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IJEC (2015) 47:79103
DOI 10.1007/s13158-014-0127-4
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Linda J. Harrison Elizabeth Murray
Published online: 21 October 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014
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 childrens 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 ndings conrm the potential of the PMSSW as a tool for gathering childrens 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 childrens experiences of school transition.
L. J. Harrison
Research Institute for Professional Practice, Learning and Education, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW 2795, Australia
E. Murray (&)
School of Teacher Education, Charles Sturt University, Locked Bag 49, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australiae-mail: [email protected]
Stress, Coping and Wellbeing in Kindergarten: Childrens Perspectives on Personal, Interpersonal and Institutional Challenges of School
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80 L. J. Harrison, E. Murray
Keywords Starting school Wellbeing Pictorial measure Kindergarten
Coping strategies
Rsum Commencer lcole exige que les enfants grent une vaste gamme dattentes et de ds personnels, interpersonnels et institutionnels, alors que peu de mesures rapportes par les enfants ont captur la diversit de ces expriences. Dans cet article, lentrevue Pictorial Measure of School Stress...