Elementary school students with school adjustment problems

The purpose of this study was to determine a way of identifying high-risk maladjusted students in order that they may receive counselling services before their problems become extreme. The study also attempted to obtain a specific description of attributes which characterize elementary school students with adjustment problems. This information would help teachers and counsellors to plan intervention programs suited to the needs of these children. The classroom teachers identified students in Grades 6 and 7 who had been referred for counselling because of school adjustment problems and they also identified students whom they considered to be well-adjusted to school. The study included 40 students, boys and girls. The California Test of Personality, Grades 4-8, Form AA, was administered to the students in order to determine their level of personal adjustment, social adjustment, and total adjustment. A sociogram was drawn up for each classroom to determine the sociometric status of the target group. The students were also compared on measures of family type, birth order, and family mobility. The results indicated that the problem students differed significantly from the well-adjusted students on measures of personal adjustment, social adjustment, total adjustment, sociometric status, and family mobility. Family type and birth order measures yielded non-significant results. The study showed that teacher identification of students with school adjustment problems was accurate. The study also indicated that the California Test of Personality, the sociogram, and a measure of family mobility were valid instruments for identifying high-risk students who were in need of counselling. These results can be of help to teachers and counsellors in collecting objective data on possible problem students and in identifying high-risk problem students early.Education, Faculty ofEducational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department ofGraduat