himself should be. You can draw a circle on this step or put another mark. There is no need to focus on the numbering of steps when conducting the test. It is desirable that the same ladder be drawn on the board, and the psychologist would simply point to each step and explain its meaning, and the children would simply correlate it with their image.

The results are assessed as follows:

• 1 - inflated self-esteem;
• 2 and 3 - adequate;
• 4 - underestimated;
• 5 and 6 - bad;
• 7 - sharply underestimated.

This technique can be replaced with a similar test “Mugs” .

Also, to determine the level of self-esteem of a first-grader, you can use the method of studying adaptation the Luscher method , which is carried out using special forms.

“Determination and correction of the level of adaptation of students in grades 1, 5, 10 to school education”

MAOU "Sagan - Nur Secondary School"

I affirm:

Head teacher

_____________________B.A Yesheev

"_______"____________________2019

Program

“Determination and correction of the level of adaptation to school education for students in grades 1, 5, 10”

Compiled by:

Teacher psychologist

S.I. Kalinina

p. Sagan - Nur, 2021

Relevance.

Modern society is interested in maintaining and improving human health. This problem is one of the main ones. The factor and consequence of this circumstance is largely a disruption in the course of adaptation. Therefore, the study of the mechanisms and patterns of human adaptation in a variety of industrial and social conditions at various levels is currently acquiring fundamental importance.

During the entire period of a person’s life - from the moment of birth until death - he is continuously accompanied by the process of adaptation. This process is inseparable from the very concept of “life”: life without adaptation is unthinkable, just as adaptation does not exist outside the life cycle of a living organism. In the context of ongoing socio-economic transformations, a decrease in the adaptation reserve and the ability to successfully carry out activities and coordinated development is observed in both adults and children.

In its most common meaning, school adaptation is understood as a child’s adaptation to a new system of social conditions, new relationships, requirements, types of activities, and mode of life. According to research results, adaptation disorders currently occur in 20-40% of primary school students. Premature start of education, intensive educational programs, increased volume of information, the desire to develop the intellectual abilities of children, their creative activity in general educational practice are not always consistent with the possibilities of preserving and strengthening their health. An unfavorable course of adaptation indicates a decrease in the body's functional reserves and overstrain of regulatory systems, which is accompanied by the occurrence of somatic diseases.

A person is an object of adaptation to living conditions. To adapt a child to school means to bring him to an understanding of the need to fulfill educational and social requirements and to assume the role responsibilities of a schoolchild. It is quite natural that such an adaptation occurs not only at the external, behavioral level, but also at the internal, personal level; certain attitudes are formed. Personal qualities that make a child a good student - obedient, diligent, non-conflict.

Adapting a child means adapting him to development. In this case, the child feels himself to be the author of his life in a specific school environment, he has developed psychological properties and skills that allow him to meet the requirements and norms to the required extent, he has developed the ability to develop in this environment, to realize his needs without conflicting with the environment . The school and the child mutually adapt to each other.

The discovery of features of the formation of properties and abilities that are significant for socio-psychological adaptation at various stages of ontogenesis deserves close attention. In this case, special attention is paid to primary school age. It is at the age of 7-10 that adaptation disorders can have negative consequences for personal development. The most generally accepted position at present is that the activities of general education institutions should consist not only in the transfer of knowledge, but also in nurturing the qualities and abilities of students. Promoting the formation of children's adaptive abilities is possible only by creating favorable conditions.

Subject of observation and research

: the adaptation process of 1st and 5th grade students.

Purpose of the study

: study of factors influencing the adaptation of students in elementary school.

Tasks:

1. Determination of the level of adaptation using the following methods: L.M. Kovaleva, Scott's Map - a parallel to the first classes;

2. Determination of the level of maladaptation, level of anxiety, school sociometric status using the Phillips method. Comprehensive diagnostics to determine well-being, motivation, self-esteem, communication status, relationships with class teams and class teachers.

3. Identification of the main factors influencing the level of adaptation or maladaptation.

Adaptability

can be defined as the level of a person’s adaptation, which manifests itself through his social status and sense of self, satisfaction or dissatisfaction with himself and his life. A person can be harmonious and adapted, or disharmonious and maladapted. As research indicates and practice shows, maladaptation always has a psychosomatic nature (both soul and body). People vary in their level of adaptability. The innate foundations of adaptability are instincts, temperament, body constitution, emotions, innate intellect and abilities, external data, and the physical state of the body. The level of adaptability increases or decreases under the influence of upbringing, training, conditions and lifestyle. It is known that school adaptation is understood as a child’s adaptation to a new system of social conditions, new relationships, requirements, types of activities, and mode of life. However, adaptation is not only an adaptation to successful functioning in a given environment, but also the ability for further psychological, personal, and social development. There is a concept of school maladjustment, which means a set of signs indicating a discrepancy between the socio-psychological and psychophysiological status of a child and the requirements of the school learning situation, the mastery of which for a number of reasons becomes difficult or impossible.

School maladjustment

manifests itself in disturbances in academic performance, behavior and interpersonal interactions. Already in the elementary grades, children with similar problems are identified and untimely recognition of their character and nature, the lack of special corrective programs lead not only to a chronic lag in the acquisition of school knowledge, to a decrease in educational motivation, but also to various forms of deviant behavior.

Criteria for maladjustment: aggression towards people, excessive mobility, constant fantasies, feelings of inferiority, stubbornness, inadequate fears, hypersensitivity, inability to concentrate at work, uncertainty, frequent emotional disorders, deceit, noticeable solitude, excessive gloom and dissatisfaction, achievements below the norm chronological age, high self-esteem, constant running away from school and home, finger sucking, nail biting, enuresis, facial tics, constipation, diarrhea, trembling fingers and intermittent handwriting, talking to oneself. These symptoms can be in extreme variants of the norm (accentuation of character, pathocharacterological formation of personality) and borderline disorders (neuroses, neurosis-like states, residual organic disorders), severe mental illnesses (epilepsy, schizophrenia).

Risk factors for the development of maladjustment

• shortcomings in preparing a child for school, social and pedagogical neglect
• long-term and massive deprivation
• somatic weakness of the child
• disturbances in the formation of certain mental functions and cognitive processes
• disorders of the formation of school skills (dyslexia, dysgraphia, iscalcumia)
• movement disorders
• emotional disorders.

Main directions:

1. Medical approach.

Relatively recently, the term “disadaptation” appeared in the domestic, mostly psychiatric literature, denoting a violation of the processes of interaction between a person and the environment. Its use is quite ambiguous, which is revealed primarily in assessing the role and place of states of maladaptation in relation to the categories “norm” and “pathology”. Hence the interpretation of maladaptation as a process that occurs outside of pathology and is associated with weaning from some familiar living conditions and, accordingly, getting used to others; understanding of maladaptation as violations revealed by accentuations of character; assessment of pre-neurotic disorders, neurotic states as the most universal manifestations of mental maladjustment. The term “maladaptation”, used in relation to mental patients, means a violation or loss of the individual’s full interaction with the world around him.

2. Social-psychological approach.

For a deeper understanding of the problem, it is important to consider the relationship between the concepts of socio-psychological adaptation and socio-psychological maladjustment. If the concept of socio-psychological adaptation reflects the phenomena of inclusion of interaction and integration with the community and self-determination in it, and socio-psychological adaptation of the individual consists in the optimal realization of a person’s internal capabilities and his personal potential in socially significant activities; in the ability, while maintaining oneself as an individual, to interact with the surrounding society in specific conditions of existence, then socio-psychological maladjustment is considered by most authors. State of mental maladjustment and their compensation. M.: Medicine, 1976. 68 p. as a process of violation of the homeostatic balance of the individual and the environment, as a violation of the individual’s adaptation due to certain reasons; as a violation caused by “the discrepancy between the innate needs of the individual and the limiting requirements of the social environment; as the inability of the individual to adapt to his own needs and aspirations.

In the process of socio-psychological adaptation, a person’s inner world also changes: new ideas and knowledge about the activities in which he is engaged appear, as a result of which self-correction and self-determination of the individual occur. The self-esteem of the individual also undergoes changes, which is associated with the new activity of the subject, its goals and objectives, difficulties and requirements; level of aspirations, image of “I”, reflection, “I am a concept”, assessment of oneself in comparison with others. Based on these grounds, the attitude towards self-affirmation changes, the individual acquires the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities. All this determines the essence of his socio-psychological adaptation to society and the success of its course.

Among the manifestations of mental maladaptation, the so-called ineffective maladaptation is noted, which is expressed in the formation of psychopathological conditions, neurotic or psychopathic syndromes, as well as unstable adaptation as periodically occurring neurotic reactions, sharpening of accentuated personality traits.

The result of socio-psychological maladaptation is a state of personality maladjustment.

The basis of maladjusted behavior is conflict, and under its influence an inadequate response to the conditions and demands of the environment is gradually formed in the form of certain deviations in behavior as a reaction to systematically, constantly provoking factors that the child cannot cope with. The beginning is the child’s disorientation: he is lost, does not know what to do in this situation, to fulfill this overwhelming demand, and he either does not react at all or reacts in the first way that comes his way. Thus, at the initial stage the child is, as it were, destabilized. After some time, this confusion will pass and he will calm down; if such manifestations of destabilization are repeated quite often, then this leads the child to the emergence of persistent internal (dissatisfaction with himself, his position) and external (in relation to the environment) conflict, which leads to persistent psychological discomfort and, as a result of this condition, to maladaptive behavior.

Brief characteristics of children of primary school age

“Elementary school age is a period of absorption, accumulation of knowledge, a period of mastering primarily. The successful fulfillment of this important function is facilitated by the characteristic features of children of this age: trusting submission to authority, increased receptivity, attentiveness, and a naively playful attitude towards much of what they encounter.” Within the framework of the existing age periodization, primary school age is defined from 6-7 to 10-11 years and is determined by the most important circumstance in a child’s life - his enrollment in school. At this time, intensive biological development of the child’s body occurs. The basis of this restructuring (it is also called the second physiological crisis) is an endocrine shift. Such a physiological restructuring requires a lot of stress from the child’s body to mobilize all its reserves. During this period, the mobility of nervous processes increases, excitation processes predominate, and this determines such characteristic features of younger schoolchildren as increased emotional excitability and restlessness. Physiological transformations cause great changes in the mental life of the child. The formation of voluntariness (planning, implementation of action programs, control) moves to the center of mental development. There is an improvement in cognitive processes (perception, memory, attention) and the formation of higher mental functions (speech, writing, reading, counting). It is at this age that the child first begins to clearly understand the relationship between him and others, to understand social motives of behavior, moral assessments, and the significance of conflict situations, that is, he gradually enters the conscious phase of personality formation. The emotional sphere of the child changes. On the one hand, younger schoolchildren largely retain the ability to react violently to individual events and situations that affect them. Children are sensitive to the influences of surrounding living conditions, impressionable and emotionally responsive. During this period, two defining motives of behavior come into conflict: the motive of desire (“I want”) and the motive of obligation (“I must”). If the motive of desire always comes from the child himself, then the motive of obligation is more often initiated by adults. At the age of 7-11 years, the child begins to understand that he represents a certain individuality that is subject to social influences. The child’s self-awareness develops intensively, and its structure is strengthened, filled with new value orientations. The profound changes occurring in the psychological appearance of a primary school student indicate the wide possibilities for the child’s development at this age stage. During this period, the potential of the child’s development as an active subject, learning about the world around him and himself, gaining his own experience in this world, is realized at a qualitatively new level.

Junior school age is sensitive for:

· formation of learning motives, development of sustainable cognitive needs and interests;

· development of productive techniques and skills of educational work, “ability to learn”;

· revealing individual characteristics and abilities;

· development of skills of self-control, self-organization and self-regulation;

· formation of adequate self-esteem, development of criticality towards oneself and others;

· mastering social norms, moral development;

· developing communication skills with peers, establishing strong friendships.

The most important new formations arise in all areas of mental development: intelligence, personality, and social relationships are transformed. The leading role of educational activity in this process does not exclude the fact that the younger student is actively involved in other types of activities (games, elements of work, sports, art, etc.), during which the child’s new achievements are improved and consolidated.

Levels of adaptation to school, forms of maladjustment

Children do not “get used to” the new living conditions with equal success. High level of adaptation. The student has a positive attitude towards school and perceives the requirements adequately; learns educational material easily; diligent, listens carefully to the teacher’s instructions and explanations; carries out instructions without external control; occupies a favorable status position in the class.

Average level of adaptation. The student has a positive attitude towards school, visiting it does not cause negative experiences; understands educational material if the teacher presents it in detail and clearly; concentrated and attentive when performing tasks, instructions, instructions from an adult, but under his control; is concentrated only when he is busy with something interesting to him; He carries out assignments conscientiously and is friends with many of his classmates.

Low level of adaptation. The student has a negative or indifferent attitude towards school; complaints of ill health are common; depressed mood dominates; violations of discipline are observed, the material explained by the teacher is learned in fragments, independent work is difficult, he needs constant supervision; maintains efficiency and attention during extended rest breaks; passive; has no close friends.

Factors causing a high level of adaptation

: complete family, high level of education of father and mother, correct methods of education in the family, absence of a conflict situation due to alcoholism (father) in the family, positive style of attitude towards children of the teacher, functional readiness for learning at school, favorable status of the child in the group before admission to first grade, satisfaction in communication with adults, adequate awareness of one’s position in the peer group. The influence of unfavorable factors on a child’s adaptation to school, according to the same study, has the following sequence: incorrect methods of education in the family, functional unpreparedness for school, dissatisfaction in communicating with adults, inadequate awareness of one’s position in the peer group, low level of education of the father , mothers, conflict situation in the family due to alcoholism, negative status of the child before entering first grade, negative teacher’s style of attitude towards children, single-parent family. Entering school is associated with the emergence of the most important personal new formation - the internal position of the student.

The internal position is a motivational center that ensures that the child is focused on learning, has an emotionally positive attitude toward school, and strives to conform to the model of a “good student.”

In cases where the most important needs of the child, reflecting the position of the schoolchild, are not satisfied, he may experience persistent emotional distress, a state of maladjustment. It manifests itself in the expectation of constant failure at school, bad attitude towards oneself from teachers and classmates, fear of school, and reluctance to attend it. Thus, school maladaptation is the formation of inadequate mechanisms for a child’s adaptation to school in the form of learning and behavior disorders, conflict relationships, psychogenic diseases and reactions, increased levels of anxiety, and distortions in personal development.

Subgroup I - “Norm”.

Based on psychological diagnostic observations and characteristics, it can include children who:

- cope well with the academic load and do not experience significant difficulties in learning;

-successfully interact with both teachers and peers, that is, they have no problems in the area of ​​interpersonal relationships;

-do not complain about deteriorating health status - mental and somatic;

-do not exhibit antisocial behavior.

The process of school adaptation in children of this subgroup is generally quite successful. They have high motivation for learning and high cognitive activity.

Subgroup II - “Risk Group”

(possible occurrence of school maladjustment), requiring psychological support. Children usually cope poorly with the academic load and do not show visible signs of social behavior disorders. Often the area of ​​disadvantage in such children is quite hidden on a personal level; the student’s level of anxiety and tension increases as an indicator of developmental problems. An important signal about the beginning of trouble can be an inadequate indicator of a child’s self-esteem with a high level of school motivation; violations in the sphere of interpersonal relationships are possible. If at the same time the number of diseases increases, this indicates that the body begins to react to the emergence of difficulties in school life due to a decrease in defensive reactions.

Subgroup III - “Unstable school maladjustment.”

Children of this subgroup are distinguished by the fact that they cannot successfully cope with the academic load, the process of socialization is disrupted, and significant changes in psychosomatic health are observed.

Subgroup IV - “Persistent school maladjustment.”

In addition to signs of school failure, these children have another important and characteristic sign - antisocial behavior: rudeness, hooliganism, demonstrative behavior, running away from home, truancy, aggression, etc. In its most general form, a schoolchild’s deviant behavior is always the result of a violation of the child’s assimilation of social experience, a distortion of motivational factors, and a disorder of adapted behavior.

Subgroup V - “Pathological disorders”.

Children have an obvious or implicit pathological deviation in development, unnoticed, manifested as a result of education or deliberately hidden by the child’s parents upon admission to school, as well as acquired as a result of a serious, complicated illness.

Pathological conditions:

-mental (mental development delays of varying degrees in the emotional-volitional sphere, neurosis-like and psychopathic disorders);

-somatic (presence of persistent physical ailments: disorders of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive systems, vision, etc.)

-physiological (lethargy, low mobility, etc.)

Determining the level of adaptation

Subgroup I - “Norm” corresponds to a high level of adaptation. Sum of points from 9 to 16.

Subgroup II - “Risk group” corresponds to an average level of adaptation. From 17 to 24 points.

Subgroup III - “Unstable school maladaptation” corresponds to a level of adaptation below average. From 25 to 32 points.

Subgroup IV - “Persistent school maladaptation” corresponds to a low level of adaptation. From 33 to 40 points.

Subgroup V - “Pathological disorders” corresponds to the lowest level of adaptation. Over 41 points.

Study of adaptation features of younger schoolchildren

Entering school is associated with the emergence of the most important personal new formation - the internal position of the student. In the fall of 2013, a psychological study was conducted to determine the level of adaptation in primary schoolchildren. Students from grade 1 “A” took part in the study. The study of the subjects was carried out using methods: the Phillips method of diagnosing the level of school adaptation, and the projective drawing method “What I like at school” by N.G. Luskanova.

Using Phillips' method, the level of school (situational) adaptation was determined. Analysis of the results obtained revealed that the level of school adaptation in children is fundamentally different; these differences are the individual characteristics of each of the subjects. This study, which allows us to determine the level of school adaptation of first-graders, shows that 73% of students out of 30 people have a high level of adaptation, which allows them to feel comfortable in the school environment, this indicates that the student has a positive attitude towards school and perceives the requirements adequately, learns educational material easily, is diligent, listens carefully to the teacher’s instructions and explanations, carries out assignments without external control and with a special desire, shows interest in independent work, and occupies a favorable status position in the class. 20% of the thirty subjects have an average level of school adaptation, this indicates that students have a positive attitude towards school, visiting it does not cause negative experiences, they understand the educational material if the teacher presents it in detail and clearly, students are focused and attentive when completing assignments, instructions, instructions from an adult, but under his supervision, children are concentrated only when they are busy with something interesting to them, they carry out assignments conscientiously, students with an average level of school adaptation are friends with many classmates. Finally, 7% of the thirty subjects presented have a low level of school adaptation, this means a real danger that the child may lose the desire to learn, fulfill the responsibilities of a schoolchild, and lose faith in his own strengths and capabilities. Those with a low level of school adaptation have a negative or indifferent attitude towards school, such children have frequent complaints about ill health, a depressed mood dominates, students violate discipline, they learn the material explained by the teacher in fragments, the independent work of children with a low level of school adaptation is difficult, they need constant supervision , maintain efficiency and attention during extended rest breaks; such children are passive and have no close friends in the class. More specifically, with regard to the study of this group, the indicators of the level of school adaptation as a whole can be assessed as high, since the majority of the subjects had positive results of the study, which indicates their successful adaptation to the learning process at school.

Program part of the study of adaptation of children in first and fifth grades

The use of observation methods - structured (controlled), participant, field, random. Primary school teachers were offered time intervals for conducting observations - from September 10 to October 10 (for a month) and an observation tool in the form of a table, which had to be completed for each student. Using the help of class teachers in conducting observations was necessary in order to obtain more accurate data, as well as so that the fact of the presence of an outsider would not distort reality.

Location of observation

MAOU "Sagan - Nur Secondary School"

The number of students in the first classes is 63.

Tasks required for data analysis:

1. Statistical data processing.

2. Calculation of the sum of points by factors: social, psychological, physiological.

3. Distribution of each observable by adaptation level.

4. Determination of the dependence of the level of adaptation on age, type of family, social, psychological, physiological factors.

Conclusion

So, summing up the results of this work, we can say that our goal—to study the factors influencing the adaptation of students in elementary school—has been achieved. All the factors we are considering, namely the social, psychological, physiological, age factor and family type factor, as expected, influence the process of adaptation of children in elementary school. But it should not be ruled out that there are other reasons - factors of maladaptation of students in primary school. The choice of these factors was based on the chosen theoretical model of L.M. Kovaleva and Yu.A. Alexandrovsky.

In the process of work, the task of testing the selected theoretical model together with a methodology for diagnosing the process of adaptation of students at school in an empirical study was formulated, i.e. in our study. In general, it is difficult to say whether the chosen path to solve this problem took place, but we can confidently say that this theory, together with the chosen methodology, quite specifically reflect the essence of the study.

After we have analyzed the data, we can draw the following conclusions: the factors considered (social, psychological, physiological, family type, age) are factors influencing the process of adaptation of children in elementary school. Each of the factors has its own specific influence. But our task was to determine the main factor, otherwise we would have received some vague results. Ultimately, our research suggests some help for both teachers and parents, i.e. What signs should you pay more attention to when working or communicating with children? Thus, the main factor of all considered is social. If a child is active in communication and cognitive activity, is sufficiently disciplined, and succeeds in studies, then you can be sure that the adaptation process is successful and there is no reason to worry. It is worth noting that the psychological factor has a great influence on the adaptation process. The child’s mood, reactions of aggression, anger, and expression of fear are some of the main indicators of student adaptation. And finally, the physiological factor. It also affects the process of adaptation of children at school, which cannot take place successfully without physical activity and good general well-being of the child.

We also considered the factors age and family type. As for the type of family, as one would expect, children from single-parent families have a lower level of adaptation at school than children from intact families. This may be due to the fact that the family environment plays a role in the child’s worldview, and, as a rule, the category of single-parent families is non-standard for society. Based on age, it turned out that children in 1st grade have a lower level of adaptation than children in 4th grade. But it is worth noting that students in grades 2 and 3 have a lower level of adaptation than first graders. This result can be explained by the fact that it is during this period that children form their final attitude towards school, establish stronger connections with peers and teachers, and by the 4th grade, the process of adaptation to school conditions is completed.

Anxiety test

To determine the level of anxiety in a first-grader, it is proposed to conduct a survey of teachers and parents, more details.

When summing up the results, it is necessary to calculate the total score, which sums up the results of both surveys.

a “Good-Bad Chart” test to determine a child’s emotional problems

There is another projective method for diagnosing school anxiety that is similar in its direction (A.M. Prikhozhan).