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"anyw- ‘rv .‘ ~< 5 .. .4. ‘uu F1}. ~ 1 i '\. .‘ ? 9? v .x “3;. x 7212! ii 1.14:.nv3c 4 F7” 95! :-L !‘?u b ., . v ._ . 2... i‘l Waywa- ww ammo-:3 . dual. .,'., ‘1.) 4 u.. .7 s MICHIGAN STAT EU I I III IIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlIIIIII 300885 0079 II This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE RELATION BETWEEN TEMPERAMENT AND ADJUSTMENT TO THE PRESCHOOL presented by Ra tana Jews uwan has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Master' Sde Child Development erg eein Major professor 0—7639 MS U is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution 4_A_. ‘..—.‘. A ~ A..__. r \ LIBRARY “kaiser: State University Km»- 1- PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due. _ DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE :3: 1 1 19w» ll ——I MSU Is An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution chcMuna-o.‘ THE RELATION BETWEEN TEMPERAMENT AND ADJUSTMENT TO THE PRESCHOOL BY Ratana Jewsuwan A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Family and Child Ecology 1991 g 0/— ¢9<9<9 ABSTRACT THE RELATION BETWEEN TEMPERAMENT AND ADJUSTMENT TO THE PRESCHOOL BY Ratana Jewsuwan Research indicates that temperament is related to children's adjustment to school. A lack of studies of positive adjustment in preschool children inspired this study. The two purposes of this study were to find the relation between temperament and school adjustment of preschool children, and to examine the similarity of the perceptions of children's temperament between teachers and parents. The parents completed a demographic questionnaire and a temperament measure. The teachers completed the same temperament measure as the parents, a behavioral problem measure, and a positive adjustment behavior measure. The results revealed that highly sociable children were regarded as better adjusted, while highly active or highly emotional children were regarded as less well-adjusted to preschool. Regarding temperament and perceptions of others, children were viewed similarly on measures of sociability, emotionality, and activity level. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my appreciation to Dr. Thomas Luster and Dr. Jeanne Brown for their guidance, patience, time and encouragement throughout the process of conducting this research. This thesis would have been impossible without their suggestions and assistence. Their help has been invaluable. I would like to thank Dr. Marjorie Kostelnik for her insightful feedback on the instrument and for her help in the laboratory work. In addition, I want to give special thanks to the teachers in the early childhood laboratories and the parents who volunteered in the study. Thanks to my friends for the faith they have had in me. I especially want to thank my friend, Phong Le, who has helped me in every way at any time ever since the very first days of my years here. I would not have made it without his help. Last but not least, I am most grateful to my parents, Sia and Kornjan Jewsuwan, who supported me through school and my uncle, Major General Teerapol Intrawicha, without whom I would not be what I am today. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES......... .............. ......... CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION....................... Problem and Rationale......... Defining Temperament.......... The Importance of Temperament. Cross-situational Consistency ........ Research Questions ......... ... II REVIEW OF LITERATURE............... Temperament and Adjustment to Preschool............ ..... . Temperament and Perception of Others. Consistency of Temperament across Settings..... ..................... Summary........................ III METHODOLOGY....... ........ ......... Sample Description. ................ Instruments................... Data Collection Procedures.... Data Analyses. .......... .... ......... iv Page 15 18 19 21 21 23 32 33 IV RESULTS................................... Introduction......................... The Relation between Temperament and School Adjustment................. The Relation between Temperamental Characteristics in the Home and Temperamental Characteristics in the Preschool..................... V DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS......... ...... Temperament and Adjustment to Preschool......................... Temperament and Perception of Others. Summary ....... . ...................... Suggestions for Future Research....... BIBLIOGRAPHY.......... ..... . ............... ..... APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRES..................... APPENDIX B LETTERS AND FORMS .................. Page 35 35 35 4O 45 45 46 48 48 50 56 67 LIST OF TABLES Table 1 Sociodemographic Characteristics of Sample..... 2 The Reliability Estimates for the Instruments.. 3 Correlations between the Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of Temperament and Behavior Problems.................................... 4 Correlations between Mothers' and Fathers' Perception of Temperament and Positive Social Behaviors as Assessed by Teachers............ 5 Correlations between Parents' Perceptions of Temperament and Adjustment to Preschool. ..... 6 Comparison of Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of Child's Temperament....................... 7 Comparison of Mothers' and Teachers' Perceptions of Child's Temperament....................... 8 Comparison of Fathers' and Teachers' Perceptions of Child's Temperament....................... vi Page 22 25 37 37 41 41 43 43 Chapter I INTRODUCTION Problem and Rationale Although researchers are not always in agreement on such matters as the origins of individual differences in temperamental characteristics, they tend to agree that knowledge of children's temperament is useful in predicting other aspects of functioning. One purpose of this study, therefore, is to examine the relationship between temperament and the school adjustment of preschool children. Such information may prove to be useful to parents and teachers who are helping children make the transition from home to the preschool setting. The second objective of this study is to find whether the teacher and the parent rate the same child similarly on various temperamental qualities. For the second query, if both parties have the same perception, it will support the fact that behavioral style is consistent across situations. It is generally assumed that people behave somewhat consistently across situations, but this conventional wisdom has been challenged in recent years by social cognitive researchers (Mischel, 1968). f e m a n Temperament refers to the behavioral style of the child. In their pioneering work, Thomas, Chess, and Birch (1956) defined temperament "as a general term referring to the how of behavior. It differs from ability, which is concerned with the what and how well of behaving, and from motivation, which seeks to account for why a person does what he is doing." [p.4]. In their research, they identified nine distinct aspects of temperament. They are: 1) Activity Level is the extent to which a motor component exists. For example the motility the child displays during eating, playing, and bathing. 2) Rhythmicity (Regularity) is the predictability in the timing of any function, such as, the sleep-wake cycle, feeding pattern and elimination schedule. 3) Approach or Withdrawal is the nature of the response to a new stimulus such as new food, new toy, or new person. 4) Adaptability is the change in response to new altered situations not the initial response as in approach or withdrawal. 5) Threshold of Responsiveness is the intensity level of stimulation needed to evoke a response. Reactions to sensory stimuli, environmental objects, and social contacts are used to assess this aspect of temperament. 6) Intensity of Reaction is the energy level of response. 7) Quality of Mood is the amount of pleasant, joyful, and friendly behavior, as contrasted with unpleasant, crying, and unfriendly behavior. 8) Distractibility is the effectiveness of extraneous stimuli in interfering with ongoing behavior. 9) Attention Span and Persistence is the combination of the two categories. Attention span is the length of time a particular activity is pursued by the child. Persistence refers to the continuation of an activity in the face of obstacles. Thomas, Chess, and Birch (1963) noted that certain clusters of characteristics were found among children in their study. They identified three major types. There is an easy child who is generally happy, flexible, and regular. This child gets along well with almost everyone and presents few problems to parents and teachers. Next is the difficult child who is intense, demanding, inflexible, and cries a great deal. The final type is the "slow-to-warm-up" child who does not respond well to changes in his/her environment: however, his/her reactions are not intense. She or he has a low activity level and has a tendency to withdraw from new stimuli. Other theorists in the field of temperament use other terms to describe temperamental characteristics. For example Rothbart and Derryberry (1981) use the term reactivity, Goldsmith and Campos (1982b) refer to emotionality, while Lerner and Lerner (1982) prefer interactive behavior. Buss and Plomin (1975) originally proposed the following three distinct aspects of temperament: 1) Activity level which is defined as energy output. For example an active person moves around more than other people, hurries more than others, and keeps busier than those around him. 2) Emotionality refers to level of arousal, reactivity, and excitability. 3) Sociability is defined as seeking other persons, preferring their presence, and responding.to them. The Importance of Temperament From the 19205 until the 19505 environmental determinism was dominant in the field of developmental psychology. Most researchers, prior to the classic study of Thomas, Chess, and Birch (1963), agreed that individual differences in personality development resulted from differences in environmental stimuli and life experiences. Thomas, Chess, and Birch launched their study on temperament in 1956 because they were struck by the clear evidence of individual differences in very young infants. In addition, their repeated inability to make a direct correlation between environmental influences and the child's psychological development provided the impetus for them to explore innate individual differences in the children. They were also concerned for mothers of mentally ill children who were blamed for their children's illnesses. The clinical background of the investigators led them to believe that environment could not fully account for differences in the children. Temperament characteristics may influence how people respond to and interact with children (Rutter, 1977). When interacting with an easy child, people are more likely to be responsive, exhibit joy in care- giving, and interact in a relaxed manner. The difficult child will experience some strain in interaction with his/her care-giver because of his/her inflexibility, intensity, and tendency to be demanding. For a child to be labeled as difficult or easy depends largely on how people perceive the child. In 1977, Thomas and Chess proposed a model of a fit between the child and the care-giver called "Goodness of Fit". This model refers to the fit between organism and environment. If the child with a low level of activity happens to be in the family of parents with low activity level, this is a good match. If a child with a high level of activity happens to be born to this same family, the parents will be worn out by his/her activeness. They may even perceive the child as hyperactive when, in fact, the child might be just a typically active child.. Even if children have a good fit within the family environment, problems still can occur. The easy child who has few problems at home may encounter conflict between his/her own desire and the demands of people outside the family. For example a relatively quiet, non-assertive child may have difficulty coping with aggressive peers. Knowledge of temperamental characteristics may be useful for predicting how a child is likely to respond to stressful situations such as making a transition to settings other than home, or the arrival of a new sibling. In particular, temperament may influence how successfully a child makes the transition from home to school. This study will examine how temperamental characteristics are predictive of the child's transition to preschool. C 055- tu ion 1 Co 5 ste c Most researchers seem to agree that genetic differences contribute to individual differences in temperament. Thus, one would expect to see some consistency in children's behavioral style across settings and situations. In contrast to this view, Mischel (1968) has argued that most behavior is highly situation specific, and that cross-situational consistency is rarely found. For example in a classic study done by Hartshorne and May (1928), children's honesty was tested in a variety of tempting situations. This study concluded that honesty is not a consistent trait in children; the extent to which children were honest depended upon situational parameters. If children are consistent in their behavioral style across settings, we would expect to find similarities in their parents' and their teachers' perception of them. This study will test this hypothesis. W To summarize, the purpose of this study is to address the following questions: 1) To what extent are temperamental characteristics, as assessed by the parents, predictive of the child's adjustment to the preschool setting? 2) To what extent does the parent's perception of the child's temperament correspond to the preschool teacher's perception of the child's temperament? Few studies have examined these questions before. Those studies that have contributed relevant data will be discussed in the next chapter. Chapter II REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE In the previous chapter the purpose of the study was discussed. As noted, the central questions addressed in this study are: 1) To what extent are temperamental characteristics, as assessed by the parents, predictive of the child's adjustment to the preschool setting, and 2) To what extent does the parent's perception of the child's temperament correspond to the preschool teacher's perception of the child's temperament. This chapter reviews the literature concerning the effects of temperament on children's functioning and the extent to which the same children are perceived similarly by different observers. Temperament and Adjustment to Preschool A review of the research conducted on temperament and school adjustment reveals that significant relations between various temperamental qualities and children's adjustment to a school setting have been found. The most frequently used measure of individual temperament for children beginning day care or preschool has been the Thomas and Chess parental 9 10 questionnaire. This measure derived from interactionism theory -- the interaction between the individual organism and its environment. A model called "Goodness of Fit" was proposed by Thomas and Chess (1980). This notion refers to the fit between the characteristics of organism and its environmental demands. If the needs of the organism do not meet with the demand of the environment, it results in "poorness of fit". For example, in a very permissive unstructured school setting, the difficult child may receive a poor adjustment rating. This child, being highly distractible, may have a difficult time choosing an activity. Once he/she did, he/she may be distracted by other activities and would leave the activity he/she chose before completing the task. Possessing such characteristics as irregularity, non-adaptability, and a negative mood would contribute to poor adjustment in daily routines. These characteristics would make it more difficult for the child to fit into the new environment and routines. In another situation where quick adaptation is required, the slow—to-warm-up child, who needs his/her own pace to warm up, may be judged as having difficulty in adjusting. This child has a tendency to respond negatively to and withdraw from new situations. Poor adjustment may also be observed if the child reacts 11 negatively to the preschool daily routines. For instance, the child may complain about large group time being too long or outside play being too short. The child may also be viewed as poorly adjusted when he/she fusses and does not accept any substitute for the outdoor play that can't take place because of the rain. Finally, poor adjustment can also be seen in the easy child where he/she is required to conform to a different behavioral standard in the new environment. The child who is taught to be very polite with others may encounter difficulty when peers do not value politeness. They may view this child as strange because of his/her manners. The child may become a victim because he/she cannot defend himself/herself when other children make fun, threaten, or reject him/her. These behaviors may be viewed as poor social functioning when teachers are judging children's adjustment to the formal group settings. Although a number of researchers have used the theory and definition of temperament by Thomas and Chess (Thomas, Chess, and Birch, 1963, 1968; Thomas and Chess 1977, 1980), others have used alternative concepts and measures such as the EAS developed by Buss and Plomin (1975). The EAS assesses the heritable traits of emotionality, activity level, and sociability. Due to a lack of an accepted definition of 12 temperament, a wide variety of instruments were developed to assess temperamental characteristics of children. As a consequence, different aspects of temperament were used, making it difficult to compare results across studies. Studies relating activity level, a temperamental characteristic, and school adjustment have been conducted by Lewis (1977), Billman and McDevitt (1980), and Klein (1980). In a pilot study by Lewis (1977), preschool children who ranged in age from 30 to 42 months, were examined. Lewis found activity level to be significantly related to children's social behavior. The highly active child was found to be physically and socially active towards children and adults both at home and in the preschool setting. Similarly, Billman and McDevitt (1980) studied 78 children who ranged in age from 34 to 64 months (mean age = 53.2 months) and found that highly active children were involved in more conflict situations. They concluded that activity level is a significant determinant of the children's adjustment. Another study that revealed a significant correlation between activity level and adjustment to school was conducted by Klein (1980). Klein found that activity level affects the subjects at two stages. The first stage was immediately after entering day care; 13 the second, a few months after the date of entrance. The children in this study ranged in age from 21 to 60 months with the mean age of 42.8 months. At the first stage, the study showed activity level was positively correlated with maladjustment, as assessed by the Behar Preschool Behavioral Questionnaire (PBQ). High scores on the PBQ indicate that the child is poorly adjusted. Activity level was positively related to total PBQ (.37), hostile-aggressiveness (.26), anxious (.31), hyperactive-distractibility (.27), and global rating (.34). The global rating of adjustment, in this study, was a five point scale rating obtained from the child's primary care giver in the school setting. The scale ranged from "Top 20% - Very well adjusted to day care/ nursery" (1 point) to "Bottom 20% - Poor adjustment to day care/nursery" (5 points). At the second stage, activity level was positively related to four of the five measures: total PBQ (.37), hostile-agressiveness (.28), hyperactive-distractibility (.35), and global rating (.27). Thus in this study, high activity was associated with poor adjustment. Another dimension used in exploring adjustment was adaptability. Carey, Fox, and McDevitt (1977) suggested that the child is better adjusted when viewed as more adaptable. In Carey, Fox, and McDevitt's longitudinal study, adaptability was positively related to 14 adjustment (r = .35: p = .01). That is the child rated as more adaptable had less trouble adjusting to school. The subjects in this study were 50 children who ranged in age from 5 1/2- to 7-year-olds. Similarly, Martin, Nagle, and Paget (1983) found that the adaptability was negatively related to adjustment ranking (r = -.51), from most socially adjusted to least adjusted, among 80 first-grade children. This suggests that the more adaptable the child was, the lower ranking he/she received from the teacher. Adjustment scores were based on peer relations, relationships with adults, and emotional stability. Persistence was another dimension used in examining temperament and adjustment. Klein (1982) studied 52 kindergarten children with a mean age of 68.6 months and Head Start children with a mean age of 46.7 months. Klein reported that low persistence is negatively correlated with adjustment in the kindergarten sample. On the other hand, the Head Start children who were viewed as having poor adjustment, scored high in persistence. However, she believed that program structure and program goals may be the cause of this inconsistent finding. In the kindergarten group, high persistence was associated with poor adjustment because children were asked to do things in an orderly and systematic fashion just like in most school. In 15 constrast, the Head Start program had as its main goals for the children to acquire social skills and quantitative understanding; therefore, children were free to move from one activity to the next without any restrictions. In sum, activity level and adaptability show consistency across studies. Researchers found that a high activity level is associated with a poorer adjustment score, whereas, a higher score on adaptability is associated with better adjustment. In contrast, studies examining the relation between persistence and adjustment have produced in consistent results. Tempgpament and Perpeptiop of Opheps A small number of studies have investigated the extent to which different observers perceive the same child similarly. Some studies compare the perception of the mother and father, and in other cases, the parent's view is compared to the teacher's or another observer's view. Billman and McDevitt (1980) used children age thirty-four to sixty—four months to investigate the consonance of temperament ratings between interrater pairs: mother and observer, and observer and observer. The results showed significant consistency between 16 raters on "persistence" at home and school, but not on measures of social behavior such as smiling, verbalizing, receiving, pointing, playing, or touching. In the 1977 twin study by Cohen, Dibble, and Grawe, fathers tended to characterize their children as less attentive, ebullient, and talkative than mothers did. When gender was involved, both fathers and mothers rated boys as more attentive, hyperactive, ebullient, and sociable, less placid, and talkative than girls. Lyon and Plomin (1981), using 2- to 6-year old twin children, found that mother's and father's ratings of their children's temperament were significantly correlated (r =.51). Field and Greenberg (1982), observing 33 toddlers and preschoolers, found significant correlation across all rater pairs for dimensions such as rhythmicity, adaptability, and persistence (rs =.34 to .67). That is, the ratings derived from mothers and fathers, head teachers and assistant teachers, mother and teacher, and father and teacher were consistent with each other. Wilson and Matheny (1983) found a highly significant correlation between two staff members' ratings of emotional tone, attention, activity, and orientation to staff (rs =.65 to .92). Wilson and Matheny factor analyzed behavioral ratings assessed in a laboratory and the Toddler Temperament 17 Scale (TTS) which was completed by the mothers. They reported a significant correlation (r =.52, p <.001) between Laboratory Factor 1 -- emotional tone, attention, and orientation -- and TTS Factor 1 -- approach, adaptability, mood, attention span, and resistance to distraction. Conversely, Koegh, Pullis, and Cadwell (1980) found that parents and teachers rated the same young children somewhat differently. They believed that situational differences between home and school account for the incongruous ratings. For example, in a structured school setting, task orientation, distractibility, persistence, and activity tend to capture the teachers' attention. At home, however, these factors may be less important than socio- emotional interactions. Hubert, Wachs, Peters-Martin, and Gordour (1982) suggested that the lack of agreement between parental ratings, or between parents and observers, could be due to the following: First, the instrument reliability may be unsatisfactory. Second, there may be insufficient time spent with the subjects by the observers. A third possibility is that the children may display different aspects of temperament toward different people. They commented, also, that the low levels of interrater agreement may be a reflection of instrument failure. 18 They hypothesized that in the rating of behaviors, mothers, fathers, and observers may use different criteria. When parents rate their child's temperament, they may consider global perceptions, the emotional attachments, and specific behavior. Observers, on the other hand, may rate the child based on specific behavior only. Consistency of Tempepament across Settings Research has attempted to find the extent of consistency in the child's temperament in order to predict, ease, prevent or, at least, understand the child's reaction to new situations such as the arrival of a new sibling, a visit from a relative, or other new situations. In 1975, Matheny and Dolan studied twins in an unstructured free play situation and a relatively structured test taking situation. The results suggested low-moderate consistency of the individual's behavior relating to adaptability across settings due to the different demands of particular environments. Billman and McDevitt (1980) found that ratings of temperament at home and in school were significantly related to each other. The temperamental variables assessed were activity, intensity, rhythmicity, distractibility, and threshold (rs =.18 - .46). Much higher correlations 19 were revealed in studies by Wilson and Matheny (1983), and Matheny, Wilson, and Nuss (1984). They compared direct observations at laboratory settings with questionnaire ratings completed by the mother at home. The temperamental characteristics measured were emotional tone, sociability, activity, and attentiveness (rs =.28 - .57: p <.05) for the 1983 study by Wilson and Matheny. Matheny, Wilson and Nuss found convergent relationships between Laboratory Factor 1 and Questionnaire Factor 1. These relationships were found at three rating periods: 12, 18, and 24 months (rs =.52, .38 and .52 respectively). The Laboratory Factor 1 consisted of emotional tone, attentiveness, social orientation to staff, reaction to restraint, and activity variability while the Questionnaire Factor 1 consisted of mood, adaptability, intensity, approach and distractability. These studies show that children react similarly despite the differences in the environments. Summagy A number of investigators have found relationships between temperamental characteristics and adjustment to school. Yet, given the diversity of the measures used and lack of consistent findings, further research in this area is required. The literature on 20 the extent to which different observers view the child similarly in terms of temperament also produced inconsistent results. Some research found convergence between raters while other studies did not. Though consistent results regarding how the child behaved across settings were found, the strength of the correlations varied. Hence, further studies regarding these matters are needed. This research has two major objectives: First, to examine the relation between temperament and school adjustment. This information may be useful to parents and teachers who are helping children make the transition from home to the preschool. Second, this study will determine whether or not the teacher and the parent rate the same child similarly on various temperamental qualities. The answer to the second question will help us understand the extent to which behavioral style is consistent across situations.‘ In the next chapter, the methodology of the study will be discussed. The first section will focus on the sample description. The instruments, will be discussed next. Finally the data collection procedures, and the plan for the analyses will be examined. Chapter III METHODOLOGY The methods used to address the questions raised previously are described in this chapter. The chapter is divided into the following sections: 1) Sample Description, 2) Instruments, 3) Data Collection Procedures, and 4) Data Analyses. Sample Description The subjects for this study were all three, four, and five year old children attending a university child development laboratory for the first time during the fall term of 1988. The potential list of subjects was obtained through the school office. The parents of the children were informed about the study, in letters from the investigator and the program supervisor of the child development laboratories, and invited to participate in the study by completing a survey form. The actual number of parents who volunteered and returned a completed survey resulted in a total of 35 subjects. DescriptionsN f the ) 4 subjects and characteristics of the participants are __, ,---__.__-—.__.____, \‘ summarized in Table 1. The subjects ranged in age from 36 to 60 months with a mean age of 46.7 months (SD = 21 22 Table 1: Sociodemographic Characteristics of Sample Variables N Mean SD % W Age (months) 34 46.7 7.1 Sex 35 Male 24 68.6 Female 11 31.4 ' LEW-\Ww nagernal Chazacteglsgigs Age (years) 35 31.9 3.8 Eduational Background 35 17.1 2.8 Occupational Prestige 18 54.6 14.9 Marital status 35 Married . 91.4 Divorced 2 2.9 Separated 5.7 Ethnic Background 35 White/ European 65.7 Oriental/ Asian , 28.5 Hispanic/ Chicano artfiwtl. 2.9 Egyptian 2.9 W Age (years) 34 33.4 4.3 Educational Background 33 18.6 3.5 Occuaptional Prestige 25 59.9 20.4 “wk-t w» nope: Only occupations other than "Homemaker", "Graduate Student", and "Unemployed“ are reported in this table. 23 7.1). The number of males was 24 and females was 11. The descriptive data revealed the average age of the participating mothers to be 31.9 years (SD = 3.8), and the fathers' to be 33.4 (SD = 4.3). The participants, whose occupations are recognized, had an average occupational prestige classified by the U.S. Census Bureau of 54.6 (SD = 14.9) for the mothers and 59.9 (SD = 20.4) for the fathers. The mothers' average years of education was 17.1 (SD = 2.8) and the fathers' was 18.6 (SD = 3.5). Ninety-one percent were married, 3 percent were divorced, and 6 percent were separated. These subjects also represented different ethnic 7 \ groups: 66 percent were European, 29 percent were Asian, 3 percent were Hispanic, and 3 percent were Eyptian. IEéEIEEQEEfi 1) The Colppado thldhpod Temperament Ipvengogy (CCTI). This instrument, developed by David C. Rowe and Robert Plomin (1977), was originally designed to be used as a rating instrument for parents of children 1-6 years of age. The CCTI was developed by using two temperamental dimensions (attention span-persistance and distractibility) identified in the New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) by Thomas and his collaborators (1963, 1968), and four dimensions 24 (emotionality, activity, sociability, and impulsivity) from the EASI temperament measure developed by Buss and Plomin (1975). Rowe and Plomin (1977) factor analyzed NYLS and EASI items and found that impulsivity from the EASI broke into attention span-persistence components. Factors that emerged from both systems were sociability, emotionality, activity, attention span- persistence, reaction to food, and soothability. The items of the first three dimensions primarily derived were from the EASI while the items of the last three dimensions were mainly from the NYLS. The six scales of the CCTI are quite independent except for the relationship between emotionality and soothability. The CCTI consists of twenty-five items describing behaviors of children. Each of the five dimensions is assessed by five statements describing the child. For each item the respondent is asked to circle one response on a five-point scale ranging from "not at all like the child" to "a lot like the child". A copy of the instrument can be found in Appendix A. The internal consistency and the test-retest reliability of each dimension reported by Rowe and Plomin (1977) is shown in Table 2. The sociability dimension was designed to measure social behaviors of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Child makes friend easily, 2) Child is 25 Table 2: The Reliability Estimates for the Instruments V "" a n 5 Internal Test-retest Instruments Consistency Reliability 0 orad Ch dhood e e me t I ve to C Sociability .88 .58 Emotionality .80 .72 Activity Level .82 .80 Attention Span-Persistence .79 .77 Soothability .73 .43 Epeschoo; Behavio; Questionnire (PBQ) Total 9139 , - 437 Hostile-Aggressive - .93 Anxious-Fearful - .60 Hyperactive-Distractible — .94 WW Prosocial Behavior .90 - Positive Affect within the School Settings .94 - Peer Competence .93 - Ego Strength .95 - Adjustment to Preschool Routines .90 - apps: The reliabilities of CCTI derived from Rowe and Plomin (1977), and P80 from Behar and Stringfield (1974). 26 very friendly with strangers, and 3) Child takes a long time to warm up to strangers. A score for this scale is computed by summing the scores from the individual items. Response scales are reflected on certain items so that high scores always represent a high degree of sociability. The emotionality dimension was designed to measure the emotional tone of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Child gets upset easily, 2) Child tends to be somewhat emotional, and 3) Child reacts intensely when upset. A total score is computed by summing the five items in the subscales. High scores on this subscale indicate that the child is very emotional. The activity dimension was designed to measure the motoric vigor of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Child is very energetic, 2) Child is always on the go, and 3) Child prefers quiet, inactive games to more active ones. As was the case for the other subscales, a7 total score is computed by summing the items. High scores indicate that the child is very active. The attention span-persistence dimension was designed to measure two related sets of behaviors: attention span and the tendency to continue attempting to solve difficult learning or performance problems. A high score indicates a longer attention span and a tendency toward continuation of attention to difficult 27 tasks. Examples of items are: 1) Plays with a single toy for long periods of time, 2) Child persists at a task until successful, and 3) Child goes from toy to toy quickly. High scores on the measure indicate that the child is persistent. The soothability dimension was designed to measure the ease with which the child can be soothed if he or she is upset. Examples of items are: 1) Whenever child starts crying, he can be easily distracted, 2) When upset by an unexpected situation, child quickly calms down, and 3) If talked to, child stops crying. Children who are perceived as being relatively soothable receive high scores on the scale. The present study assessed only five dimensions: 1) sociability, 2) emotionality, 3) activity level, 4) attention span-persistence, and 5) soothability. The reaction to food dimension was dropped because the laboratory preschool is a half-day program and meals are not provided. 2) The Eresppool Behavio: Questionnaizg (PBQ). This instrument was developed by Lenore Behar and Samuel Stringfield (1974) and designed to be a quick screening instrument for the detection of emotional problems in children aged 3 to 6. The scale can also be used by preschool or day-care teachers or others who .‘i‘ ' - 28 have familiarity over time with a child in a group setting. Summing the thirty item scores yields a total score on the scale. The PBQ contains three factor- analytically derived subscales: 1) hostile-aggressive, 2) anxious-fearful, and 3) hyperactive-distractible. The thirty items describing behaviors of children are arranged in random order. The rater is given three response choices: 1) "Does not apply," 2) "Applies sometimes," and 3) "Applies frequently." The choices are weighted 0, 1, and 2, respectively. The test-retest reliability of this instrument reported by Behar and Stringfield is also shown in Table 2. The hostile-aggressive dimension was designed to measure conduct problems of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Destroys own or other's belongings, 2) Fights with other children, and 3) Not much liked by other children. A score for this scale is computed by summing the scores from the individual items. High scores represent a high degree of hostile-aggressive behavior. The anxious-fearful dimension was designed to measure personality problems. Examples of items are: 1) Is worried. Worries about many things, 2) Appears miserable, unhappy, tearful, or distressed, and 3) Has twitches, mannerisms, or tics of the face and body. High scores on the subscale indicate that the child is 29 anxious or fearful. The hyperactive-distractable dimension was deSigned to measure poor attention span and restlessness. Examples of items are: 1) Restless. Runs about or jumps up and down. Doesn't keep still, 2) Squirmy, fidgety child, and 3) Has poor concentration or short attention span. High scores on the measure indicate that the child is hyperactive and distractable. All the subscales in the instrument were used in this study. A copy of the PBQ is included in Appendix A. 3) The Preschopl Adjpstmept Qpestipppaipe (FAQ). This instrument was developed for this study because of the need to measure positive aspects of social behaviors -- behaviors generally viewed as being desirable. Most measures of behavioral adjustment available for preschool children focus on problem behaviors. The FAQ was divided into five subscales: 1) ‘prosocial behavior, 2) positive affect within the school setting, 3) peer competence, 4) ego strength, and 5) adjustment to preschool routines. Decisions about which dimensions to assess were based on concepts found in the literature on the social-emotional 30 development of preschool children and discussions with experienced preschool teachers. The PAQ consists of twenty-eight items describing positive behaviors of children. The number of items per subscale range from four for the positive affect within the school setting subscale to seven for the adjustment to preschool routines subscale. Teachers responded to each item based on a five point scale with responses ranging from "not at all like the child" to "a lot like the child". The respective items in each subscale are summed to produce a total score for each subscale. Data from this study were used to assess the internal consistency of the five subscales. The reliability coefficient, Cronbach's alpha, is presented for each of the subscales in Table 2. The coefficients ranged from .90 to .95. The prosocial behavior dimension was designed to measure cooperative and helpful behaviors of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Offers to help other children or adults, 2) Works with others toward common goals, and 3) Shares with others. The positive affect within the school setting dimension was designed to measure positive emotions on the part of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Cheerful, 2) Friendly, and 3) Relaxed. The peer competence dimension was designed to 31 measure the degree to which the child is skillful in interacting with peers. Examples of items are: 1) Seeks out other children to play with, 2) Allows other children to play with, and 3) Enters ongoing activities constructively. The ego strength dimension was designed to measure the self-confidence of the child. Examples of items are: 1) Confident, 2) Independent, and 3) Assertive. The adjustment to preschool routines was designed to measure how well the child adjusts to the preschool routines. Examples of items are: 1) Demonstrates understanding of daily schedule, 2) Cooperates with adults most of the time, and 3) Listens to teacher during circle time activities. A copy of the FAQ is included in Appendix A. 4) The Demographic Questionpaire (DQ). This instrument was developed for this study to generate information about the sample. Questions regarding ages of the child, mother, and father, father's and mother's levels of education, father's and mother's occupations, gender of the child, marital status of the parents, and nationality/ethnic background were asked. A copy of the Demographic Questionnaire is included in Appendix A. 32 Egg; Qollection Procedures The data for this study were collected from two sources. Parents of the subjects were asked to complete two instruments in late September which was the beginning of the school year. One of the instruments was a temperament measure to get information about how parents perceived their child, and the other was a demographic questionnaire to get general information about subjects. Both mothers and fathers were invited to participate. A letter requesting the parents' participation in the study was mailed to the home of 63 families of children between the ages of three and five with a return envelope enclosed. The letter was accompanied by a consent form, and the instruments to be completed by the parents. The three questionnaires included in the packet were: 1) a demographic questionnaire to be filled out either by the mother or the father, 2) The Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (a pink questionnaire with the indication on the upper right corner "TO BE FILLED OUT BY MOTHER"), and 3) another Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory (a yellow questionnaire with the indication on the upper right corner "TO BE FILLED OUT BY FATHER" (see Appendix B for letters and forms). The parents were asked not to consult each other when completing the questionnaire. Parents who did not respond to the 33 initial request were sent a follow-up letter. The teachers were asked to fill out three questionnaires: 1) the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory which was the same temperament measure that was filled out by the parents of the subjects, 2) the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (a standardized questionnaire used to assess adjustment problems in preschool children, and 3) the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire (an instrument developed for this study to assess positive behaviors -- behaviors generally viewed as being desirable in preschool children). The teachers completed the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory, Preschool Behavior Questionnaire, and Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire to the children who participated in the study at the end of the term. W The present study is a correlational study. Pearson correlations were computed to address the first question regarding the relationship between temperament and school adjustment. In these analyses, the relation between temperament as perceived by fathers and mothers, and adjustment as assessed by the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire and Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire were examined. Separate correlation matrices were computed using fathers' perceptions of 34 temperament and mothers' perceptions of temperament as the independent variables. The second question of this study was concerned with the relationship between temperamental characteristics in the home and temperamental characteristics in the preschool. Pearson correlations were used to assess the extent to which mothers' perceptions of the child were similar to the perceptions of the teachers. The correlation between mothers' rating and teacher's rating for each of the five temperamental characteristics was computed. The same procedure was utilized to assess the relationship between fathers' perception of temperament and teacher's perception of temperament. The Demographic Questionnaire was used to generate information about the sample. Means and standard deviations were computed for the following variables: 1) age of child, 2) age of mother, 3) age of father, 4) mother's level of education, 5) father's level of education, 6) mother's occupational prestige, and 7) father's occupational prestige. The percentage of children who are male and female, the marital status of the parents and the nationality/ethnic backgrounds of the children were determined from the demographic data also. Chapter IV RESULTS .1900, .‘ Introduction \pf “ The results of the statistical analyses are presented in this chapter. They will be reported according to the questions outlined in the preceding i chapter. The Relation between Temperament and School Adjustment Research question 1: To what extent are temperamental characteristics as assessed by the parents, predictive of the child's adjustment to the preschool setting? Correlational analyses were used to explore whether there were any associations between temperament and school adjustment. Relationships between parents' perceptions of temperament and the various measures of behavioral adjustment problems and positive social adjustment were generally moderate in magnitude. —Agtivity level as observed by mothers was kahr ;,K\ related to the E5E31 PBQ scores (r =.37: p <.05). Children who were highly active were viewed by teachers ‘\ as being less well-adjusted because high scores on PBQ ‘ indicate high level of behavioral problems. The total 35 36 PBQ was also correlated with sociability as observed by fathers (r --.27), and emotionality as observed by mothers (r =.26). Both correlations were significant at .10 level. (See Table 3). Children who were rated as less well-adjusted by teachers were viewed as being relatively emotional by mothers. On the other hand, children who were rated as more sociable by fathers were better adjusted in the preschool setting. The anxious-fearful dimension of the PBQ was significantly correlated with two dimensions of temperament as observed by fathers: emotionality (r 8.43: p <.05), and sociability (r =-.52: p <.01): and with two dimensions of temperament as observed by mothers: sociability (r =-.23: p <.10), and soothability (r --.38: p <.05). Children who were rated as anxious-fearful, indicating poorer adjustment, by teachers were rated as less sociable by both parents. Children rated as relatively emotional by fathers or difficult to sooth by mothers tended to be judged as less well-adjusted. The hyper-distractibility dimension of the PBQ was significantly related to three dimensions as observed by fathers: sociability (r =.26), attention span-persistence (r =.30), and soothability (r =.26). All were significant at .10 level. An interesting point to note here is that these 37 Table 3: Correlations between the Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of Temperament and Behavior Problems Temperament Total Hostile Anxious Hyper Socmom -.Ol .12 -.23+ .20 Socdad -.27+ .03 -.52** .26+ Emotmom .26+ .09 .31* -.07 Emotdad .38* .22 .43* -.04 Actmom .37* .24+ .17 .21 Actdad .10 -.08 .16 -.03 Attenmom .03 .04 -.05 .17 Attendad .19 .22 .01 .30+ Soothmom -.13 .03 -.38* .12 Soothdad .26 .10 .15 .26+ ngte: Socmom s Sociability perceived by mother, Socdad = Sociability perceived by father, Emot a Emotionality, Act a Activity, Atten - Attention-span Persistence, Sooth - Soothability, Total = Total PBQ, Hostile - Hostile-Aggressive, Anxious = Anxious-Fearful, Hyper = Hyper-Distractibility + p < .10 ‘ t p < .05 ** p < .01 Table 4: Correlations between Mothers' and Fathers' Perceptions of Temperament and Positive Social Behaviors as Assessed by Teachers PAQ Temperament Total Prosoc Posaff Peercom Ego Routines Socmom .37* .31* .41** .27+ .54** -.04 Socdad .61** .51** .69** .53** .55** .10 Emotmom -.54** -.38* -.56** -.42** -.57** -.27+ Emotdad -.46* -.24 -.60** -.34+ -.51** .05 Actmom -.06 -.04 -.07 .10 .00 -.30* Actdad .26 .32+ .07 .26 .10 .41* Attenmom .29+ .17 .20 .33* .30* .14 Attended .07 -.02 .13 .11 .08 -.07 Soothmom .39* .33* .32* .43** .23 .28+ Soothdad .14 .16 .11 .04 .17 .14 ERIE; Total - TotalPAQ, Prosoc - Prosocial Behavior, Posaff - Positive Affect within the School Setting, Peercom - Peer Competence, Ego - Ego Strength, Routines a Adjustment to Preschool Routines + p < .10 i p < .05 it p < .01 38 same temperamental characteristics as observed by mothers were unrelated to the hyper-distractibility of the PBQ. The total PAQ as well as all five subscales, showed significant correlations with children's temperamental characteristics. The total PAQ was related to the sociability ratings by fathers (r =.61) and mothers (r =.37), to emotionality ratings by fathers (r =-.46) and mothers (r =-.54), and to attention span-persistence ratings by mothers (r =.29). All were significant at .01 level except for attention span-persistence which was significant at the .10 level. The prosocial behavior dimension was significantly correlated with sociability as rated by both fathers (r =.51; p <.01) and mothers (r =.31; p <.05), with emotionality as viewed by mothers (r =-.38; p <.05), and activity as assessed by fathers (r =.32: p <.10). The positive affect within the school setting measure showed significant correlations with sociability as perceived by both fathers (r =.69) and mothers (r =.41), and with emotionality viewed by both fathers (r =-.60) and mothers (r =-.56). All were significant at the .01 level. The peer competence dimension was related to 39 sociability as observed by both fathers (r =.53; p <.01) and mothers (r =.27: p <.10), and with emotionality as perceived by mothers (r =-.42: p <.01), and by fathers (r =-.34; p <.10). The ego strength measure was observed to be positively related to sociability as rated by both fathers (r =.55) and mothers (r =.54), and negatively related to emotionality as viewed by both fathers (r =- .51) and mothers (r =-.57). All were significant at the .01 level. The adjustment to the preschool routines measure was negatively related to mothers' ratings of emotionality (r =-.27: p <.10), but was positively related to mothers' perceptions of soothability (r =.28; 'p <.10). Finally, there was a significant positive \1~_~pmwwrewm - correlation between activity level as observed by fathers and the adjustment to preschool routines (r =.41: p <.05). When the same dimension was observed by mothers, a negative direction was revealed (r =-.30; p <. 05). (See Table 4). The data here indicate that children who received better adjustment scores by teachers were viewed as more sociable by both parents, and less emotional by either mothers or fathers. Additionally, children who received higher scores on the attention 4O span-persistence dimension as rated by mothers or lower scores on activity level dimension as rated by fathers tended to receive better adjustment scores. In brief, high positive correlations were found between sociability observed by fathers and the teachers' global rating of adjustment score (r =.72: p < .01), and total PAQ (r =.61: p <.01). Moderate correlations were found between emotionality as perceived by both mothers and fathers and the global rating of adjustment score (r =-.41, and -.55), and total PAQ (r =-.54, and -.46); between soothability as viewed by mothers and total PAQ (r =.39), and global rating of adjustment score (r =.32). These results are reported in Table 5. Tne Relation between Temperamental Characteristics in fine Home and Temperamental Characteristicefiin the Epeschool Research Question 2: To what extent does the parent's perception of the child's temperament correspond to the preschool teacher's perception of the child's temperament? How similarly mothers and teacher perceive the same child was assessed by correlating the mothers' rating and teachers' rating for each of the five temperamental characteristics of the Colorado Childhood 41 Table 5: Correlations between Parents' Perceptions of Tempereament and Adjustment to Preschool Adjustment to Preschool Total Total Global PBQ PAQ Adjustment Transit ts' e ce 0 Socmom -.01 .37* .42** .10 Socdad -.27+ .61** .72** .23 Emotmom .26+ -.54** -.41** -.27+ Emotdad .38* -.46* -.55** -.19 Actmom .37* -.06 -.08 -.28+ Actdad .10 .26 -.05 -.32+ Attenmom .03 .29+ .10 .18 Attended .19 .07 .20 .19 Soothmom -.13 .39* .32* .03 Soothdad .26 .14 .12 .27 note; Transit = Transition + p < .10 * p < .05 ** p < .01 Table 6: Comparison of Mothers' Child's Temperament and Fathers' Perceptions of Fathers' Perceptions Soc Emot Act Atten Sooth Wises Soc .63** -.32+ .44* .17 .13 Emot -.32+ .57** .14 -.22 -.13 Act .34* -.04 .61** -.20 .01 Atten .24 .03 -.03 .45* .25 Sooth .37* .09 .26 .04 .09 + p < .10 t p < .05 ** p < .01 42 Temperament Inventory (CCTI). The same procedure was used to assess the similarity of fathers' and teachers' perceptions of temperament. In addition, the ratings of mothers and fathers were correlated. ”' In_an examination of correlations of mothers' and fathers' perceptions of temperamental characteristics, several significant correlations were noted: sociability (r =.63), emotionality (r = .57), activity level (r =.61), and attention-span persistence (r =.45). All were significant at .01 level except for the last dimension which was significant at the .05 level. Mothers' and fathers' assessments of soothability were not significantly related (r =.09). Thus, both mothers and fathers perceived the same child similarly on the dimensions of sociability, activity, emotionality, and attention-span persistence. As shown in Table 7, the mothers and teachers perceived children similarly on the following dimensions: activity level (r =.70: p <.01), sociability (r =.63: p <.01), soothability (r =.31: p <.10), and emotionality (r =.28; p <.10). A nonsignificant correlation was found for attention span-persistence (r = .15). .J ‘IKMTable 8 shows the correlations between fathers' ‘_._ -I-~ w..—.. ...H and teachers' perceptions of child's temperament. Fathers and teachers perceived children similarly on 43 Table 7: Comparison of Mothers' and Teachers' Perceptions of Child's Tempereament Teachers' Perceptions Soc Emot Act Atten Sooth o e s' e e t' Soc .63** -.00 .65** -.28+ .27+ Emot -.41** .28+ -.40* -.31 -.35* Act .16 .29+ .70** -.49** -.08 Atten .21 -.02 .04 .15 .04 Sooth .24+ -.04 .46** .01 .31+ + p < .10 * p < .05 ** p < .01 ‘ Table 8: Comparison of Fathers' and Teachers' Perceptions of Child's Temperament Teachers' Perceptions Soc Emot Act Atten Sooth Eatnegs' Eegeepgions Soc .64** -.21 .73** -.32+ .30 Emot -.26 .57** -.18 -.03 -.38* AC1: 041* 037* 054* -048** -027 Atten -.11 .04 .03 -.00 .07 Sooth .13 .06 .16 -.02 .12 + p < .10 t p < .05 ** p < .01 44 measures of sociability (r =.64: p <.01), emotionality (r =.57: p <.01), and activity level (r =.54: p <.05). Nonsignificant correlations were found for soothability (r -.07), and attention span-persistence (r = -.00). In summary, observers of children in two settings tended to rate children similarly on three dimensions of temperament -- sociability, emotionality, and activity level. Teachers and mothers rated children somewhat similarly on the soothability measure of temperament but the correlation between teachers' and fathers' ratings of soothability was not significant. Mothers and fathers perceived the children similarly in terms of attention span-persistence. However, parents and teachers did not rate children similarly on this dimension. Chapter V. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS The main objectives of the present study were: 1) to investigate the relationship between individual temperamental characteristics and adjustment to preschool, and 2) to determine if teachers and parents rate children similarly on measures of temperament. In this chapter, the findings pertaining to these objectives will be discussed. In addition, the. limitations of the current study will be noted and suggestions for future research will be discussed. e A ' s 0 es 00 The results of this study indicate that assessments of temperament are related to children's adjustment to preschool. The children had better overall adjustment scores when regarded as more sociable by fathers, less emotional by mothers or fathers, or more soothable by mothers. The results indicating that highly active children were perceived as less-well adjusted are consistent with the studies by Lewis (1977), Billman and McDevitt (1980), and Klein (1980). The results from the present research did not 45 46 support Klein's (1982) finding that high atttention span-persistence was related to preschool children's poor adjustment to school. Instead, children who were perceived to have high attention span-persistence by mothers received relatively favorable adjustment scores from teachers. It seems reasonable that attention span- persistence would be generally viewed as a desirable characteristic in a preschool setting. The child having high attention span-persistence is likely to focus diligently on the new activities and routines available in the preschool setting. As a consequence, the child ”......— - . m...— we‘”. , is viewed as better adjusted. » ; r"5 The correlations between the measures of temperament and measures of adjustment were typically in the expected direction. One notable exception, however, is the correlation between the hyper- distractibility subscale of the PBQ and fathers' perceptions of attention span-persistence. Children rated by fathers as high on attention span-persistence tended-to have less favorable scores on the hyper- /-”distractibility scale completed by teachers. There is .....- a”, C’" Tempepemene and Perception pf Qtneps The present research results revealed that mothers, fathers, and teachers perceived children 47 similarly in terms of sociability, emotionality, and activity level. These results are consistent with past studies by Billman and McDevitt (1980), Lyon and Plomin (1981), Field and Greenberg (1982), Wilson and Matheny (1983), and Wilson, Matheny, and Nuss (1984) showing that different observers view children similarly in terms of temperament. The results also showed that parents rated their children similarly on the attention span-persistence measure but parents and teachers did not view children similarly on this dimension. One possible explanation is that parents observed children in the same environment: the extent to which children persist in an activity may vary across settings. Children were rated similarly on the soothability measure only by teachers and mothers. The low correlations overall may reflect the fact that it is difficult to measure soothability reliably: of the five dimensions of temperament, soothability was found to have the lowest test-retest reliability coefficient (Rowe and Plomin, 1977). The observers also may have different expectations, attitudes, and values that influence how they view the child. Alternatively, different observers may have quite different experiences with the same child. When upset, children would normally go to people with whom they feel most 48 secure and comfortable. The children in the current study may have chosen to go to mothers rather than fathers, and teachers rather than other assistants when upset. This may allow more opportunities for mothers and teachers to observe this aspect of the child's temperament. Summary The general conclusion of this research is that there is an assOciation between children's temperamental characteristics and adjustment to preschool. The findings here suggest that high activity level and high emotional qualities in children are related to poorer adjustment to preschool, while high sociability is related to better adjustment. In regard to perceptions of the children's temperament by various observers, children were most likely to be viewed similarly on measures of sociability, emotionality, and activity level. Less consistency was found among various observers' ratings of attention span-persistence and soothability. Su es 0 f r Fut re Researc A limitation of this study is its lack of a random sampling procedure of the population. Instead, a convenience sample from a university laboratory 49 preschool was used. The sample was collected through available subjects and the number of volunteers was relatively small. Therefore, the generalization of the current study tends to be limited. For this reason, it is strongly suggested that the results can only be generalized to populations with similar characteristics. It is suggested that research of this kind be conducted with a larger, and more diverse sample. I In addition, it is suggested that further research be conducted to test the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire (PAQ) used to measure desirable behaviors in preschool children. Even though a high level of internal consistency was revealed in the reliability analysis of this instrument, additional testing to determine test-retest reliability coefficients and level of interrater agreement is needed. Finally, further research in this area may help significant adults in children's lives to better understand the effects of particular temperamental traits on the children's adjustment to preschool. BIBLIOGRAPHY BIBLIOGRAPHY Babbie. Earl. The_Brastise_2f_§gsial_Researsh. 4th ed. California: Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1986. Bates, John E. "Measurement of Temperament." In Tne Stndy of Temperemene: Qnenges, ContinuTties and QneTTengee, pp. 1-9. Edited by Plomin, Robert, and Dunn, Judith. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. Behar, Lenore, and Stringfield, Samuel. "A Behavior Rating Scale for the Preschool Child." Developmenne; Psychology (1974, Vol.10, No. 5): 601-610. Behar, Lenore, and Stringfield, Sam. "Manual for the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire." DeveTopmental zeyeinggy (September, 1974): 601-610. Berger, M. "Personality Development and Temperament." In Temperemental DTfferences in Ingants and Young Qnildren, pp. 176-187. Edited by Porter, Ruth (Organizer) and Collins, Geralyn M. Bath: The Pitman Press, 1982. . Billman, Jean, and McDevitt, Sean C. "Convergence of Parent and Observer Ratings of Temperament with Observations of Peer Interaction in Nursery School." Child Develo ment, 1980, 51, 395-340. Buss, Arnold, and Plomin, Robert. A Tempepement Theory 9; Pepsonality Developmen . Wiley Interscience, New York, 1975. Buss, A. H., and Plomin, R. T er e : E Dexel221ng_2er§9nalitx_lrait§- Hilsdale. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum associates, 1980. Buss, Arnold H., and Plomin, Robert. "The EAS Approach to Temperament." In The Stndy of Temperament: gnanges, ContTnuities and Challenges, pp. 67-77. Edited by Plomin, Robert, and Dunn, Judith. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. 50 51 Carey, William 3.; Fox, Marian; and McDevitt, Sean C. "Temperament as a Factor in Early School Adjustment." Pediatrics, 1977, 60, 621-624. Chess, Stella. "Temperament and Learning Ability of School Children." Anenican Jounal 9: Public Health, 1968, 58, 2231-2239. Chess, Stella: Thomas Alexander: and Cameron Martha. ”Temperament: Its Significance for Early Schooling." N1 univensity Egucetien Qnezterly, spring, 1976, 24-29. Chess, Stella, and Thomas, Alexander. Knew Yen: Child: An Authoritative Gnige for Teday's Parents. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, 1987. Chess, Stella: Thomas, Alexander; and Birch, Herbert. Your Child is a Person. New York: The Viking Press InC., 1965. Clayton, Keith N. An Intnednetien to Statistics; For Psychology and Education. Ohio: A Bell & Howell Company, 1984. Cohen, Donald J.: Dibble, Eleanor DSW: and Grawe, Jane M. "Fathers' and Mothers' Perceptions of Children's Personality." Arehives of Genernal Pershiatrx. 1977. 34. pp- 480-487- Crockenberg, Susan B. "Are Temperamental Differences in Babies Associated with Predictable Differences in Care-Giving?" In Temperament and Social Int_ragti2n_in_1nfant__a_d_9hildren pp- 57-73- Edited by Lerner, Jacqueline V., and Lerner, Richard M. California: Jossey-Bass, 1986. Field, Tiffany, and Greenberg, Reena. "Temperament Ratings by Parents and Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschool Children." Child Developmen , 1982, 53, pp. 160-161. Goldsmith, H. H., and Campos, J. J. "Toward Theory of Infant Temperament." In R. N. Emde and U. J. Harmon (Eds), IhQ_DQYElQEEQBL_QI_ALL§th§nL_§DQ Affilietive §ys stem . New York: Plenum, 1982.(b) Gordon Edward M., and Thomas Alexander. "Children's Behavioral Style and the Teacher's Appraisal of Their Intelligence." Jen;nel_efi_§engel Eeyenelegy., 1967, Vol V, No. 4, 292-300. 52 Hubert, Nancy C: Wachs, Theodore D: Peters-Martin, Patricia: and Gandour, Mary Jane. "The Study of Early Temperament: Measurement and Conceptual Issues. Chilg_neyelppnent, 1982, 53, 571- 600. Kagan, Jerome. "The Construct of Difficult Temperament. A Reply to Thomas, Chess, and Korn." neppill_ 2a alne e: Qnerteply, January 1982, Vol. 28, No.1, pp. 21-24. Keogh, Barbara. "Temperament and Schooling: What is the Meaning of Goodness of Fit?" In J.V. Lerner & R. M. Lerner (Eds. ), m e ament s oso ia Interaction in Infancy and Childhood New D1rs9ti2n§_f2r_ghild_nexslgnmenf California: Jossey-Bass, 1986, pp. 899- -105. Keogh, Barbara. "Children's Temperament and Teachers' Decision." In Tempepanentel Qiffepences in Infants and Youn Children, pp. 269-279. Edited by Porter, Ruth (Organizer) and Collins, Geralyn M. Bath: The Pitman Press, 1982. Keogh, Barbara. "Temperament and Schooling: Meaning of 'Goodness of Fit'?" In Temperament and Social Inneractipn in Infanpe and Children, pp. 89-108. Edited by Lerner, Jacqueline V., and Lerner, Richard M. California: Jossey-Bass, 1986. Keogh, Barbara. "Applying Temperament Research to School." In Iempepanent in Cnildhood, pp. 437-449. Edited by Kohnstamm, G.A., Bates, J.E., and Rothbart. Melbourne, Florida: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1989. ‘ Klein, H. A. "Early Childhood Group Care: Predicting Adjustment from Individual Temperament." Journal Qf Genegic Psycnolpgy, 1980, 137, 125-131. Klein, H. A. "The Relationship Between Children's Temperament and Adjustment to Kindergarten and Head Start Settings." The Jonpnal of Esyenelogy, 1982, 112, 259-268. Lee, Carolyn L., and Bates, John. "Mother-Child Interaction at Age 2 Years and Perceived Difficult Temperament." gnilg_peyelppnenp, 1985, 56, 1314- 1325. Lerner, Jacqueline V. "The Influence of Child Temperament Characteristics on Parent Behavior." In Bezenting: An Eeplogiee; Eepspective. Hillsdael, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc. 53 Inc. (in preparation). Lewis, J. L. "The Ralation of Individual Temperament to Initial Social Behavior." In Readings in Chiid Dexelonmen1_and_neiafignsnins. Edited by Smart. R. C., and Smart, M. S., New York: MacMillan, 1977. Locke, Lawrence F.: Spirduso, Waneen Wyrick: and Silverman, Stephen J. Proposais That Wong: A Gnide o nn sse o s Gr Pro osals. California: Sage Publications, Inc., 1987. Lyon, Margaret E., and Plomin, Robert. "The Measurement of Temperament Using Parental Ratings." 19p;ne1_p§ Qh1ld_2.22h21292_an__2_22hiatrx 1981 22. 47-54- Pullis, Michael E. ' ' 'o tween C '5 Tem erament n o oo aginepmenpy Doctoral Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 1979. Matheny, Adam P. Jr., and Dolan, Anne Brown. "Persons, Situations, and Time: A Genetic View of Behavioral Change in Children." 0 't and EQ£i§l_£§¥QthQQ¥: 1975 35. 1106 '1110- Matheny, Adam P.; Wilson, Ronald 8.; and Nuss, Sharon M. "Toddler Temperament: Stability across Settings and Over Ages." thlg_peyelepnenp, 1984, 55, 1200- 1211. Martin, Roy. "Activity Level, Distractibility, and Persistence: Critical Characteristics in Early Schooling." In Tem2s_ament_in_2hiidhgod pp. 451- 461. Edited by Kohnstamm, G. A., Bates, J. E., and Rothbart. Melbourne, Florida: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1989. Martin, Roy P.; Nagle, Richard; and Paget, Kathy. "Relationships Between Temperament and Classroom Behavior, Teacher Attitudes, and Academic Achievement." 1Qurnal_Qf__£§22n9edugatignal Assessmens. 1983. 1. 379-386- McDevitt, Sean C. "Continuity and Discontinuity of Temperament in Infancy and Early Childhood: A Psychometric Perspective." In The Study of ‘!9‘ au‘. ° 9- 0' 0! I ‘ o1. !- ‘1°“, pp. 27- 36. Edited by Plomin, Robert, and Dunn, Judith. New Jersey. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. 54 McDevitt, Sean C., and Carey, William B. "Stability of Ratings vs. Perceptions of Temperament from Early Infancy to 1-3 Years." Amerisan_lgurnal_gf Qrthgnsxshiatry. 1981. 51. 341-345- Plomin, Robert. "The Difficult Concept of Temperament: A Response to Thomas, Chess, and Korn." Menriii- 221222.922112112. January 1982. Bel-28. Ne-l. pp- 25-33. Rothbath, Mary K., and Derryberry, D. "Development of Individual Differences in Temperament." In hgvences in Deveiepnenpel Psychoiegy Edited by Lamb, M. E. and Brown A. E. (Eds.), Vol.1. Hillsdale, New Jersey: Erlbaum, 1981. Rowntree, Derek. Sta 5 cs w ea 8: P mer for Hen-Mathematieians. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1981. Rutter, Michael: Korn, Sam: and Birch, Herbert G. "Genetic and Environmental Factors in the Development of 'Primary Reaction Patterns'." Epitish Journal of Speiei glinieei Peyehelogy, Great Britain, 1963, 2, pp. 161-173. Rutter, Michael. "Individual Differences." In gnppe;_ny hersov L (eds) thig gsyehiatpy: Mogern Appppeehe_. Blackwell Scientific Publications: Oxford, 1977, p.3-21. Rutter, Michael. "Temperament: Concepts, Issues and Problems." In nephepingtpn and Pepke Qpntemporary Readings in Child Esycholpgy (3rd ed.), pp. 40-50. Rutter, Michael. "Temperament: Concepts, Issues and Problems." In Temperamental Dififerences in Infants and_Ygung_thldren. pp. 1-16- Edited by Porter. Ruth (Organizer) and Collins, Geralyn M. Bath: The Pitman Press, 1982. Rutter, Michael. "Temperament: Conceptual Issues and Clinical Implications." In Temperanent in thighppg, pp. 463-479. Edited by Kohnstamm, G.A., Bates, J.E., and Rothbart. Melbourne, Florida: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1989. Samaroff, Arnold J., and Seifer, Ronald. "Sociocultural Variability in Infant Temperament Ratings." thlg Deyelgnment. 1982. 53. 164-173- Scholom, Allan; Zucker, Robert A.; and Stollak, Gary E. "Relating Early Child Adjustment to Infant and 55 Parent Temperament" geurnei e; Abnepnel Chiid Eeyehplpgy, 1979, Vol.7, No.3, 297-308. SPSS Inc. SE§§LPC+TM V2.9: Base Manuel. Illinois: SPSS Inc., 1988. Super, Charles M., and Harkness, Sara. "Temperament, Development, and Culture." In The Study of er ' an C t uities and C 1 es, pp. 131-146. Edited by Plomin, Robert, and Dunn, Judith. New.Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. Thomas, A.: Chess, 5.: Birch, H.: Hertzig, M: and Korn, S. ehavio a vidua it Earl thlghppg. New York: New York University Press, 1963. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "Temperament and Behavior Disorder." In Tempepenenp_eng Development. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1977, pp. 27-47. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "Temperament and School Functioning." In Tenpe;emenp_eng Development. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1977, pp. 93-107. Thomas, A., and Chess, S. The Dynamics of Psychoiogical Development. New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1980. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "The Role of Temperament in the Contributions of Individuals to Their Development." In Individuals es Producens of Their Own Development: A Life-span Perspective, Edited by Lerner, R. M. and Busch-Rossnagel, N. A., New York: Academic Press, 1981, pp.231-255. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "Temperament and Follow-up to Adulthood." In Temperamentai Digfepences in Infants and Young Children, pp. 168-173. Edited by Porter, Ruth (Organizer) and Collins, Geralyn M. Bath: The Pitman Press, 1982. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "The New York Longitudinal Study: From Infancy to Early Adult Life." In he Stu 0 Tem era e : C an es Cpntinnities end Chaiienges, pp. 39-51. Edited by Plomin, Robert, and Dunn, Judith. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1986. Thomas, Alexander, and Chess, Stella. "Temperament and Personality." In Temperament in Childhood, pp. 56 251-251. Edited by Kohnstamm, G.A., Bates, J.E., and Rothbart. Melbourne, Florida: John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 1989. Thomas, Alexander; Chess, Stella: and Korn, Sam J. "The Reality of Difficult Temperament." Mezzill;£e1mep puerpeply, January 1982, Vol.28, No.1, pp. 1-20. Torgersen, Anne Mari. ”Influence of Genetic Factors on Temperament Development in Early Childhood." In em men f e enc ts ghilgzen, pp. 141-148. Edited by Porter, Ruth (Organizer) and Collins, Geralyn M. Bath: The Pitman Press, 1982. Turecki, Stanley, and Tonner, Leslie. The Difficult ghiig. Revised Edition. New York: Bantam Books, 1989. Williams. Frederick. Beas2ning_yifn_§fati_112§1_flgy_tg Be_d_Quanfifefiye_Re§eargh 3rd ed. New york: CBS College Publishing, 1986. APPENDIX A FAMILY BACKGROUND INFORMATION THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ARE CONCERNED WITH GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AND YOUR CHILD. ' Please answer the following by circling the correct response or filling in the correct response. 01. What is the sex of your child in this study? 1) M 2) F 02. When was the child born? Month Year 03. What is your relationship to the child? 1 FATHER / STEP-FATHER 2 MOTHER / STEP-MOTHER 3 OTHER (Please specify) Q4. What is your present age? 05. Are you currently employed outside the home? 1) YES 2) NO Q6. What is your main occupation or job title? C Q7. How many years of education have you completed? Q8. What is your marital status? MARRIED NIDONED DIVORCED SEPARATED SINGLE (NEVER MARRIED) U‘IDUNH Q9. What is your nationality? Q10. If you are an American citizen, what is your race/ethnic heritage? ASIAN BLACK / AFROAMERICAN HISPANIC / CHICANO NATIVE AMERICAN WHITE / EUROPEAN MéUNH If you are married, please complete 011-014. If you are not, you have completed the questionnaire. 011. Is your spouse currently employed outside the home? 1) YES 2) NO Q12. What is your spouse's main occupation or job title? 013. What is your spouse's present age? 014. How many years of education has your spouse completed? THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE. 57 58 TO BE FILLED OUT BY MOTHER COLORADO CHILDHOOD TEMPERAMENT INVENTORY 0 Name of the child ID number Name of the teacher Directions: Using the scale below, please circle the number that best indicates how well each of the 25 statements listed here describes your child. 1 2 3 4 5 not at all somewhat somewhat a lot like like the unlike the like the the child child child child SOCIABILITY Child makes friend easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is very friendly with strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is very sociable. 1 2 3 4 5 Child takes a long time to warm up to strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be shy. 1 2 3 4 5 EMOTIONALITY Child gets upset easily. . 1 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be somewhat emotional. 1 2 3 4 5 Child reacts intensely when upset. 1 2 3 4 5 Child cries easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child often fusses and cries. 1 2 3 4 5 ACTIVITY Child is very energetic. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is always on the go. 1 2 3 4 5 Child prefers quiet, inactive games to more active ones. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is off and running as soon as he wakes up in the morning. 1 2 3 4 5 When child moves about, he usually moves slowly. I 2 3 4 5 59 ATTENTION SPAN-PERSISTANCE Plays with a single toy for long periods of time. 1 2 3 Child persists at a task until successful. 1 2 3 Child goes from toy to toy quickly. 1 2 3 Child gives up easily when difficulties are encountered. 1 2 3 With a difficult toy, child gives up quite easily. 1 2 3 SOOTHABILITY Whenever child starts crying, he can be easily distracted. 1 2 3 When upset by an unexpected situation, child quickly calms down. 1 2 3 Child stopped fussing whenever someone talked to him or picked him up. 1 2 3 If talked to, child stops crying. I 2 3 Child tolerates frustration well. 1 2 3 Please make sure that you have answered every item. 5° To 33 FILLED ou'r BY [man COIDRADO CHILDHOOD '1'pr raven-roar Name of the child ID number Name of the teacher hipeepipne: Using the scale below, please cizcie the number that best indicates how well each of the 25 statements listed here describes your child. notlat all somezhat 3 V somewhat a 103 like like the unlike the like the the child child child child SOCIABILITY 1 Child makes'friend easily. 1 2 3 4 égyfizjj Child is very friendly with strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 [4» Child is very sociable. 1 2 3 4 5 Child takes a long time to warm up to strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be shy. 1 2 3 4 5 EMOTIONALITY Child gets upset easily. .{I 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be somewhat emotional. A 1 2 3 4 5 Child reacts intensely when upset. 1 2 3 4 5 Child cries easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child often fusses and cries. 1 2 3 4 5 ACTIVITY Child is very energetic. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is always on the go. 1 2 3 4 5 Child prefers quiet, inactive games to more active ones. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is off and running as soon as he wakes up in the morning. 1 2 3 4 5 When child moves about, he usually moves slowly. 1 2 3 4 5 61 ATTENTION SPAN-PERSISTANCE Plays with a single toy for long periods of time. 1 2 3 Child persists at a task until successful. 1 2 3 Child goes from toy to toy quickly. 1 2 3 Child gives up easily when difficulties are encountered. 1 2 3 With a difficult toy, child gives up quite easily. 1 2 3 SOOTHABILITY Whenever child starts crying, he can be easily distracted. 1 2 3 When upset by an unexpected situation, child quickly calms down. 1 2 3 Child stopped fussing‘whenever someone talked to him or picked him up. 1 2 3 If talked to, child stops crying. 1 2 3 Child tolerates frustration well. 1 2 3 Please make sure that you have answered every item. 62 COLORADO CHILDHOOD TEMPERAMENT INVENTORY Name of the child _ ID number Name of the teacher Qigectione: Using the scale below, please circle the n umber that best indicates how well each of the 25 statements listed here describes your child. 1 2 3 4 5 not at all somewhat somewhat a lot like like the unlike the like the the child child child child SOCIABILITY Child makes friend easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is very friendly with strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is very sociable. 1 2 3 4 5 Child takes a long.time to warm up to strangers. 1 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be shy. 1 2 3 4 . 5 EMOTIONALITY Child gets upset easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child tends to be somewhat emotional. 1 2 3 4 5 Child reacts intensely when upset. 1 2 3 4 5 Child cries easily. 1 2 3 4 5 Child often fusses and cries. 1 2 3 4 5 ACTIVITY Child is very energetic. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is always on the go. 1 2 3 4 5 Child prefers quiet, inactive games to more active ones. 1 2 3 4 5 Child is off and running as soon as he wakes up in the morning. 1 2 3 4 '5 When child moves about, he usually moves slowly. I 2 3 4 5 63 ATTENTION S PAN - PERS I STANCE Plays with a single toy for long periods of time. ' l 2 3 Child persists at a task until successful. 1 2 3 Child goes from toy to toy quickly. ~ 1 2 3 Child gives up easily when difficulties are encountered. 1 2 3 With a difficult toy, child gives up quite easily. 1 2 3 SOOTHABILITY Whenever child starts crying, he can be easily distracted. 1 2 3 When upset by an unexpected situation, child quickly calms down. 1 2 3 Child stopped fussing whenever someone talked to him or picked him up. 1 2 3 If talked to, child stops crying. 1 2 3 Child tolerates frustration well. 1 2 3 Please make sure that you have answered every item. 64 The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire 0 Child's name: 10 number Teacher's name: Following is a series of descriptions of behavior often shown by preschoolers. After each statement are three columns,"Doesn't Apply"(DA), ”Applied Sometimes”(AS), and “Certainly Applies"(CA). If the child shows the behavior described by the statement frequently or to a great degree, place an ”X” in the space under “Certainly Applies“(CA). If the child shows behavior described by the statement to a lesser degree or less often, place an ”X" in the space under "Applies Sometimes"(AS). If, as far as you are aware, the child does not show the behavior, place an “X" in the space under ”Doesn't Apply'(DA). ' Please put ONE 'X' for EACH statement. ‘ DA AS CA For Scorer's Use Only 1. Restless. Runs about or jumps up and down. Doesn't keep still ___ ............. 2. Squirmy, fidgety child ............ . 3. Destroys own or others' belongings 4. Fights with other children ........ 5. Not much liked by other children 6. Is worried. Worries about many things ........ 7. Tends to do things on his own, rather solitary 8. Irritable, quick to "fly off the handle" ... 9. Appears miserable, unhappy, tearful, or distressed ........ 65 DA As CA For Scorer's Use Only 10. Has twitches, mannerisms, or tics of the face and body ........ 11. Bites nails or fingers 12. Is disobedient 13. Has poor concentration or short attention span 00.00.0000... 14. Tends to be fearful or afraid of new things or new situations ........ 15. Fussy or over-particular child ........ 16. Tells lies ... 17. Has wet or soiled self this year 18. Has stutter or stammer 19. Has other speech difficulty ___ ___ ___ ___... ..... ___ 20. Bullies other children ___ ___ ___ ___...___ 21. Inattentive ___ ___ ___ ___.............___ 22. Doesn't share toys ___ ___ ___ ___...___ 23. Cries easily __ _ __ _.......__ 24. Blames others - ... 25. Gives up easily ........ 26. Inconsiderate of others ... 27. Unusual sexual behaviors 28. Kicks, bites, or hits other children ... 29. Stares into space . ........ 30. Do you consider this child to have behavior problems? TOTALS TEE-31 1 2 3 66 Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire Name of the child ID number Name of the teacher Directions: Using the scale below, please circle the number that best indicates how well each of the statements listed here describes the child named above. 1 2 3 4 5 not at all somewhat somewhat a lot like like the unlike the like the the child child child child SO a e av Offers to help other children or adults 1 2 3 4 5 Works with others toward common goals 1 2 3 4 5 Shares with others 1 2 3 4 5 Takes turns ~* ' 1 2 3 4 5 Expresses concern for others when they are distressed 1 2 3 4 5 Positive Afifeet within the School Septing Cheerful 1 2 3 4 5 Friendly . 1 2 3 4 5 Relaxed l 2 3 4 5 Eager to participate 1 2 3 4 5 Pee; Qompetenee Seeks out otherlchildren to play with 1 2 3 4 5 Allows other children to play with 1 2 3 4 5 Other children seek his/her company 1 2 3 4 5 Enters ongoing activities constructively 1 2 3 4 5 Uses constructive ways to resolve conflicts with peers 1 2 3 4 S In general, gets along with other children 1 2 3 4 S 67 Ego Strength Confident 1 2 3 4 5 Independent ‘ 1 2 3 4 5 Assertive 1 2 3 4 5 Self-directed 1 2 3 4 5 Suggests activities or volunteers information 1 2 3 4 5 Persistent (Doesn't give up easily) 1 2 3 4 5 Adjustment to Eneschool Routinee Demonstrates understanding of daily schedule 1 2 3 4 5 Cooperates with adults most of the timel 2 3 4 S Listens to teacher during circle time activities . 1 2 3 4 S Follows directions throughout the day 1 2 3 4 5 Adapts readily to changes in activities 1 2 3 4 5 Is able to attend to the task at-hand during free choice and small group activities 1 2 3 4 5 Seeks attention/assistance from adults appropriately. 1 2 3 4 5 Check the appropriate category for the next two items Overall compared to other children in the class who are attending preschool for the first time, rate how well this child has adjusted to preschool? (4) Very well (3) As expected (2) Less than expected (1) Very poorly Overall, how well are the parents of this child coping with the child's transition to preschool? (4) Very well (3) As expected Less than expected (1) Very poorly um APPENDIX B 69 COVER LETTER TO PARENTS December 20, 1988. Dear.Parent, I am a graduate student in the Department of Family and Child Ecology and I am working on my Master's Thesis. The study I am doing for my thesis addresses two questions: 1) Is the temperament of the child related to how he /she adjusts to the preschool setting? 2) Are teacher's perceptions of a child‘s temperament similar to parent's perceptions of the same child's temperament? In order to answer these questions, we will need the cooperation of a number of children ages 3-5 who are .attending preschool for the first time and their parents. I am writing to ask for your assistance with the study. We are asking the parents of preschoolers to share their views on their children's behavioral style with us. Participation in this study is, of course, voluntary. Parents in the study will be asked to fill out two questionnaires. One of these is a demographic questionnaire and the other one is a temperament measure. The instruments we want you to fill out are included in this packet. We only ask that parents answer these qUestibns as accurately as possible. The children in the study will be treated the same as other children in the preschool. The children do not have to do anything except to participate in the normal activities of the preschool in order to be in the study. They will be observed by their teachers and the teachers will rate their temperament (using the same measure that you will be filling out) and their adjustment to the preschool. The teachers will be filling out two adjustment questionnaires. Copies of these questionnaires are being left with the teachers if you want to see what they look like. . We want to assure all of you that if you participate in the study, your responses will be strictly confidential and all study participants will remain anonymous. When the data are reported, no one will be able to determine who was in the study, or what answers any person in the study gave to any of the items. If you are willing to participate in this study, please complete the two questionnaires and the consent form, and return them to the investigator in the enclosed envelope by January 20th. This study is being conducted by Ratana Jewsuwan master's candidate under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Luster, Assistant Professor of the Department of Family and Child Ecology of Michigan State University. If you have any questions about the study do not hesitate to call Ratana Jewsuwan at (517)355-2923 or Dr. Luster at 353-3867. Knowing that this is the busiest time of the year, we greatly appreciate your contribution to the study. Sincerely yours, Investigator 70 CONSENT FORM Dear Parent, I am a graduate student ih the Department of Family and Child Ecology and I am working on my Master's Thesis. The study I am doing for my thesis addresses two questions: 1) Is the temperament of the child related to how he/she adjusts to the preschool setting? 2) Are teacher's perceptions of a child's temperament similar to parent's perceptions of the same child's temperament? In order to answer these questions, we will need the cooperation of a number of parents of children ages 3-5 who are attending the preschool for the first time. We will also need the the assistance of the Head Teachers at the Central School Child Development Laboratories. There are four questionnaires to be completed that deal with these 2 questions: 1) a temperament measure: 2) a demographic questionnaire: 3)the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire (PBQ):and 4) the Preschool Adjustment Questionnaire (PAQ). The parents will be asked to complete only the first two instruments while the first and last two instruments will be completed by the teachers. The children who participate in the study will be observed by the teachers but they will not be treated differently from other children in the program. In other words, the children do not have to do anything other than participate in the normal activities of the preschool in order to be in the study. ‘ Any information provided'by the parents and teachers will be strictly confidential and all study participants will remain anonymous. No one reading the results will be able to identify how an individual responded to any of the questions on the questionnaires. Your children can participate in this study only if you sign a consent form indicating that you give your daughter or son permission to participate in the.study. Your participation in the study is strictly voluntary. If you are willing to have your daughter or son participate in this study please sign and date this form at the bottom and return it in the enclosed envelope by January 20th. If you have second thoughts, you are free to discontinue your involvement in the study at any time prior to completion of the study in February. This research is being conducted by Ratana Jewsuwan master's candidate under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Luster, Assistant Professor of the Department of Family and Child Ecology at Michigan State University. If you have any questions about the study, we would be happy to answer them. Please contact Ratana Jewsuwan at (517) 355-2923 or Dr. Luster at 353- 3867. The questionnaires being completed by the teachers can be reviewed with the cooperating teacher. Circle and sign if this is your desire. I prefer that my child not be included in this study. 1 YES 2 NO Name: Date: If you want a copy of results, please sign below . Name: 71 December 20, 1988. Dear Parent, Thank you very much for your valuable time in completing and returning the temperament and the demographic question- naires which were sent to you via your child last month. A mistake was made on our part. Instead of sending 2 temperament and one demographic questionnaires to each household, only one temperament and one demographic question- naires were sent. Therefore, I am sending a second temperament measure and requesting that the parent who has not had the opportunity to complete the questionnaire fill it out and return it in the enclosed envelope by January 17th. Knowing that this is the busiest time of the year, I apologize to you for any inconveniences. As mentioned in the previous cover letter, these data are being collected for my master's thesis which addresses 2 questions : 1) Is the temperament of the child related to how he/she adjusts to the preschool setting? 2) Are teacher's perceptions of a child's temperament similar to parent's perceptions of the same child's temperament? In order to answer these questions, we will need the cooperation of a number of parents of children‘ages 3-5 who are attending preschool for the first. ‘ As noted in earlier correspondence, the children in the study will be treated the same as other children in the preschool. The children do not have to do anything except to participate in the normal activities of the preschool in order to be in the study. They will be observed by their teachers and the teachers will rate their temperament (using the same measure that you will be filling out) and their adjustment to the preschool. The teachers will be filling out two adjustment questionnaires. Copies of these questionnaires are being left with the teachers if you want to see what they look like. We want to assure all of you that if you participate in the study, your responses will be strictly confidential and all study participants will remain anonymous. When the data are reported, no one will be able to determine who was in the study, or what answers any person in the study gave to any of the item. This study is being conducted by Ratana Jewsuwan master's candidate under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Luster, Assistant Professor of the Department of Family and Child Ecology of Michigan State University. If you have any questions about the study do not hesitate to call Ratana Jewsuwan at (517)355-2923 or Dr. Luster at 353-3867. . We hope that the parent who has not filled out a temperament questionnaire can fill it out so that our information on each child is complete. Thank you in advance for your assistance and thank you again for your earlier contribution to the study. Sincerely yours, Investigator 72 December 20, 1988. Dear Parents, I am a graduate student in the Department of Family and Child Ecology and I am working on my Master's thesis. The study I am doing for my thesis addresses two questions: 1) Is the temperament of the child related to how he /she adjusts to the preschool setting? 2) Are teacher's perceptions of a child's temperament similar to parent's perceptions of the same child's temperament? Last month a temperament and a demographic question- naires were sent to you. To date, we have not received your permission for your child to participate in the study or the questionnaires we are asking parents to fill out or a note indicating your denial of permission. Like most busy parents, the last thing you need is one more thing to add tq your list of year end chores, but I hope you will give serious‘consideration to helping us carry out this study. I have enclosed one demographic, and two temperament questionnaires (pink for the mother and yellow for the father) for you to fill out. Please return the completed questionnaires and the consent form in the enclosed envelope. Knowing that this is the busiest time of the year, we greatly appreciate your participation in this study. D Sincerely yours, Ratana Jewsuwan Investigator 111mm